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TJRS SPECIAL COVERAGE – Election Night Watch Party | The Joy Reid Show LIVE!

The Joy Reid Show

Wed Nov 05 2025

Summary

The Joy Reid Show: SPECIAL COVERAGE – Election Night Watch Party (Nov 5, 2025)

Overview

On this special live edition of The Joy Reid Show, Joy-Ann Reid gathers a panel of political commentators and special guests for real-time analysis and reaction to the crucial off-year Election Night 2025 results. With major races in Virginia, New Jersey, New York, and California on the line, the conversation centers on voter discontent, affordability issues, the impact of Trump-era politics, and a wave of historic, diverse victories—most notably, the election of Zoran Mamdani as New York City’s first Muslim mayor and Abigail Spanberger's victory in Virginia’s gubernatorial race.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Scene: Election Night Energy

The episode opens with Joy-Ann Reid engaging with the live chat and setting a celebratory, energetic tone, highlighting the historical significance of the night and the show's new media format.
Joy repeatedly encourages hydration, participation, and engagement, welcoming "old cable days" friends—Rev. Mark Thompson (Make It Plain Radio) and David Jolly (former GOP Congressman, now a Democratic gubernatorial candidate in Florida).

2. The National Mood: Voters "Screaming for Change"

David Jolly spotlights a “wave of anger and frustration” from voters over unchecked costs—housing, healthcare, tuition, utilities—and describes an “affordability crisis gripping the country.”
Jolly links these anxieties to an impending political backlash, especially in Florida:
- “Voters are screaming for change and they're pissed off... The affordability crisis is crippling people.” (02:44)
- Predicts big Democratic victories, emphasizes a non-ideological hunger for responsive leadership.

3. Bomb Threats & Voter Suppression Tactics

Panelists note alarming bomb threats in New York and New Jersey, seen as attempts to depress turnout and intimidate marginalized voters.
Zoran Mamdani’s reaction:
- “It is an illustration of the attacks we're seeing on our democracy... in the manner of these bomb threats... a general approach the Trump administration has taken to trying to intimidate voters with baseless allegations of voter fraud…” (04:53)

4. The Virginia Race—Abigail Spanberger's Win & Lessons on Identity Politics

Mark Thompson breaks down the meaning of Spanberger’s defeat of Winsome Sears, discussing why Obama endorsed Spanberger over Sears despite shared racial identity:
- Points out that many on the right accuse Democrats of “identity politics,” while demanding loyalty from Black voters based strictly on race:
- “They think Black people just support Black people because they're Black...but it's about policy, not just identity.” (13:07)
The show plays a “supercut” of Winsome Sears interviews and soundbites, underscoring her alignment with MAGA ideology, opposition to reproductive and LGBTQ rights, and eccentric approach:
- Thompson: “When we look at Republican Black MAGA candidates, they all fit that eccentric bill…and become self-caricatures.” (16:12)

5. Meritocracy, Diversity, and GOP Hypocrisy

David Jolly delivers a powerful case for “inclusive excellence,” arguing that diversity actually strengthens meritocracy, and rebuffing GOP critiques of DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion):
- “In any walk of life... I want our leadership team to look like our state because it's a moral right and it improves our meritocracy... Diversity improves our leadership.” (18:04)
Joy & Mark Thompson attack Republican claims to value meritocracy, highlighting Trump hires unqualified “TV personalities” for major administration jobs:
- “They don't believe in meritocracy at all... It's just whoever is out there saying the most inflammatory thing.” (23:23)

6. The Impact of the Government Shutdown

The recent government shutdown, its disparate impact on federal workers (especially in Virginia, DC, Maryland), and rising economic anxiety are repeatedly cited as key factors influencing the Democratic surge.
- Jolly: “Most people are blaming Republicans because they control everything... 51% of [Florida] doesn't have enough savings to last two weeks.” (29:30)

7. Defiant Progressive Messaging and the Rise of the Working Families Party

Guests and chat hail the breakthrough victories of progressives, particularly Zoran Mamdani in NYC.
Maurice Mitchell (Working Families Party) discusses “fusion voting” and the party’s coalition strategy:
- “This is a watershed moment... If you wanted to win in 2025, you had to focus on affordability.” (68:51)
The huge, diverse turnout—especially by young voters, immigrants, and working-class people—is seen as a repudiation of both Trumpism and “corporate Democratic” caution:
- “People are tired of status quo politics... They want to believe that there are a group of leaders that are willing to fight for them.” (89:27)

8. Historic Firsts and Notable Momentum

Zoran Mamdani: First Muslim, African-born, democratic socialist mayor of NYC, winning more than 1 million votes—a modern record (120:42).
- Dean Obeidallah: “This is every nightmare of the right come to fruition... Younger Muslims are more defiant than ever. They're not gonna be quiet.” (92:57, 101:51)
Ghazala Hashmi: First Muslim woman elected Lieutenant Governor of Virginia (71:26).
Multiple Black women win mayoral and statewide races across the South and New York.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

Joy-Ann Reid [on the expanding “big tent”]:
- “We need a tent big enough for the emerging young progressive and the last Blue Dog standing. Those are our values. But they're so much bigger than our party.” (59:25)
On the meaning of the night:
- Mark Thompson: “I can't, I'm. Look, I can't. I don't see a loss tonight. Anywhere where anyone has lost a step.” (108:51)
On accountability:
- Mark: “We genuflect too much. We need to be holding them accountable. The work begins tonight—it doesn't end tonight.” (121:53)
- Joy: “Do not make the same mistake that people made when Barack Obama won... Now the work begins.” (123:36)
Dean Obeidallah:
- “We have to call this class warfare... Don’t be afraid of saying the wealthy have to pay their fair share and get big money out of politics.” (119:54)

