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State of the Union

Interview With State Rep. Gina Hinojosa (D-TX); Interview With Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY); Interview With U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright; Interview With New York Congressional Candidate Cait Conley. Aired 9-10a ET

Aired September 06, 2026 - 09:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

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(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANA BASH, CNN HOST (voice-over): Pump and circumstance. Gas hits record highs this Labor Day, as the U.S. strikes more Iranian targets.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's small potatoes for us.

BASH: How long will Americans pay the price? Energy Secretary Chris Wright joins me next.

And Texas hold 'em. President Trump shells out cash for a key Texas race ahead of his Trumpapalooza.

MANU RAJU, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Are you going to go to the Republican convention next week?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.

BASH: Is the political ground there shifting?

STATE REP. GINA HINOJOSA (D-TX), GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: Greg Abbott knows he's in trouble.

BASH: Texas Democratic candidate for governor Gina Hinojosa joins me ahead.

Plus: too close to call. It's one of the tightest races in the country.

REP. MIKE LAWLER (R-NY): I'll do whatever it takes to get things done.

CAIT CONLEY (D), NEW YORK CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE: What we're seeing from politicians today is not courage.

BASH: Both New York candidates, Republican Congressman Mike Lawler and his Democratic challenger, Army Veteran Cait Conley, face off ahead.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BASH: Hello. I'm Dana Bash in Washington, where the State of Our Union is kicking off election season.

It is Labor Day weekend, and voters are already voting in one key state with just two months until the midterm elections. This week, President Trump will host a convention in Texas with himself as the star, as his super PAC finally puts some skin in the game.

We're going to have much more on the state of the midterms coming up, but, first, let's talk about some of the voters' main concerns with the president, the Iran war and the price of gas, as new attacks between the U.S. and Iran set off fears about new escalation in the region, while, this Labor Day, Americans face record high prices for gasoline and diesel.

Here with me now is Energy Secretary Chris Wright.

Thank you so much for being here this morning, sir.

The president says the Strait of Hormuz is under U.S. control. Just yesterday, the U.S. struck three Iranian tankers in retaliation for Iran firing missiles at U.S. warships. Meanwhile, "The New York Times" reports that Iran struck at least 23 merchant ships in the strait in the last two months.

Does that sound to you like it's a situation completely under control?

CHRIS WRIGHT, U.S. ENERGY SECRETARY: We've -- our transits through the strait are averaging over nine million barrels a day now. And with the with the access pipelines that go -- that go around the strait, we're probably two-thirds or more of pre-conflict flows.

So Iranians are still causing trouble, but the United States Navy is winning that battle.

BASH: On the United States Navy winning that battle, the United States Navy is there, and it sounds like, in order to keep even the current flow of oil and tankers through the strait, the U.S. Navy is going to have to stay there.

Are you suggesting they're going to have to stay there indefinitely?

WRIGHT: Oh, I think we'll see a change in the Iranian regime, or certainly a change in their policy if they want to become a trading nation again and engage with the world.

But they have not lightly given up their nuclear weapons program. Thank God for President Trump's courage to take this on. He did not want to kick the can down to the road to the next administration to deal with a nuclear-armed Iran. This is Iran without nuclear weapons. Imagine Iran with nuclear weapons.

BASH: So, Mr. Secretary, is the U.S. Navy being in the strait just the new normal now?

WRIGHT: Well, it is today, but I think, as you look forward, other nations will come and work with us in this endeavor. Certainly, trade for the world is important. It shouldn't be just the United States' responsibility.

But until Iran changes their position or changes their government, we'll have to deal with them. But, slowly, their capabilities are being degraded and ours are being enhanced.

BASH: So, sort of what's unsaid in this discussion so far is that it's just -- it's not safe.

"The New York Times" also says August was the deadliest month for merchants in the Strait of Hormuz since March. Can you unequivocally say that ships that want to transit through the Strait of Hormuz can do so safely?

