Fox News "America's Election HQ" - Transcript

Interview

MR. WILSON: Thirty seats, that's what some pundits are predicting that Democrats will gain in the House of Representatives. Is that number wishful thinking for Democrats? Congressman Chris Van Hollen, head of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, joins us here in studio. In an effort to be fair and balanced, we did reach out to Congressman Tom Cole, who heads the Republican campaign effort, but he could not make it on this particular program.

It's good to have you with us. I should mention also that you are the congressman who represents the district in which I live.

REP. VAN HOLLEN: It's great to be with you, Brian. It's great to have you a constituent.

MR. WILSON: Well, good. And let's talk about how Democrats are doing because the numbers look pretty strong. You've got to be feeling pretty good right now about what you see in the polls.

REP. VAN HOLLEN: They do. Look, the momentum is with us. There's a lot of energy, just like in the presidential race where people are looking for a change in direction. You've got a lot of Republican incumbents who have been voting right down the line with George Bush, especially on the economy. And so people are saying, enough's enough. And so that means we predict some significant changes in the congressional races this election.

MR. WILSON: And I always caveat the polls, if you believe them, tend to suggest, at least, the presidential race is tightening up a bit here toward the end. Are your races tightening up?

REP. VAN HOLLEN: A number of them are tightening up. And when you hear numbers like 30, I mean, I would love to win 30. I don't see that happening, certainly not at this point. You'd have to see lots of toss-ups.

MR. WILSON: What's your number?

REP. VAN HOLLEN: Historically, if we gain seats, we'll have been breaking the historical curse. Now, we believe that we could get between 10 and 15. That would be a good night for us. Anything over that would be a really great night for congressional Democrats.

MR. WILSON: I know it's not your area of responsibility, but a lot of focus on what's going on with Democrats in the Senate. They're looking pretty good, too, right now. But most people believe they won't get to that magic number of 60 which helps you really sort of ram through any piece of legislation you want to ram through.

REP. VAN HOLLEN: Well, that would help. That would obviously help unclog the arteries in the Congress. And it seems to me the American people want to give another approach a chance here. And then if it doesn't work out, they can hold Democrats accountable down the line. But if you really want to get things moving in Washington, if you want to end the gridlock, it's important to give the new president some reinforcements in the House and the Senate.

MR. WILSON: With great opportunity comes great responsibility. I mean, you will have a good, strong majority in the House, if things go as it's suggested they will. You'll have a majority in the Senate. And you may well have a Democratic president. I don't think that's happened in quite a while. Are Democrats ready for that much responsibility?

REP. VAN HOLLEN: Well, they are. They're willing and ready. And obviously, only time will tell whether we live up to those responsibilities. Our first plan of action would be to get the economy moving again. And Barack Obama's put forth an economic recovery plan, as have we in the House and the Senate. We need to move forward on energy and health care and all the other important challenges we face in this country. And hopefully we will get it right. If we don't, the American people can hold us accountable in future elections.

MR. WILSON: And to people who have concerns about one party being in charge of all three of those bodies, what would you say?

REP. VAN HOLLEN: I would say this is the opportunity to really break the gridlock. Give us a chance to move forward. Give us a chance to take a different approach than we have for the last eight years. The last eight years have brought us the economy we have today. The last eight years have not moved us forward overseas internationally in terms of taking advantage of the opportunities around the world. We've lost a lot of credibility there. So I would say it's an opportunity for us to move forward as a country. And if things don't go the way you like, you can hold Democrats accountable next election.

MR. WILSON: Chris Van Hollen, congressman from Maryland, good to have you here. Thanks a lot.

REP. VAN HOLLEN: Great to be with you, Brian.

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