Timestamps for Key Segments

[02:44] David Jolly on national voter discontent and affordability
[04:53] Zoran Mamdani on bomb threats and voter intimidation
[13:07] Joy-Ann Reid on identity politics: why Black voters didn't back Sears
[16:12] Mark Thompson on the “eccentric” style of Black MAGA candidates
[18:04]–[21:29] Jolly, Joy, and Thompson on DEI and real meritocracy
[27:44] Government shutdown's electoral impact, especially in Virginia and Florida
[47:54] Jolly outlines his campaign strategy for Florida governor
[56:31] Mark Thompson: Big-tent success as evidence of anti-Trump mood
[68:51] Maurice Mitchell (Working Families Party) on the new coalition and affordability focus
[92:02] Projection: Mamdani wins NYC mayor—first Muslim, African-born, socialist mayor
[105:27] Virginia counties shift blue; historic swing away from Trump
[121:53] Mark Thompson’s challenge: vigilance & accountability post-victory

Election Results Round-Up (as discussed on-air)

Virginia:
- Abigail Spanberger (D) wins governor (55.4%), defeating Winsome Sears (R).
- Ghazala Hashmi (D): 1st Muslim woman Lieutenant Governor.
- Jay Jones (D): wins Attorney General.
New Jersey:
- Mikie Sherrill (D) wins governorship in a solid victory.
- Sanctuary state policy preserved.
New York:
- Zoran Mamdani (WFP/Democratic fusion): wins NYC Mayor, first with >1M votes in two generations.
- Wave of progressive, Working Families Party-aligned victories.
Georgia:
- Alicia Johnson: Black woman wins statewide Public Service Commission.

Tone and Style

The episode is dynamic, unscripted, warm, and direct—anchored by Joy-Ann Reid’s signature wit (“Florida shouldn’t have an asshole as a governor… just keeping it real.” 61:10) but also layered with sharp political analysis, grounded hope for progressive coalition-building, and repeated calls for accountability and continued effort.

Conclusion & Takeaways

2025’s Election Night marked a powerful rebuke of Trump/MAGA politics, with voters reacting against chaos, inaction, and economic anxiety by delivering wins for Democrats across the spectrum—from pragmatic centrists to insurgent progressives and democratic socialists.
Young voters and cultural minorities—Muslim, Black, working-class—formed the backbone of the turnout wave, embracing candidates who spoke authentically to affordability and refused to play safe or triangulate.
The Democratic Party’s future, guests agree, lies in a boldly “big-tent” vision—one unafraid to address economic justice, diversity, and working-class issues, and to challenge both Republican extremism and the party’s own establishment hesitancy.
The real work begins now: Delivering on promises, holding electeds accountable, and sustaining turnout and engagement to prevent a repeat of 2010 and 2014 midterm collapses.

“People are tired of status quo politics. They want to believe that there are a group of leaders that are willing to fight for them…”
— Maurice Mitchell (89:27)

“Now the work begins.”
— Joy-Ann Reid (123:36)

[End of Summary]

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Transcript

A (0:00)

Party polls closing all over the country. Virginia polls have already closed. The race has already been called. Rachel Maddow already calling Virginia for Abigail Spamberger. But we're going to talk about it. We're going to talk about all of the elections that are happening around the country, including that ballot initiative in California. We've got a ton to talk about. Big up to the chats. Hello to everybody in the chats. We see you, especially the folks who are like literally in the chat before we even started waiting to jump on. Thanks to our team, TJRS members. Big ups to everybody that are also listening on substack, on Instagram, on TikTok. I think we even got some folks watching on LinkedIn. Like, wherever you're listening right now, you're exactly where you need to be. We appreciate you being here tonight. Hope you are well hydrated. I am well hydrated. You know, I had to have majority show cup because, you know, you got to keep drinking water. I also have myself some cucumber water because you can never have too many cucumbers and too much veg. So hopefully you guys are staying very well. You know, you know, caffeinate it if you need caffeine because it could be a late night. We think the California race could take a long time, but we want to make sure that everybody is comfortable, happy, hydrated and ready to go. I have got a very blessed evening of guests tonight. We've got a lot of people hanging out, but for the first hour of the show, I have two co hosts and I'm really excited about them. Let's bring them on right now. My good friends, Mark Thompson, the Rev, Reverend Mark Thompson from Make It Plain Radio, as well as David Jolly. You know him, you love him. We used to hang out on Ms. Nash now is what they call themselves now. We used to hang out a lot, but we are back together again. Two of your favorite guests from the old cable days. But we're here in new media, y', all, because this is the new way that things go. And I want to welcome both of you all to this special. Let me start out by going around the table. Before I do around the table, let me remind everybody, hit that like button, please. Hit that, like, hit that share button. Hit the notification button as well. That way you'll never miss it when we go live because sometimes we surprise you. I know we're Monday, Wednesday, Friday, but every so often we just go off script. And we decided to go live like we did tonight because we're like, hey, it's Election night. We might as well be here. Thank you very much to the people in the chat saying they're happy to be here. Is that Maria Alcindo? Thank you very much. Appreciate y'. All. Let's go. Indeed. I want to go around the horn, and I want to start with you, David. I cannot believe this is the first time. Is this the first time you're being on the show? I think so. Let me let you start first by giving us your impressions of any of the races, including the fact that it appears that Abigail Spring has prevailed in the state of Virginia.