WRIGHT: We're working cooperatively with fleets that do want to transit. Some ships aren't transiting, and, of course, that's their choice.

[09:05:03]

But the United States is working with teams from all the nations in the Gulf to get transits and to continue to ramp them up. Iranian ships, of course, are not transiting at all. That's a ticking time bomb for the economy of Iran.

BASH: But you're not saying that it's currently safe?

WRIGHT: We're getting a lot of ships through, but, of course, it requires the U.S. military to do that. We are not pre-conflict levels, if that's what you're asking, Dana.

BASH: Well, I'm just asking if -- yes, I mean, pre-conflict levels or just, bottom line, if a country or a company wants to send its tanker through the Strait of Hormuz, can they do so safely?

WRIGHT: Well, if they want to work with the United States Navy, I think they can.

But, look, we're trying to end a 47-year conflict as Iran dashes to develop nuclear weapons and wreak havoc on their neighbors and threaten the world economy.

Is there some effort involved in that? Why, of course. Why, of course.

BASH: It is Labor Day weekend, one of the heaviest travel times of the year. The average cost of a gallon of gas this weekend is the highest on record, $4.13.

You said on this show five months ago that high gas prices had peaked. But between not just the Iran war, but the Russia-Ukraine war and the U.S.' own dwindling reserves, isn't it possible gas prices could go up even more? WRIGHT: Well, if you look at -- I look -- I don't want to have an

opinion on that, but if you look at the futures market right now, what can you buy gasoline for two months in advance from where we are today, it's down more than 30 cents a gallon from where it is today.

So we are hitting the end of the summer driving season. The Trump administration has changed blending requirements for American refiners, which allows them to produce more gasoline just as demand for gasoline is about to start heading down.

I should -- I should point out that New York, Connecticut, California, and several other Democrat-governed states have decided not to adopt those standards. They apparently want to keep driving up prices on their -- on their residents.

But the Trump administration is doing everything we can to drive energy prices down, as we have since the day we arrived in office.

BASH: Respectfully, as the energy secretary, shouldn't you have an opinion on where gas prices are and where they're going?

WRIGHT: Well, gasoline production is about to go up and demand is about to go down. So, if I had to guess, they're more likely to go -- to go down than go up.

BASH: I want to specifically ask about diesel, which, of course, is vital to pretty much every aspect of the supply chain. It's also the highest on record at $5.85 a gallon. It powers farm equipment, trains, trucks that move produce and other goods to stores.

What is your message to Americans about when the price of diesel specifically, which affects the cost of just about everything, will come down?

WRIGHT: So diesel's been impacted by a lot of factors, but the single biggest one there has been the Ukrainian destruction of Russian refineries.

Russia was a meaningful exporter of diesel throughout the last several decades. Today, they have banned any exports of diesel. China has also dramatically throttled back exports of diesel. And, in fact, Russia is importing gasoline, where they have historically been a net exporter of that.

So, the refining market has become very tight. The Biden administration closed over a dozen refineries in the United States. Gavin Newsom in California closed two significant refineries just in the last 12 months.

We, of course, are rowing in the opposite direction. The Trump administration is working with our refiners to expand their capacity. In fact, our efforts in Venezuela will also bring on not just oil production, but ultimately a rise in refinery capacity in Venezuela to supply the world.

So the world's had a lot of things rowing against the diesel market, and Democratic policies for the last 15 years to crimp the production of hydrocarbons in the United States has certainly taken a toll, but we're rolling in the other direction and we will see that expanded.

BASH: On Venezuela, the administration certainly struck a deal, but it doesn't sound like that's going to make production up and running for like 10 years or so.

But broadly on diesel, it sounds like what you're saying is, Americans are going to have to wait, that diesel prices are going to remain high for a while.

WRIGHT: Well, we have lots of actions to push in the other direction. So we will see. That's going to be a supply-and-demand balance.

