Why can Kentucky flip this year?

First of all, man, I'm proud of you, honored to be with you.

Uh, I gotta, gotta say that first, man.

Uh, you, you carrying this all on your shoulders, uh, telling the story.

But man, this is a story that needs to be told because Kentucky is-- I've said this for years, it's, it's not a red state.

Now, I know the numbers, uh, reflect voting outcomes, but Kentucky has been a disenfranchised state, a marginalized state, an exploited state.

And in a lot of ways, people who have been hardworking, who know we need a future where, uh, we're supporting and lifting up our families and not just giving tax breaks to Elon Musk, those people have been drowned out and ignored by politicians like Mitch McConnell.

What can be done to help those communities? Because right now I feel like they're forgotten communities in a way.

I just maybe answered my own question, but talk to us about what that's like and what results or feedback you're getting from people when you, because I know you're having those conversations.

Yeah, I've had them.

I've had them for years.

And I'll tell you, first of all, it's a spiritual journey.

You know, this has been a divine mission for me because I've been in spaces I never thought I'd be in.

Confederate flags in the yards, you know, in the black jockeys in the yards and the figurines and all of that.

And I've been in places that have been called sundown towns, having conversations that... have really opened my eyes and I'm excited to help tell the story because I believe it can reveal some truth.

Recently, talk talk about that, what that means and how just candidly you're going to leverage that to continue to build this coalition that you're building.

So this leeway is kind of crazy, no?

I completely agree.

And of course, even before this, I've called for term limits.

We have seen a lot of our elected officials stay in office until they pass.

And like I've always mentioned, Mitch McConnell was elected when I was two weeks old.

So he's really been screwing us my entire life.

And we do need to take this moment into account and say, what do we do, not only as a Commonwealth, but as a country to make sure that the people are represented and that if someone's elected to office, that they do the job.

Like, what is your priority in terms of focusing investigations and trying to hold people to account? Because I think that has to happen if we're going to move together, move forward together as a country.

What did Senate- Senator Mitch McConnell actually do, if anything, for the people of Kentucky?

You know, um, Mitch McConnell has been in office my entire life, literally.

I was two weeks old.

I know, I think I've told you that.

And he's been screwing us my entire life.

Uh, and to be honest with you, and this is what frustrates so many Kentuckians.

Now be clear, this is a unifier.

So what does a, a Kentucky with a Senator Charles Booker look like that would be different from that?

And can you tell us a little about your past experiences dealing with having to ration diabetic supplies and how that led you to really firmly see Medicare for All as a necessity? Yeah.

Absolutely.

And what you initially said about Mitch McConnell, who I will replace, is true.

He's receiving excellent health care.

There are a lot of questions swirling around him right now.

But one thing is for certain, he's getting the care he needs.

And I just believe that every single person deserves that high quality health care because it is a human right.

What are the conversations that you've been having with those people like?

But what would you say is the thing that allowed you or allowed your message to break through to the people that may have voted for Amy or may have voted for Dale?

Yeah, well, you're so right.

First of all, my granddad told me that you fight for family.

And that's how I see this.

I genuinely do.

Because whether you're Democrat, Republican, or independent, we're all getting screwed and we're in this thing together.

And the thing that really humbles me and it inspires me is that we won the primary by double digits over the entire field, but we were outspent.

So help us understand what is it about Andy Barr that makes him a liability to the state?

Your, your reaction to that

thatWell, well good Lord, um, he knows enough to be ashamed of himself, but he doesn't care enough to do anything different because he's sold out.

He's trying to get close to a man in Donald Trump who cares only about himself, and he's weaponizing hate, racism, the, the playbook.

We're tired of that BS.

People see through it.

They're laughing at him because they know he's a fraud, but more importantly, they're looking for leaders who actually care about us.

Not the politics of hate, not the, the greed and, and the investments in people like Elon Musk, but actually investing in the people of Kentucky because we're hurting, man.

But not even Epstein was a message that was able to put Massie over the edge.

How you gonna campaign? How you gonna do this? How you gonna pull this off?

Man, I'm so excited that we get to tell the story of what it looks like when regular people stand together.

We stand up against hate, bigotry, and the politics that Donald Trump has poured gasoline on, which is really Mitch McConnell's playbook.

The truth of the matter is, a lot of people who supported Trump have been just looking desperately for the leadership that we need to make life more affordable, to end endless war, and to drain the swamp, as he said.

And of course, he was lying.

And so I've taken pages from that same playbook because I'm going to the communities that no one talks to.

Mm.

I'm lifting up the voices that have gotten ignored, and that's why they're supporting me.

What makes you think you can best her tonight?

Well, working people are tired of a big money status quo that ignores their needs, that tells them that real change isn't possible.

We're looking for leaders who see us, who come from the challenges we face, and have a vision to meet our needs.

I've built those coalitions, and I've shown by leading with love, by building community, that we can inspire people who voted for Trump.

We can inspire people who've never voted before.

That's why I've been leading in the polls, and it's also why we're ready to win.

These No KINGS demonstrations we've seen across Kentucky, they're not just Democrats.

Why do you think that is, and what do you think you can realistically do to turn it around?

Wade is gone, thanks really to Mitch McConnell, has life gotten better for Kentuckians?

You know, not only has thing, have things gotten worse, people can tell.

They can feel it, and they know it's not Joe Biden.

They know it's not Barack Obama.

They see that Donald Trump is crushing them, and they see how Mitch McConnell, uh, is the architect of it all.

The fact of the matter is, and I've been across Kentucky for years organizing as a state legislator, um, through my work, Hood to the Holler, and of course, running for US Senate, I've sat down in rooms with folks who supported Trump genuinely because they believed him when he said he was gonna bring the jobs back.

He said he was gonna drain the swamp and take on corruption.

Is this a motivating factor? And could you see people who are gonna stick with Thomas Massie and vote for him voting for you?

Um, so I know what your position is right now, but what do you think would be different if you were in the United States Senate, um, with this issue on the table? How would you respond?

Well, you know, my main argument for why we need to not just argue in the streets, which we gotta do, we gotta make noise in the streets, but we have to also go into those places where decisions and policies are made, is because we need leaders in those positions who see our humanity.

So having a United States senator that understands the value of Black institutions, that understands the importance of equity, that understands the importance of diversity.

'Cause right now there is a very widespread campaign to essentially say that diversity is evil.

Um, the people that I'm running against, potentially on the Republican side, are putting out ads saying that it's, it's, it's un-American, it's evil, it's an attack on Christianity.

I mean, they're saying all the things to essentially erase us.

And we know the Senate has an important role in not only securing funding and, and infrastructure resources for our HBCUs, but being an advocate and using that bully pulpit.

What are some of the things that you are doing, um, in Kentucky to ensure broader engagement with our folks?