A (8:25)

Yeah. And we're going to come back to New Jersey because New Jersey is going to be the tightest probably of the races and we're going to come back to it. But I do want to stick with Virginia for just a moment. Before I do that, let me go through some of the poll closing times. Arizona polls, and I believe these are all east coast times have closed. Connecticut has elections tonight. They close at 8. So that's closed. Now you've got Illinois that has 7pm Close. Indiana has a 6pm Kentucky also 6pm Louisiana had an 8pm Maine is interesting. We're going to be watching this Maine race. This is for municipalities with a population 500 or more. Polls can stay open until 8pm for those with a population between less than 500, polls stay open until 8pm we have Missouri, 7pm New Jersey, 8pm New York, 9pm that's the latest of the poll closings tonight. And obviously Virginia is closed and that race is already called. But to stay with you just for a moment, Mark, because there was an interesting thing that happened in this Virginia race. The right kind of crashed out about the fact that you have this African American woman who's the sitting lieutenant governor of Virginia, and yet you had President, the former President Obama come out and stump for Abigail Spanberger rather than her. And it's this interesting thing where conservatives say they don't like identity politics and they're opposed to it. They're not really that opposed to it when it comes to somebody that's on their side. Jason, let's put up a 10. This was just a representative post of several that I saw on social media where people were getting very, very upset that Winsome Sears was not being treated as sort of an historic figure. And it says here Winsome Sears were a Democrat. It really was a Democrat. She'd be on every magazine cover and mainstream media would be extolling her at every opportunity. But since Sears has an R next to her name, they pretend she doesn't exist. If Spanberger loses, it will be due to misogyny. Well, she didn't lose. Let's go to now A11. This was another one. Also representative of the kind of, you know, stuff that people were saying in a 11. Also, there's another one. They're saying that, you know, she is a female. She's a military veteran, an immigrant, a black woman. She would be the first black woman governor of a state in. She won, which is wild, in 2025. But because she's a Republican, they hate her. Yada, yada, yada. And, and, and, and let me, Let me play one more. I'm gonna play a video. This is Winsome saying it herself. This is a 17. This is the video. A 17. And this is her also complaining before the election that she's claiming there's a double standard, including in Barack Obama supporting Abigail Spamberger. Jason, let me know when you got president.

B (18:04)

Yeah. Look, MAGA is a cultural movement more than it is a political movement. And when we try to justify it through a political lens, it gets really hard to understand, understand the rationality behind it. But as a cultural movement that preys on these darker themes that we've often talked about, the racism, the xenophobia, the anti immigrant, the darker themes that emerge from conversations around white nationalism, that becomes a cultural movement more than a political one. But I want to stick on this conversation because, listen, as Democrats coming off of a cycle where DEI really hurt us, we've got to get this right. But getting it right does not mean walking away from our values. Getting it right means amplifying our values. Listen, in my governor's race in Florida, this is a very real issue. And I will tell you the way I talk about it and expose what I think Republicans are showing us in this Virginia race and in this inability to understand why Obama would endorse Spanberger. Look, I talk about inclusive excellence. I talk about diversity, improving our meritocracy, not diluting it. And what do I mean by that? In any walk of life, certainly in an administration, I want to build, in a campaign leadership team. I want to build. I want our leadership team to look like our state because it's a moral right to do so. But it also improves. It improves our leadership and our meritocracy. I'm not trying to hire unqualified people. I'm trying to hire qualified people with diverse life experiences. Right. I'm a 52 year old white guy with salt and pepper hair. I bring a certain life experience growing up in a rural home of a. Of a minister. But that's very different than somebody else's life experience and the next person's life experience. And so when we bring highly qualified people together from different walks of life, different cultures, different communities who have had different challenges, different life experiences, that improves our meritocracy. It's inclusive excellence. And I think what we are seeing exposed by Republicans in this moment is their inability to recognize the substantive qualifications, and in this case, of people of color. Right? So when they use DEI as this broad brush, the baseline to that joy is that somehow people of color aren't as qualified as, I guess, white people. Right. The whole notion is that if diversity is actually an aim, that somehow that is not a reflection of meritocracy. That's a weakness, because maybe people of color are substantively less qualified. That's an exposure of. Call it racism, if you will, call it ignorance, if you will, but it's a moral wrong. Right? And then you flip the script and you see what the. This environment. And even Winston Earls is saying, look, because of my color, Obama should be endorsing me and nobody else. It just reinforces the fact that they are not looking at people because of the substance. Because of the substance of their character, their intellect, their qualifications. We have to get this right as Democrats, but that doesn't mean we run away from the DEI defeat of the last cycle. It means we talk about the fact that diversity improves our meritocracy, strengthens our leadership, and frankly, it's a gift to young people, because you can't be what you can't see. And so when we actually put into leadership people that are maybe people of color, people from the LGBTQ community and the youth look up and can see themselves, not only have we achieved inclusive excellence, but we've given a gift to our young people. We got to get this right as Democrats because we're on the right side of it, and we should be unapologetic and not take the loss by continuing to talk about it in the 2016 cycle.