But on Venezuela, I think things are going swimmingly, well above our projections. Their national production of oil is up 25 percent. Their exports of oil is up 50 percent. We're way ahead of plan. And with billions of new dollars announced for investment into the country, every month, that story gets better than it was the month before.

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So, progress is happening rapidly.

BASH: We're almost out of time. So what are you saying about the timeline in Venezuela? It's not 10 years? It's shorter now?

WRIGHT: Oh, it's never -- it's never been 10 years. I don't know what the 10 years is referring to.

But, by the end of next year, we will probably see Venezuelan production more than doubled from what it was at the time of our intervention. So, progress in Venezuela has been rapid and will continue to be so.

BASH: Energy Secretary Chris Wright, thank you so much for your time this morning, sir.

WRIGHT: Thanks. Thanks, Dana.

BASH: The Lone Star State gets ready to host the Trump-centric midterm convention. Is that because Republicans see real races in Texas?

Democratic candidate for governor Gina Hinojosa joins me next.

Plus, it is Labor Day weekend, the unofficial midterm kickoff. We will talk to candidates on either side of one of the closest races in the country.

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BASH: President Trump is putting some of his money where his mouth is, his super PAC, MAGA Inc., spending $10 million on ads in the Texas Senate race, that as the president prepares to host a midterm convention in Texas this week.

Here with me now is the Democrat running for Texas governor, State Representative Gina Hinojosa.

I want to note that Gina's sister, Xochitl, is a CNN political commentator.

Thank you so much for being here.

You are running in a state, President Trump won by nearly 14 percent points. He just announced, as I mentioned, that $10 million investment to boost Republican chances in the Texas Senate race. Are you concerned that all of this will in fact energize GOP voters in Texas?

HINOJOSA: No, actually not at all.

If you look at the polling, President Trump is underwater, Greg Abbott is underwater, and people are tired of this politics as usual. People want change in Texas. They're galvanizing, organizing. We're building real momentum in this race.

So I welcome the attention on Texas. Texas is battleground in 2026. If you don't believe it, look at what Republicans are doing. But that's what I hear every day on the campaign trail.

BASH: Governor Abbott, your opponent, changed his position on data centers and on Flock cameras over the past few weeks. Public opinion has shifted. You made it a centerpiece of your campaign. He has now placed a temporary pause on new data center approvals and ordered an audit.

You say there needs to be a moratorium until regulations are in place, but proponents of data centers point to a boom in construction jobs. Is it worth potentially losing some jobs to stop data centers?

HINOJOSA: I think that is a false choice. I think we can have good jobs and we can protect our communities as well.

So that people understand, Texas is the Wild West of data centers right now. We have hundreds that have descended upon us, with the richest tax breaks in the country given to data centers by Greg Abbott. And people are angry because they're not protected when it comes to their water, their electricity.

I was sitting in a living room filled with really MAGA supporters this last week in Red Oak outside of Dallas, this small rural community where they have seven data centers coming in and there's just no rules. These are massive hyperscale data centers in communities that just don't have the infrastructure.

And people just want a seat at the table to decide if and how these data centers come into their communities. They deserve that. We need to pass laws to protect the people of Texas. What Abbott is doing is just trying to protect his own reelection chances, but people see right through it, and it's not working.

BASH: How is it a false choice between construction jobs and data centers?

HINOJOSA: Right.

Well, to give you some examples, in Texas, for instance, there is no requirement that the people of a community, the residences be prioritized when it comes to water consumption. And, in many places in Texas, we're suffering from drought, so people are really concerned.

We can have laws in place that say Texans residents, citizens get priority over water. We can have laws in place that say we won't subsidize the electricity. We can have laws in place that say local communities can decide if and how these data centers come into their communities.

We do this with every other industry. We have laws, commonsense laws that protect people, and we build jobs. Listen, Texans are pro- business people, but we're talking about these hyperscale data centers that have...

BASH: Yes.

HINOJOSA: ... hyperscale impacts on our communities, and we just need to get this under control.

