Wilmington, Del. — In case you missed it, Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester joined MSNBC’s PoliticsNation last night to discuss the excitement surrounding her U.S. Senate campaign. The Congresswoman spoke with Rev. Al Sharpton about how she plans to make a difference in the U.S. Senate, Vice President Kamala Harris’s consequential presidential campaign, and how Harris continues to unite the country and expand her coalition, while Donald Trump seeks to divide the American people and even his own party.
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On the potential of breaking the glass ceiling with Angela Alsobrooks and Vice President Kamala Harris this November:
“It’s not lost on me and on you, that there have only been three Black women in the United States Senate in the history of this country — Carol Moseley Braun, our Vice President Kamala Harris, and now Laphonza Butler. And I say to people that number four and number five are coming with folk’s help. For me in Delaware, it has just been an honor to represent my state for the past eight years, bringing clean drinking water, focusing on our health and making sure that we lower the cost of goods and bring good jobs. But the Senate provides the opportunity for us to bring both our professional experiences and our lived experiences, and be able to work on things like reproductive freedom.
“As you know, […] I became a grandmother last year. It’s the best title I’ve ever gotten, and it was through IVF. So I’m going to fight for reproductive freedom, for abortion care and IVF and contraception, but I’m also going to fight for voting rights and democracy[…]. And, so, I am excited about my [Senate] race. […] This is an exciting moment for our country, and it’s an exciting moment for Delaware as well, as we elect […] for the first time, a Black woman to […] the Senate.”
On what Kamala Harris is looking for in a running mate:
“This is an exciting moment. […] I remember being on Joe Biden’s vice presidential selection committee. I was one of four, and General [Eric] Holder was one of the people that I did outreach to. And the goal of […] selecting a Vice President, which is going to be the really the first major, important decision a presidential candidate will make, is to find someone who is qualified as Kamala Harris was, someone who can run, but also who can govern […]. And for Joe Biden, I remember his whole focus was that the person also must be able to be ready on day one, which Kamala Harris was, and also to be, in his words simpatico — somebody that could relate well with him and could work is that team — and at the end of the day, that’s the person that when we turn off the lights, that’s who you’re talking to.
“And so, she met all those requirements, and I’m so confident that she’s going to pick the person who is super qualified, but also meshes with her and will also present the best for the American people. This decision is a big one, and so the great thing about the democratic slate of candidates that she’s looking at is that they’re all qualified. They all will be tremendous assets to the ticket and to the country.”
On the momentum around VP Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign and Donald Trump’s failed attempts at trying to define her:
“The Trump campaign is scrambling. I mean, that’s really the word that I think of. They’re trying to paint [Kamala Harris] in different ways, but the reality is, she has a proven track record, and she’s talking about two different visions for this country. That she has a vision for us moving forward, being united, and [Trump] has a vision of Project 2025, where we’re stripping our reproductive freedoms, we’re gutting Social Security and Medicare.
“We have a choice, and so I think for us, as we’ve seen $310 million in July alone, we’ve seen 40,000 new voters register in 48 hours [and ] we saw 170,000 new volunteers. So there’s this energy and there’s this momentum. But what I’m saying to people is that […] we now have to move from worry to work to win.”
On Donald Trump being afraid to debate VP Kamala Harris:
“Well, initially, he said that he’d debate her, anytime, anyplace. […] Well, […] he’s had a lot of things to say about [Kamala Harris], and as the Vice President said, ‘say it to her face.’
“What you will see in a debate, should he be not afraid to do it, is a real split screen between someone who is competent, qualified, has character and wants to represent the American people as we move forward, versus someone who focuses not on all of us, but on some of us, and who has sown division and hate at a time when we really need to be united as a country. We’ve got big issues that we need to deal with, and we need real leadership, not someone who wants to be a king or a dictator on day one.”
On VP Kamala Harris continues to expand her coalition, including with Republican voters who are critical of Donald Trump:
“[…] I think it’s incumbent upon all of us. […] I attended two church services today here in Dover, Delaware, and one of the messages was, ‘we’re not going back.’ And I think it’s important that all of us play our part. [We] saw “Black women for Harris” with 44,000 women. [We] saw Black men on Zoom. [We] saw white women, and then you saw ‘White Dudes for Kamala Harris.’ Each of us has to play our part in this moment.
“We never thought this was going to be an easy race, and we have to make sure that we do our part, because Kamala Harris is definitely doing hers. So our goal, in the end, is to win decisively[…], because the stakes are that high. And […] our good friend, Congressman Jim Clyburn said, ‘this isn’t the most important election of our lifetimes –it’s the most consequential,’ because the consequences of reproductive freedom, of the planet and our climate, the consequences of jobs — everything is on the line in this election, and so we are fired up and ready to go.”