A (21:29)

Right. And the reality is, and I'll bring you in on this, Mark, Republicans don't believe in meritocracy anyway. I mean, Donald Trump is not qualified to be President United States. He's President United States. He's got. The guy who's now in charge of NASA is the same guy from the real world, Boston, who's in charge of the entire Department of Transportation. He's not qualified to do that. He has no. Why is he in charge of NASA? He's now temporarily the NASA administrator. On top of being in charge of all the airlines in department. He's not qualified for that. People are like, well, Pete Buttigieg. Pete Buttigieg at least was a mayor. Least he had to deal with transportation. This guy was. You know, he's a member of Congress, but is he Qualified to run NASA? No. Right. Is RFK Jr qualified to run our entire health system? No. I mean, Dr. Oz was on television with Oprah. Does that make him qualified? They're not hiring qualified people. Pamela. Joe. I mean, she was all right as Attorney General of Florida, but she wasn't outstanding. It's not like she was the best person for the job to be Attorney general. That lady who's his spokesperson, she's like, what, 23 years old? She's good at lying. She qualified for the job. No, they're like Karine Jean Pierre. Yeah, Karine Jean Pierre literally worked for two successful presidential campaigns for the first black president of the United States and was a political advisor to him in the White House. She was totally qualified. So, Mark, they don't believe in meritocracy at all. I can't think of anyone in the administration other than Marco Rubio. He has no morals, but at least he's qualified to be Secretary of State. But other than him, and I'm only really grudgingly. And David knows I'm being very grudging about saying he's qualified, but he's like the most qualified out of the gang of incompetence that Donald. As a matter of fact, it's Pete Hegseth. Pete Hagseth did a TV show on the weekends. I did tv. I used to do a weekend show. I love weekend tv. I met David. I knew Mark already, but I met David on weekend tv. It doesn't mean I was qualified to be Defense Secretary. But he's just a white guy that was Trump liked on tv. So now he's the Secretary of Defense. Come on, Mark. They don't believe in meritocracy. Do that.

D (23:23)

Well, and you mentioned Winsome winning. But keep in mind, she wasn't the leader of that ticket. No, she was kind of hidden, you know, And I think if people had seen her out front, then that thing might have gone down another way anyway. Right? I mean, let's be honest. But I don't. I don't think that would have happened. So. No, it is. It's. It's. It's not about being qualified. It's not about having talent. It's not about being. Having experience. It's just whoever is out there saying the most inflammatory thing. This is, this is the moment of shock and awe. So we're going to shock people. We're going to say crazy things to people. We're going to make people believe us because of that. And it's just, it's a distraction. See, what with the test now is whether people are now awakened. So if, if people an hour can't get their SNAP benefits, are they still going for that crazy MAGA rhetoric? And I remind everybody it's been my, my pet thing for the past few months. David, the words of the great Lyndon Baines Johnson himself. If you can convince someone he's better than the best black person, he won't notice your pick in his pocket. He'll, he'll give him somebody to look down on and he'll let you pick his pockets for him. He'll open his pockets for you. And that is working. It has been working so far. Don't know how long it's going to work. When this government's shut down, people aren't able to get the things they need. And when people aren't able to get SNAP benefits. I had the, the president of the nea, Becky Pringle, on. She's out in the Midwest. She's talking white people. We can't get snapped. When you folks understand something, SNAP also feeds young people in school the breakfast and lunch programs. That is how they get fed. That is a discount for them without having, without them having to pay for it. That's provided for them. And you know, as many people know, I lived in the place of my birth for 25 years. And I remember it was snow like the dickens in Washington D.C. and people would say, Mary and Berry closes schools. Man base. I'm not closing schools and I'm not closing the schools because if these kids don't come to school, some of them don't get anything to eat. Some of these kids, as a matter of fact, have to put the breakfast and lunch in their backpacks to take home to feed their little sisters and brothers and sisters. And that's not just African Americans. So we will see if the craziness, that whole clip you played with her on Fox News, she can't get away with that anywhere else. That's what FOX News is for. If, if, if that is going to continue to hold the day. It's really puzzling, but I don't think it will. I think people are going to be awakened. He's not cutting costs. Things aren't getting better. And that is why we're going to have victory tonight.

B (37:13)

Yeah. Joy. That the Congress has collapsed. And I say that with heartbreak. And we should all consider that with heartbreak. It's easy to say, look, Republicans have done this to themselves, but the Congress has collapsed, and we need a strong Congress. I mean, consider the entire design of our government was that these branches would be kind of wrestling with each other continuously for power, and it would ebb and it would flow. But what we have seen for 200 years almost is a Congress fighting for its share of the power while the executive is reaching for theirs. And honestly, since, you know, since the Iraq war in 9, 11, we have seen the executive branch try to grab as much power as it can through different iterations and different national crises. And then Donald Trump has just come in like a king and said, I'm going to take it all for myself. This is the time when we need now more than ever a Congress, regardless of party, to stand up for the institutional significance of the Congress. Right. The reason Trump is getting away with this is not because he wants to. It's because the Congress is letting them. The Congress has collapsed. And so, yes, we should litigate the president every shot we got, because we need to help, as a nation lead a conversation about whether or not the president is acting with fidelity to the Constitution and to the office. But we also need to be litigating every single Member of Congress who's letting him get away with this or trying to hold him account. I think the Republicans in Congress know. They know they are in so much trouble. That's why instead of changing their positions, they're trying to change the maps. They're gerrymandering not just because they can. They're doing it because they're trying to save their jobs, because they're so out of step historically with what people expect the Congress to be. Look, legacies are being shaped right now every single day by Republican members of Congress. And I am proud to no longer be a Republican member of Congress, but I'm probably prouder to no longer be a Republican in this moment. There's good reason why I left.