BASH: I want to play part of a very personal ad you just released.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HINOJOSA: Twenty-three years ago, my husband and I were overjoyed, expecting our first, until an unimaginable diagnosis. The doctor said: "I need you to understand she's not going to live."

But I did understand, but I was making that choice. I chose her.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: You said your baby was born shortly after her due date. She did not survive. First of all, I'm sorry about that loss.

I do want to ask about, since this is a campaign ad, the politics of this, since you're telling the story and you say you chose her, and that is striking language, because it's the kind of language the self- described pro-life movement would use. It seems intentional.

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HINOJOSA: The point of that ad is to say who I am. What is my motivator? What gives me strength in what is a heavy lift in this election cycle, to run for governor in Texas?

And so it was important to me to share that story with voters. I believe in a woman's right to choose. I have a voting record that shows that that's where I stand. But I think that people need to understand, these choices that we make in our lives make us who we are. And they are crossroads that kind of determine the future of our lives. That was my crossroads. That was my choice, and it was important to me

to share so people understand what motivates me.

BASH: And abortion is banned in Texas, with the very limited medical exceptions. If elected governor, how would you change abortion laws?

HINOJOSA: It's going to take more than one election to change these very extreme abortion bans in Texas.

I think, where we can start, I think where there is bipartisan support is to do away with the 99 years imprisonment that doctors face when they choose to terminate a pregnancy with a mother to save her life. And, right now, doctors can be second-guessed by political boards, and they face 99 years in prison.

And so they're afraid to touch women. And women are having to wait until they're at death's door, and too many women are dying in Texas because of it. I think there's bipartisan support to start there to do away with these criminal penalties for doctors.

BASH: Gina Hinojosa, thank you so much for being here this morning. I really appreciate it.

HINOJOSA: Great to be with you.

BASH: And I should note we invited your opponent, Governor Abbott, on the program, and we do hope to have him on soon.

Up next: Could control of Congress come down to a purple district right outside New York City? That race is close, and it's getting heated. Both candidates will be here next.

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BASH: Welcome back to STATE OF THE UNION.

In under two weeks, New York voters can start mailing in their ballots.

And, this morning, we're joined live by the candidates in one of the closest races in the country in the Hudson Valley and Rockland County, where former combat veteran and Army officer Cait Conley is taking on Republican Congressman Mike Lawler.

Congressman Lawler is no stranger to a close race. He won in 2024, even as his district's voters also went for the Democrat for president, Kamala Harris.

I'm going to start with the incumbent in this race, Republican Mike Lawler.

Thank you so much for being here.

Dozens of Republican congressmembers in close races are skipping the president's convention in Texas this week. You're not. You're going and you're speaking. Your opponent, Cait Conley, accuses you of putting loyalty to the president ahead of your district. As I mentioned, Kamala Harris won there when President Trump won the White House.

Why align yourself so closely with the president now, when his popularity is at an all-time low?

LAWLER: It's not a function of alignment. It's a function of doing the job.

In order to get anything done, you have to be able to reach across the aisle and also work within your own party. When Joe Biden was president, I was able to get things done. When Donald Trump is president, I'm able to get things done. I have passed over two dozen bills, 17 of which have been signed into law.

I have been able to bring back tens of millions of dollars to my district, and I delivered one of the biggest wins for New York by standing up to President Trump on the issue of SALT.

And so part of what I will be highlighting in my remarks is the ability to not only agree when we must, but disagree and deliver for my district and stand up for the people that I was elected to represent, including the Gorman family, who will be speaking at the convention.

And I will be introducing them. Sadly, their 18-year-old beautiful young daughter, Sheridan Gorman, was brutally murdered earlier this year by an illegal immigrant let into the country under Joe Biden, arrested in Chicago for shoplifting, released back out onto the street, and executed her from behind.

Their story is tragic, and they will be sharing their story. And I'm proud to stand there alongside them and introduce them to the nation.

