WEBVTT X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=MPEGTS:900000,LOCAL:00:00:00.000 00:00:00.792 --> 00:00:03.294 Akayla, you're an expert on all things Washington. 00:00:03.294 --> 00:00:05.130 You know all the power players 00:00:05.130 --> 00:00:07.257 who come here to the Capitol every day. 00:00:07.257 --> 00:00:08.800 But it sounds like from your reporting, 00:00:08.800 --> 00:00:09.801 things might be changing. 00:00:09.801 --> 00:00:11.469 I think Congress can definitely 00:00:11.469 --> 00:00:13.096 expect a shakeup in 2022. 00:00:13.096 --> 00:00:14.222 Well, let's talk about it. 00:00:18.810 --> 00:00:20.812 So, Akayla, what is the biggest difference 00:00:20.812 --> 00:00:24.190 you're seeing in this election cycle so far? 00:00:24.190 --> 00:00:26.192 One thing that I've been watching really closely 00:00:26.192 --> 00:00:27.402 is there's been a large number of 00:00:27.402 --> 00:00:30.363 Black and Latino candidates running in the GOP. 00:00:30.363 --> 00:00:32.282 In fact, it's a record number 00:00:32.282 --> 00:00:35.368 and this could have huge implications for the future of the party 00:00:35.368 --> 00:00:36.786 because for so long it's been known 00:00:36.786 --> 00:00:39.122 as a party for and of White voters. 00:00:39.122 --> 00:00:41.291 And what do you think is the single biggest thing 00:00:41.291 --> 00:00:43.585 that's contributed to that shift? 00:00:43.585 --> 00:00:46.588 Well, the Republican Party has been putting in ground work for years 00:00:46.588 --> 00:00:48.923 trying to reach Black and Latino voters. 00:00:48.923 --> 00:00:51.259 They've been setting up community centers 00:00:51.259 --> 00:00:53.219 in cities across the country, 00:00:53.219 --> 00:00:55.764 specifically hoping to reach African-American 00:00:55.764 --> 00:00:57.515 and Latino American voters. 00:00:57.515 --> 00:01:00.852 What has the party done specifically to not only 00:01:00.852 --> 00:01:03.229 inspire communities of color to vote, 00:01:03.229 --> 00:01:06.232 but also to take that extra step and run for office? 00:01:06.232 --> 00:01:08.568 That's the interesting thing about these candidates 00:01:08.568 --> 00:01:10.987 is most of them decided to run on their own. 00:01:10.987 --> 00:01:14.783 And part of that is they were inspired by someone like Donald Trump. 00:01:14.783 --> 00:01:18.453 I think Donald Trump kind of represented an outsider 00:01:18.453 --> 00:01:19.829 to the political world. 00:01:19.829 --> 00:01:22.540 And I think a lot of marginalized groups 00:01:22.540 --> 00:01:25.126 can sometimes feel like they are left out of politics. 00:01:25.126 --> 00:01:27.629 And so many of them look to him, 00:01:27.629 --> 00:01:30.757 this candidate who is unfiltered and says what's on their mind 00:01:30.757 --> 00:01:33.426 and said, "You know what, maybe I can run, too." 00:01:33.426 --> 00:01:36.429 This idea that if he can do it, so can I. 00:01:36.429 --> 00:01:37.138 Exactly. 00:01:37.138 --> 00:01:39.724 And some of them are actually having success 00:01:39.724 --> 00:01:42.185 and making it past the primaries. 00:01:44.562 --> 00:01:46.314 What specific policy positions 00:01:46.314 --> 00:01:46.981 are you noticing 00:01:46.981 --> 00:01:49.192 that these candidates are pushing forward 00:01:49.192 --> 00:01:52.153 and which of those policies are really resonating with voters? 00:01:52.737 --> 00:01:54.906 Well, a huge issue in the midterms, 00:01:54.906 --> 00:01:55.740 regardless of party, 00:01:55.740 --> 00:01:56.741 is the economy. 00:01:56.741 --> 00:02:00.453 And so a lot of them are running on bringing down inflation, 00:02:00.453 --> 00:02:02.122 reining in government spending. 00:02:02.122 --> 00:02:04.666 And so they're really hoping that voters will trust them 00:02:04.666 --> 00:02:06.668 not only to deal with the economy, 00:02:06.668 --> 00:02:08.670 but to bring jobs back to America 00:02:08.670 --> 00:02:11.131 and to make a better environment for business owners. 00:02:11.131 --> 00:02:13.550 How many of these candidates do you anticipate 00:02:13.550 --> 00:02:15.051 ending up in the Capitol? 00:02:15.051 --> 00:02:18.096 So right now there is 30 Hispanic Republicans 00:02:18.096 --> 00:02:19.806 and 24 Black Republicans 00:02:19.806 --> 00:02:21.975 actually heading to the general election. 00:02:21.975 --> 00:02:24.310 I would expect somewhere around half of them 00:02:24.310 --> 00:02:26.062 to actually have a fighting chance 00:02:26.062 --> 00:02:27.897 when voters actually cast their ballots. 00:02:27.897 --> 00:02:30.942 But that is even a huge increase for the Republican Party 00:02:30.942 --> 00:02:33.278 to have that many sitting members in Congress. 00:02:33.278 --> 00:02:35.321 And again, it's just going to take away 00:02:35.321 --> 00:02:37.323 this criticism that Democrats have always 00:02:37.323 --> 00:02:38.741 had against the Republican Party, 00:02:38.741 --> 00:02:41.035 that their party is simply not diverse 00:02:41.035 --> 00:02:42.287 and doesn't represent America. 00:02:42.287 --> 00:02:44.330 Akayla, this has been so helpful. 00:02:44.330 --> 00:02:44.956 Thank you so much. 00:02:44.956 --> 00:02:47.292 I know you have a breaking news shift to get to 00:02:47.292 --> 00:02:49.210 so we'll head back to the office, 00:02:49.210 --> 00:02:50.879 but really appreciate your reporting on this. 00:02:50.879 --> 00:02:51.880 Thanks, Mady. 00:02:51.880 --> 00:02:52.964 Thank you so much.