D (40:11)

Yeah, that's troubling. We need him to pull that out for the reasons you stated. And it is interesting how the tables turn. The assault on the federal government comes out of long standing Republican mores that the federal government is the enemy and the federal government was the branch of government, including the federal courts that saw to it that much of our civil rights was enforced. The federal government is the holdover from the union. And so you had Republicans for decades as tenthers promoting states rights, the 10th Amendment. Now that the federal government has been nullified, David, I really think that's what's going on. Because, you know, the people, people run MAGA runs for office and it didn't just begin with maggot. You know, we saw it in the Newt Gingrich, they run for office to get a six figure salary in the House and a six figure salary in the Senate to shut down the government, the very government that's making it possible for them. They're in that living, that's what they're there for. So if the government, I really think for some of them, the government never, government never reopened and the House and Senate never convened again, they would be perfectly happy. And so traditionally, those of us who couldn't rely on the states now have no choice. It was the several states that went to the federal courts and some of the federal courts beneath the Supreme Court are being fair. They went to federal court in, in, I believe in, in, in Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and they got an order for Donald Trump to pay the SNAP benefits. He said he's only going to pay half of them for November, but that those were states where we had friendly attorney generals like hopefully we will get in Virginia. Virginia. I hope you all voted up and down that whole ballot. Now some of my family from Virginia's texting me, Helen and them and Teresa and Anne. Did y' all vote for the attorney general? Because that's as important in this hour. You know, sometimes there's another thing we've got to be more attuned to. It's not just the top of the ticket. It's not just the president, it's not just the governor, it's not even just a member of Congress up and down that ballot. We have got to win every race because all these races are important. And to your point, Joy, especially if we know we're going to have to go and fight some of this in the court. So where the federal government is failing and not functioning, we need to do something in the states and call them. But wait a minute.

A (42:51)

I'm going to get Gary in on this for just a second, but let me, let me go back to the New Jersey race, also fairly tight. Well, I mean, we don't really know how it's going to turn out at the moment. Mikey Sherrill, the Democrat leading with 59.8% of the vote. Jack Cittarelli with 39.7% of the vote. But only 30% of votes are in. So that does not tell you how this is going to play out. This was looking to be probably the tightest of the races for Democrats tonight. One of the things that I think a lot of folks were originally hoping was that Ross Baraka would be the nominee because he would electrify the base more, he would get more excitement among the base. But Mikey Sherrill is holding her own right now. But a lot of what I'm seeing out in the state, Newark, which is the stronghold for Democrats in the state, is pretty much in Atlantic City is pretty much in about. Well, about 37% of Atlantic City are in some of the red areas. The Jack Cittarelli strongholds. Only 48% of Ocean county, which is a stronghold for Republicans that is not fully in. Only 37% of Warren county, which is one of the redder districts, is in. But one of the biggest strongholds for the Democrat for Mikey Sherrill would be Essex county, only 36% of that in. So we're just gonna keep watching. I'm just gonna keep refreshing and refreshing and refreshing until we see how that goes. Because that one. What's at stake there is that Jack Ciattarelli has vowed to remove the sanctuary state designation for New Jersey, which would essentially open up that state to cooperation between the police in New Jersey and ice. And right now, New Jersey has been holding strong as a sanctuary state. And I can tell you that my sourcing today was saying that a lot of police officers in the state of New Jersey want it to remain that way because it would make their job extremely difficult if they were cooperating openly with ice. Good luck trying to get cooperation and community policing to function because it really won't work if people believe you're with the kidnappers. Gary, how do we get people to start think a little thinking a little more strategically when it comes to these elections. You don't get the person you wanted in the primary and now you're faced with a general election where you're. It's a lesser of two evils. You just saw a race in New Orleans in which a candidate was sort of thrown aside because of flaws and sort of legal issues in his past and now people are complaining about who won.

B (47:54)

Yeah, Joy, you're exactly right. I just want to say amen to everything Gary has said because this is so important. Listen, I think I mentioned earlier I've done 113 community events in the last four months. I have gone where no candidate has gone in the last 20 years. I was in a little town of Molino on the Alabama border as a Democratic candidate in a town of 600 people, 90% registered Republicans. And we turned out 50 people, you know, a year out. And those 50 people are now talking about our message. But we have to go into Democratic communities that we have overlooked as well. People who are simply begging, begging for. For leadership. And, you know, Gary said something earlier in the show about people want to know that you've got a plan and you're willing to fight for them. And I want to point something out. In the 49 minutes we've been together, this is such a different cycle than, say, 2018, when we were having this circular firing squad over ideology. Are we left, are we right? Are we center left, center right, are we far Left? Even in 2020, right. These conversations about where is the party on the left right spectrum, that's not the conversation right now. It is the urgency of who's willing to fight for everybody. It's not whether we're going left or going right. It's whether we're lifting everybody up. And as Democrats, what I do, what I go into communities across Florida, speaking to Democrats, Independents or Republicans, I talk about the same three values, values, values that are rooted in Democratic traditions but should be bigger than our party. The first value is the economy should work for everybody. Now, look, as Democrats, I don't think we should condemn success. We shouldn't. We should congratulate it. People worked harder, they got lucky, whatever it is. We don't need to condemn success, but we need to recognize the economy is not working for everybody. That, As I mentioned, 50% of our state doesn't have two weeks worth of savings. People can't afford their homes. They're having to leave their homes because of insurance or taxes. The economy should work for everybody as a value, not a policy. The second value is government has a responsibility in our lives, kind of Bill Clinton 92 right to provide for access to affordable health care, excellence in public education, fighting crime, but not fighting communities like our Republican friends are doing, right? So the economy should work. The government has a responsibility. And the third value is we should be a place where everybody's empowered and lifted up, regardless of the color of your skin, where you were born, who you love or who you worship. Those are Democratic values, generational Democratic values, but they're so much bigger than our party. So, yes, as a Democratic gubernatorial candidate, I go into deep red communities and I say these are the values that we're going to fight for Republicans. Tell me where I'm wrong, because I don't think you can. Independents who feel disaffected by major party dogma and the handcuffs you've been asked to put on if you join one of the parties, tell me where I'm wrong on the values. And for our Democrats, who we have to excite and get out the vote and mobilize our base, these are our values. This is the Democratic Party. When we do that, we build an emerging political coalition that doesn't exist in the country right now. Right. Florida's Democrats cannot win the Democratic governor, the governorship by ourselves. We have to build a coalition bigger than our party. And when we do that, we not only shock Florida, but we change national politics by leading a new political coalition founded on Democratic values, but so much bigger than our party. That's why this race in Florida for a governor is already in the margin of error. Joy, this race is even up in the state of Florida right now. That was my goal for next summer. That's where we're at one year out.