BASH: I want to ask you about data centers. Your opponent, who we will hear from shortly, is attacking you who -- about the idea of data center construction. You say you support local control over data center decisions, but you did vote for the House version of the One Big Beautiful Bill that would have prevented state and local governments from regulating A.I. systems, including data centers, for 10 years.

Why should voters in your district believe that you support local control when you voted in Congress to take that authority away?

LAWLER: Well, the final bill did not include that provision.

But, secondarily, I have always supported local control of zoning. I stood up to Kathy Hochul when she tried to eliminate local control of zoning in New York state. It's my opponent, Cait Conley, who is bought and paid for by A.I. and big tech.

She's got a no-show job to the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars from A.I. companies. Just a few weeks ago, she was saying, we need data centers. Now she's trying to change her tune because she knows this is problematic for her in the election.

I have always supported local communities. East Fishkill, Orangetown, they have moratoriums in place now in my district, putting a moratorium on data center construction.

[09:30:06]

But the fact is, you need to have a coherent strategy at the federal, state, and local level dealing with this issue. There are energy issues related to it, energy consumption. It's why I support legislation requiring these companies to help build generation for the power consumption that they use.

And, by the way, you look at New York, utility rates are up 58 percent over six years. Why? Because New York shut down nuclear power, banned natural gas extraction, blocked pipeline construction. That drives up energy costs on residents.

And that's part of the reason why New York is struggling to deal with the issues of data centers.

BASH: Yes, and you're right, it didn't become law, but that's because the Senate took that provision out.

I do want to quickly talk about the Iran war.

LAWLER: That's how you negotiate, Dana.

BASH: President Trump referred to it as a military conflict that's small potatoes, when the U.S. struck three Iranian targets just yesterday.

Now, you said over 50 percent of your district is comprised of service members, veterans, law enforcement, first responders. Would you tell them that the U.S. is in a small potatoes military conflict?

LAWLER: No, any time you are at war or in a military escalation, it is certainly not small potatoes. It is serious. I think we all recognize that.

Ensuring Iran does not possess a nuclear weapon, stopping them from continuing to finance terrorism, Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and other terror proxies, stopping them from mass-producing ballistic missiles, drones, which are being used by Russia against Ukraine, is critical.

And much of the military operation has been focused on depleting their military capabilities and in recent months making sure that they are not blocking the ability of commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. Oil is back up to about 70 percent of what it was in terms of flowing through the strait prior to the conflict.

We want to continue the flow. But, remember, we don't rely on petroleum out of Iran. That is China. And part of what has happened over the last year, you have seen, the removal of Maduro in Venezuela and the blockade against Iranian oil flowing has severely impacted China's capabilities of getting oil from Venezuela and Iran.

BASH: All right.

LAWLER: That is something that I have targeted legislatively with the SHIP Act, the Iran-China Energy Sanctions Act and something we must continue to prosecute in terms of enacting strong sanctions against China. This is all interconnected, and we need to recognize that.

BASH: OK, Congressman Mike Lawler, thank you so much for being here this morning. I appreciate it.

LAWLER: Thanks, Dana.

BASH: And now I want to go to the Democrat challenging Lawler, Cait Conley, who is an Army combat veteran and served as a national security official in the Biden administration.

Thank you so much for being here.

Congressman Lawler has said time and time again that you are a Democrat and in a time when Democrats are becoming the party of Democratic socialists. When you were asked about Mamdani-backed candidate campaigning with you said, "I welcome anyone here in this district."

So would you campaign alongside Democratic socialists like the New York City mayor or even with Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

CONLEY: You know, Dana, I'm good up here making the case to the voters in the New York 17th Congressional District.

And the case I'm making is that they deserve a true public servant and someone who's going to fight for them every single day, not for special interests or corporate interests. And the testament of that and the joke that is Mike Lawler's accusations, right, and blind lies, trying to call me names, instead of focusing on the fact that he's failed to actually deliver for working families here in New York 17.

I spend 16 years in the military. I was a military police officer. I know the importance of law enforcement providing and protecting our families. And I know the importance of things like border security and national security.

And I'm going to do as a representative of this district the same thing I have done my whole life, which is fight for this country, fight for our families and deliver.

BASH: Another...

CONLEY: Mike Lawler's mission's been very clear during his time in Congress, and that is to fight for his own political advancement and ambition.

My mission will be to fight for the families here in New York 17 to make their lives better and easier.

BASH: Another one of your fellow Democrats in New York, Tom Suozzi, is calling on Democrats to reject the DSA. Do you?

CONLEY: I look at what we're trying to do, which is unite this country, where we have seen partisanship, to include partisanship within our own party, absolutely divide people to render government dysfunctional.

[09:35:00]

And that's not going to make prices lower on groceries or prescriptions. That's not going to lower gas prices. That's not going to make families who are working full-time jobs' lives any easier. What we have to focus on is, how do we bring people together?

And, right now, what I see coming out of Washington is corruption on both sides, extremism on both sides that is fueling hate, fueling dysfunction. And I believe it has no place in government, in public service. And I think that politicians should take a lesson from our military service members.

I will tell you, during my 16 years in the Army, where I stood shoulder to shoulder with young men and women from all across this country of diverse political backgrounds, religious backgrounds, ethnic backgrounds, we came together to serve this country, to swear an oath to country over a person or political party.

And I think politicians should be taking lessons from our military service members about what service really is.

BASH: I want to get your response to Congressman Lawler on data centers. As you just heard, he says your positions actually aren't that different. You both say local communities need to have a say, and that environmental impacts should be considered.

He's pointing to a comment that you made in April, when you said, "We need data centers." Do you still feel that way?

CONLEY: On Mike Lawler's watch, five data centers were built in his own county alone, with three more on the way.

We have watched as he, as a utility lobbyist, has advocated for those interests and not those of the people of New York 17. We have seen him take in hundreds of thousands of dollars from big tech and then turn around and actually fight to lower restrictions on building more data centers.

If you want to know where Mike Lawler's loyalties lie, just follow the money. My policy on data centers has been very clear. If they're going to be built, they need to be a net positive for the communities, not extorting the communities that they're being built in.

BASH: I do want to ask, as a combat veteran deployed overseas six times -- and you were awarded three Bronze Stars -- earlier this week, the Army secretary, Dan Driscoll, resigned after clashing with Secretary Hegseth.

Multiple sources tell CNN they believe Hegseth's culture war fixation is disrupting Army readiness. You have said Hegseth should be fired, but if you are elected, would you support actually impeaching him?

CONLEY: I believe he has been a hazard to American national security and a disgrace to the office. I would absolutely support removing him from office, because his actions and decisions are failing service members who have sworn an oath to this country and deserve respect, and for politicians to actually value their lives and their willingness to make the ultimate sacrifice, instead of thinking that it's a game or some movie, like Hegseth continuously talks about.

And I do believe that the decisions out of this administration made by Hegseth, but also enabled by Congressman Mike Lawler and Republicans in Congress, just like with the Iran war, where Lawler voted five times to give Donald Trump a blank check on this conflict that they continue to bungle, that's not leadership. And America deserves better.

BASH: We're out of time. I just want to be clear. You said you would support removing him from office? That means that you would support articles of impeachment.

CONLEY: Against Pete Hegseth...

BASH: Yes.

CONLEY: ... for his failure to protect America? Yes.

BASH: All right, Cait Conley, thank you so much for being here. I appreciate it.

CONLEY: Thank you.

BASH: And President Trump starts spending money on the midterms amid a rising tide of GOP ad dollars. How effective -- effective will it be? My panel is here next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:43:12]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN THUNE (R-SD): I think all of our allies out there, including the president and his team and their resources, need to be brought to bear on Texas, because it's not one that we can lose if we're going to hang on to a Republican majority. We flat have to win there.