F (53:17)

And the truth is everybody's little rainbow of personality and identity makes up the quilt and the fabric of America. And we should want all of that in the gumball. Because I'm from Louisiana, we throw a little bit of everything in and you get a good roux and you've got something that's worth eating. I think that's gotta be the message of Democrats within the Deep South. I think that when you look at the only place in the Deep south that they have seen a harvest is where they have invested 100 plus million dollars in the candidates, where they have put the time in the grassroots infrastructure and where they were unafraid to deal with working class issues and ensuring that working class voters understand that. When we say working class, we're not talking about white union workers, we're talking about farmers that are Hispanic in communities, we're talking about black laborers that are working as welders. We're talking about nurses and educators of every hue, shade and background in this country. And when we talk that way, that is when we're going to get more people to say I see myself in that message and show up for it. We're going to have things where we disagree on policy. Conservatives had an all out war to get to where they are today. And Donald Trump won that war and now the party has moved in that direction. I think that we have shied away from some of the policy conflicts and some of the things that we have that's a part of the sausage making. Now, should that play out as publicly as we do? Sometimes maybe not. But conservatives did it and they came out with a victorious no policy, but they did come out with a victorious slate of candidates and they're able to move an agenda that moves our country backwards rather than forward. So we've got to make a decision if we want to see a map that gives us the math to 270. I think that math becomes easier when you play Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, North Carolina and Florida into those conversations. And the reason being it's cheaper to turn a vote in every one of those states that I just mentioned than it is in California than it is in New York City, than it is in Pennsylvania, than it is in Wisconsin. And so if it's cheaper to turn a vote in the south than it is to turn the vote there, we need to come be sensible, bring new strategies to the table and go get in the communities and talk to these people. Joy.

B (59:25)

Yeah. Thank you. Davidjali.com Very simple. My name. Listen, I want to talk about this, this big tent a little bit because I didn't see room for myself eight years ago in the Democratic Party. I didn't, but I have in the last few years. And yeah, I think Joe Biden helped with that. But you know who unlocked it was Vice President Harris. Vice President Harris at the convention last year was the president who, the presidential candidate who brought in former Republicans who, who brought back the flag and strong national defense and the veterans community, whatever it was. Right. It wasn't a pivot from where the party was. It was allowing more people to see themselves in the party. And so the reason I talk about those three values, the economy should work for everybody. The government has a role in our lives for education, health care, safe communities, and we should be a place where we stay out of your bedroom, in your doctor's office. And everybody should be welcomed, regardless of the color of your skin and where you were born, because those values are strong enough to tether together the Democratic Party, right? The emerging young progressive with the last Blue Dog standing. Those are our values. But they're so much bigger than our party. They allow us to bring in independents and Republicans. And so, yes, we get a Span Burger, we get a Cheryl, and we get a Mandami on exactly the same night. And that's great. Look, Mandami's answers in the city are not the right answers in Florida. They're not. Spamberger's answers in Virginia probably aren't the right answers in the city. That's fine. But the values, the values of watching Democratic candidates tonight say, I don't want the economy to leave anybody behind. I want to make sure government is there to provide for food security and health care and education. And yet, regardless of what you look like, who you love or who you worship, you deserve to have your rights protected and your dignity restored. Those values are universal across Democratic candidates. It's what I'm fighting for in Florida and. And why I know we can win.

A (65:16)