SEN. TED CRUZ (R-TX): I'm telling everybody we need to do more. This is a very real fight. Right now, Republicans are being massively outspent.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Cries for help, two top Republicans worried the critical Texas Senate race could be slipping away from them.

It seems like President Trump heard them and is now getting involved, to the tune of $10 million.

My panel is here with me to discuss.

Kristen, what are you seeing in your data about Texas?

KRISTEN SOLTIS ANDERSON, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, Texas is a state where, over the summer, some public polling came out showing Talarico up by a couple of points.

I have begun to see Republican enthusiasm closing in my data, but it's still Texas. It's not a state where even a toss-up poll leaves Republicans feeling very good. And so I think that both Senator Thune and Cruz are right that this is a race that Republicans cannot afford to lose.

It's a shame that it's even on the table to begin with, but it is a really essential piece to make the math work for Republicans to hang on to their majority is keeping Texas.

BASH: Kristin?

KRISTIN DAVISON, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Yes, I agree.

I mean, right now, out of all the toss-up Senate races, there's about seven that are within the margin of error, including Iowa and Texas and Maine and Alaska. And so, as we go into Labor Day, this is kind of like start your engines, right?

If you're looking at your opponent, if you're looking at Talarico, and he's up two or four, then it's time to start seeing, OK, we really need to make the case. We need to let people know that he voted against rural health care.

We need to know, let people know he voted against the oil and gas industry, two really important things to cost of living in Texas, and kind of get out of the Twitter world, get out of the Internet, like, talk about the real life issues that are that are going on in people in Texas.

And I think, as that starts happening, again, to the tune of $10 million and I assume a lot more, we will see those numbers start to shift and maybe Texas moves a little bit down on the map and other states move up.

[09:45:10]

BASH: Yes.

DAVISON: Elon Musk is also spending.

KATE BEDINGFIELD, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, I think one of the things that's interesting if you talk to Democrats who are working on the race on the ground in Texas, you see one of the significant problems Republicans are having are with moderate women and independent women. And so -- in part because, of course, cost issues, but also just more

broadly on the kind of extreme pieces of the Trump agenda. And as both Kristens were saying, obviously, Texas is a state where Republicans should not have to, in theory, be spending money to defend a seat that should be a cakewalk.

And some of that is because Ken Paxton is the nominee, somebody that Trump went hard for and ensured was the nominee. He is a very damaged candidate, again, struggling with women. So you are seeing Democrats have a real shot in Texas in a way that they haven't in previous cycles.

JAMAL SIMMONS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes, the problem is that make America great again is not making America great. Making America great again is making America look goofy.

And I think the problem is, we're seeing measles outbreaks are taking place in 47 states, and we have got a government that's coming out and questioning vaccines. We are having costs overruns, people's housing. People aren't able to take care of their household expenses. And we're getting into fights with our allies in Canada over tariffs.

All of those things are making this look not like an effective government, and the president is treating Washington, D.C., like it's his own personal amusement park. This is not what America voted for, and I think they're going to punish the president on Election Day in the midterms.

BASH: And we have brand-new polling from NBC News out this morning, the overall question of the approval or not of the president's performance as president, overall, 36 percent, 80 percent of Republicans, 24 percent of independents.

Kristen, I want you to sort of drill down on those two, because 80 percent of Republicans approve, 20 percent disapprove, which is a pretty high number for a percentage for this president.

SOLTIS ANDERSON: Well, in this polarized time, you really are used to seeing numbers where one party, almost no one likes the president, and then in the other party you get a pretty sizable figure.

Eighty percent is not exceptional, but not as terrible. I think that independents number is the one that really sticks out to me.

BASH: Yes.

SOLTIS ANDERSON: And the challenge that Republicans have is, are those independents simply going to conclude that both Republicans and Democrats have nothing to offer, they're both terrible, why bother and stay home, or do they conclude that the Democrats' candidates actually can deliver on something new and different?