Yeah, and it's looking. I'm going now to just refresh on the New York Times page. Apologies, I don't have this live on the screen. I'm going to turn around just so you guys can sort of see it. I don't know if you guys can see that. If I just hold it up there. What it basically shows is the white is what has not come in at all. And the blue are the sort of bluer areas. Obviously, the red are the redder areas in New Jersey. So all I'm doing is I am just clicking on each of these areas. Newark is this deep, deep blue area. Essex county is very, very blue. 61% of that vote is in. Mikey Sherrill getting 75% of that vote. That is her stronghold. That is Ross Baraka's Newark, New Jersey, where you've seen a lot of these ice stops, where you've seen a lot of that controversy, you've got Union county, which is just below the newark area. Only 20% of that vote is in. Of Mikey Sheryl winning an overwhelming 60, 66% of that vote. But let me go to a redder county. Jack Cittarelli winning in Morris county, which is sort of north northwest of of Newark, Jack Cittarelli getting 51 to 48. So it's actually pretty close. Only 22% of that vote in. But what I'm basically saying to you is that Mikey Cheryl is performing more strongly in the places where she, she has a base than Chitarelli, who is performing more evenly with Mikey Cheryl, even in places that are red leaning counties. I'll give you one more example. Well, just this is he's doing better here, 78% of the vote. In Ocean county, which is a very conservative part of the state, Chitterelli is winning that 65% to 34%. But the bad news for him is that 78% of that vote is in. So he's not going to yield a lot more vote out of that county. Monmouth county, which is another county that's very, very much a Jack Cittarelli county, he's winning that 54 to 45. But unfortunately for him, 87% of that vote is already in, meaning he's not going to yield a whole lot more. Whereas in Essex county, where Mikey Sherrill is getting 75% of the vote to 25% of the vote. Only 61% of that vote is in. So there's still a lot more vote as they as as they used to say on on Ms. Now on the former MSNBC, there's still a lot of vote that's left out in Essex County. And if she can close really strongly in Essex county, that is the really the heart of blue New Jersey. I'm going to go down to Cumberland county, which is another place where Mikey Sheryl is doing very well. She's getting 60% of the vote to 39% of the vote. Only 31% of that vote is in. So you see it on this this is the way the math basically works is that you want to be doing better in the places that are your strongholds and have a lot more vote left so that you can presume that that remaining vote will go your way. So, okay, let's actually go ahead and bring in Maurice Mitchell.

A (71:26)

Let's give you an update here. Of course, we mentioned that Ghazala Hashmi has become the first Muslim woman elected to be Lieutenant governor. She's going to be Lieutenant governor of the state of Virginia. So she's the first Muslim woman to ever be elected statewide in the United States, which is crazy. It's 2025. The New York City Board of Elections says 2 million people have cast ballots in New York City for the first time since 1969. Let's go to the great state of Texas. Texas voters have approved a parental rights amendment to the state constitution. So a conservative victory in Texas. And so we're still waiting, obviously, to see what happens in New York City. California redistricting, we're not probably going to know that until very, very late tonight. That is Prop 50. So we're waiting to see how that goes. We're obviously still waiting to see if the New Jersey governor's race is going to go in the direction of the Democrats, which is Mikey Sherrill or in the direction of Republicans, which is Jack Cittarelli. I'm going to refresh one more time. I enjoy doing this. I'm going to refresh it one more time. I don't have a big board, but I'm still going to play around with this map. Essex county, which I told you all about, which is Mikey Sheryl stronghold. She's winning 75% to 24%. 74% of that vote is now in Union county, where Mikey Sheryl is winning 66% to 34%. Only 20% of that is in. So there's still a lot of vote that she can still get out of there. Middlesex county, which is also a Mikey Sherrill stronghold. 64, 35. Only 67% of that is in. Going though to a Red County, Morris county, which is a Jack Ciattarelli county, he's only winning that 50% to 49.4. So he's basically tied there. And only 24% of that is in. If it keeps going like that, Jack Chitter really is not going to get a lot out of that 5,148. He's winning in Warren County. That's a little too tight. Only 30% of that vote is in. But it's not not good news if he's basically splitting that county with her. So it's starting to look a little bit more comfortable. Mark, for Mikey.

A (80:24)

And I'll give you an example of what they're talking about. I'm going to blue Arlbermarle County. I'm going to turn this around just so that you guys can see it. I apologize if we don't have it live for the full screen. I don't know if that's going to be clear enough for you guys to be able to see it, but this is what I'm just. So that you guys can see what I'm working from. I'm just going on this map. If you go to Aral Burmarl County, I hope I'm pronouncing that right. Arlbermar county, this is a J. Jones majority county. 57.2% for him, 42.2% for Meares, but only 37.8% of that vote is in, which means there's a lot more to come in in a county that he's clearly winning. I'll go to the neighboring county, which is Nelson county. That is a majority Miaris county, but he's only winning that 53.1% to 46.6. And 97.4% is that of that is in. So what I'm just sort of cruising around on this map. What I'm seeing is that the Miares counties seem to have more of their vote in. There's one county here where he's doing really well, where it's a little less Rappahannock County. It is a tiny, tiny, tiny county. He's up 69 to 30.2%, but only 59.5% is in. But it's such a tiny county that he's not going to get a lot of vote out of there. Where you want to look is the place where there are big cities where you've got like a hundred thousand voters for one person or another. That's places like Luden county or Loden County. That's 59.1% for Jones. Loudoun county to 40.4% Loudoun County. Jones is winning that outright. And, and, and a lot of that is in 96.7%. So that's really what, that's what all of these. These guys are doing. They're going through and they're looking at how much vote is left and also how tiny or how large the county is. That is how they're projecting who is going to win. And if you just do it that way, it does seem, just my cruising over it, that in the counties with the big numbers of people, J. Jones is winning with a clearer margin of victory, a wider margin of victory than the places where Miarez is winning and Miars is winning in a lot of the smaller counties with your population. Right. So, I mean, that's a weird way to look at it, but that's how.