That's going to be really critical in this midterm is, it's not just about, do Republicans like Trump or not? Because clearly 80 percent means a lot of them do. That's why Trump feels compelled to double down. Republican candidates out on the trail trying to weigh, should I just have Trump come to my district, because he's still able to fire up those Republican voters?

But those independents in the middle trying to decide, OK, I may not be enthused with what's going on with Trump and the Republicans, but I'm not so sure yet that I can trust Democrats. Democrats still have not, I think, finished selling them on turn out for us.

DAVISON: Yes, I think Democrats have a real problem.

I mean, there was a Politico poll last week that showed the working class is still up for grabs. So you have this base group of voters that helped Trump take the White House that Democrats had before that right now that they're not sure Democrats are going to be there for them.

So this is your white working-class voters. Democrats haven't made the case. So we can sit here all day long and say Trump approval is falling. Trump's not on the ballot. The Democrats that are haven't really made the sale yet. And so, if I'm a Democrat, I'm sitting in Texas, Maine, Georgia, Michigan, I'm thinking, how do we get this across the line? Because they haven't convinced them yet.

BEDINGFIELD: Although you do see Democrats -- sorry. You do see Democrats running ahead in these races. I mean, we see poll after poll where -- so I would refute a little bit.

I certainly agree Democrats have work to do to win blue-collar voters, and certainly as we look beyond '26 to '28, that's going to be a huge piece of whether Democrats can be successful. But I think in the choice that voters have coming up in November, you do see Democrats eking ahead in some of these polls, in part on the back of an enthusiasm gap.

So you have Republican voters -- yes, you have 80 percent who say I approve of what Trump's doing, but are those people motivated to come out and vote in a midterm election where Trump himself is not on the ballot? We're not seeing that, whereas you're seeing Democrats saying, I am willing to crawl over broken glass to vote for somebody who I think is going to hold Trump in check.

So I think this is where Democrats do have a big advantage going into November.

SIMMONS: To get to what Kate just said, I saw a story about some Democrats who are overseas who were trying to figure out if they should plan to get on planes so that they will be back in the United States on Election Day, because they were worried about sending their mail-in ballots.

(CROSSTALK)

(LAUGHTER)

SIMMONS: That's the kind of dedication, when you talk about enthusiasm. Maybe one person can vote, and it's one person per vote, but you got to make sure they get there.

And the people who are self-motivated to be there, they matter more than people who are kind of like, yes, I don't know.

BASH: While we have you, can I ask you about your old boss?

SIMMONS: Yes.

BASH: Former Vice President Kamala Harris.

[09:50:00]

She's starting to get out there a little bit more. If you were advising a Democratic candidate, would you say, bring her on and campaign?

SIMMONS: I think every candidate's got to run for their own.

I have been on a lot of sides here, where I have been in state campaigns, and we had unpopular presidents that we didn't want to come down to the states where we were. And I have been on parts when you're in -- with the national campaign and you want to go be helpful. I think the candidates have to win.

This, I do know about Kamala Harris. She wants people to win.

BASH: Right.

SIMMONS: And she doesn't care. She's like, I will be for you or against you. Just win your election.

BASH: Thank you all for being here on this holiday weekend. Appreciate it.

Every year, I reread stories of bravery and tragedy from September 11. Next, we will tell you one you might not have heard.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:55:23]

BASH: As America prepares to commemorate the 25th anniversary of 9/11, a new CNN film looks at the people who worked at the famous Windows of the World restaurant, those who died there in the attacks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Then, in the '80s, the city came back. Money is rolling in suddenly. Windows on the World was like a metaphor for what was happening to New York.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You had the very wealthy and you had the very poor.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: "Top of the World" premieres Monday at 8:00 p.m. Eastern on CNN and streaming the next day with a CNN All Access subscription.

Thanks for spending your Sunday morning with us.

Fareed Zakaria picks it up next.