C (89:27)

Sure. Well, the thing that does connect just about anybody that wasn't a Republican that was running tonight is the fact that and I do think that this is also a story about Zoran and how he's, he's transformed the politics of the Democratic Party, including the Democrats that want nothing to do with them. Because everybody after that election, everybody was all they could talk about is affordability. All they could talk about is running on affordability. Some of them like, like Zoron ran on affordability in a way that has created a movement politics. But even Mikey, Sheryl and all the others are running basically on affordability. And that was something we were arguing in 2024, that, you know, the number one, two and three things that Americans across race are talking about was the economy, Right. And I think Democrats have gotten the memo there. And what I will say is another thing that's clear, another thing in polling, as well as what I'm seeing in every neighborhood that I'm in. And I'm not just in New York. I'm crisscrossing the country is that people are tired of status quo politics. People are fed up. Every day, people are fed up with the status quo. And they want to believe that there are a group of leaders that are willing to fight for them and are willing to take the fight to the corporations, to MAGA, to Mr. Trump, you name it. And all of those folks that have proven in this moment to be willing to take that fight on have been rewarded by the American people. And I think we're seeing that with the outcomes with many of the Working Families Party elected officials that have gotten buoyed into these positions in this particular political moment. And we've been, we're kind of like a broken record in some ways. We've been arguing these politics for more than 20 years. And it just turns out that the moment has finally, I think, validated the argument that we were making back in 1998 when the Democrats were aligning with NAFTA and the 94 crime bill and all these things and lurching towards Wall Street. And we said then that this was going to cost us working people. And here we are in 2025 having those chickens come home to roost, but then also having this new crop of young and exciting folks are willing to run on those, those like basic values of working people and they are being rewarded for it.

G (98:42)

Why Zorn led the path on that. Look, Zorin a year ago announced that he was going to run. I got a. I knew, you know, we're not buddies, but I know him. I remember he texted me, I'm like, I'm not gonna have you on my show. You're like, no percent. Like, I mean, I didn't say that, but I'm like, come on. And so a year ago and I had him on the primary early on and he's a really good guy. Then it became impossible to get him back on same. He captured something, you know, he. Young people and middle aged people are tired of the system being rigged. And what he did was not just offer that kind of term terminology that gives you traction. He gave specific things that he was going to do and he wasn't going to back down. And at his rallies, people would. I never saw at a rally where people like filling in the blanks on policy prescriptions like free what you know, freeze the rent, free buses, child care free. Like the kind of things where you're like, you leave and know that he's, he's serious about what he's doing. And they would, and I'd see Democrats, corporate Democrats who are in Congress, in New York who won't endorse him or, or they endorse Cuomo. I hope people wake up. Corporate Democrats are about status quo. That's why the big money people give them money. They want maybe incremental change to make you feel a teeny bit better. They don't want transformative change because the billionaires made their money in our system. They don't want to change the system that's worked for them. So that's where you get corporate Democrats. Look, Zorin, Democrats should look at this as a big victory on affordability. But different candidates can run a different campaign. I mean, Zorin running in Virginia maybe wins, maybe not, I'm not sure. In Jersey perhaps. And Mikey, Cheryl running here or Spanberger running her campaign in New York City probably doesn't win. But they're about affordability and being authentic and taking the fight to people in power. There's a lot there for Democrats.

A (126:42)

Thank you so much. To everybody in the chat. Want to thank. Thank you, Mark. Let's thank all of our great guests on tonight, Gary Chambers Jr. And big ups to Gary Chambers Sr. Who's in Duval county in Florida, David Jolly, who is running for governor of Florida, probably the most difficult, one of the most difficult statewide races run. So let's go David Jolly. He is one of our spicy white friends. And so with the spicy whites have got to rule. We've got to put the spicy whites in a position to run things because he's a good guy. He's a genuinely good guy. Great dad, great friend, good man. Will it make make Florida nice again? Because he's very, he's a very nice person. So we want him to be able to win. We've also had folks on that are running Senate races in Mississippi coming up in 2026, Kentucky, some very interesting things that are happening in Kentucky. We're going to be talking about that in future shows because we don't want to be triumphalist on tonight. But tonight was a total and thorough rebuke and rejection of Donald J. Trump. I tried to really quickly go on. I don't go on truth Social, so I cannot do a wellness check the way I probably should. But y' all gonna need to do a wellness check on Donald on the 31st. He was throwing a Great Gatsby party. And tonight he realized the Great Gatsby is a tragedy. It's a tragedy, buddy. It's not a story about the rich winning. It's a tragedy. So maybe you might want to read the book. Donald, I'm not sure you're a great reader, but you might want to do it because you did that on the eve of people losing their snap and now snap. All those races went the other way because of you. Whether you endorsed them or not, every Republican who ran on your line went down to defeat. And that means nature is healing. Thank you all for watching this special edition of the Joy Reid Show. Thank you to everybody in the chat. Y' all in the chat were really great. We got some let's go. Jolly in all caps. We appreciate it. Thank you all for hanging out. Thank you all for the tips. Everybody who threw a little coin in the tiller. We appreciate. We're still trying to figure out what nice thing we're going to do for our wonderful team. Big ups to Niva. Niva is going to have a piece that we're going to publish on@joann reid.com on the substack because she's also an incredible writer as well as a fantastic producer and a very happy young Muslim woman who is celebrating behind the scenes. Yes, he's behind. She's behind the scenes that we consider tonight Nida Night on the Joy Reid Show. So big ups to Nidda Khan. You can find her on Twitter. She's still on Twitter. Acting up. Thank you all for watching. Be sure to hit like and share. Yes. And we will see you all tomorrow night. Same bad time, same bad channel, but not the Same bad time. 6:00pm Eastern Standard Time, normal time on the Joy Retro. If you want this shirt, you can get it in the shop. Hey, shop.joy re.com. it's cute. It's short sleeve. Get yourself a mug. Just saying. Everybody's saying they want shirts in a bag. Anyway, love y'. All. See you guys on the next show on the Joy Reed Show. Bye, Jason. Thank you all. Good night.