CNN "Piers Morgan Live" - Transcript: Elections and Republican Party

Interview

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MORGAN: That's rather exciting, Wolf for you and John and for us. So let's come back to you guys when you got more breaking news on this moving situation in Virginia.

For now, I'm going to go to somebody who know all about Virginia's politics. He's been a governor of the state is now Senator Mark Warner and he's at McAuliffe headquarters.

Senator, thank you very much for joining me. The spirit Dana Bash told me of quite noisy confidence down there, was that how you would describe it?

SEN. MARK WARNER (D), VIRGINIA: Well, I think the votes that are still out as John was talking about looked very good for Terry. I think he's going to be successful tonight. We've already won the Lieutenant Governor's Race so I think this is going to be a good night for our team as well as some of the House of Delegates, but I -- what I think as a bigger message is and frankly folks in Virginia just as we see perhaps in New Jersey, they're tired of politicians running too far out outside the extreme. Virginia got hit worst than most any other state by the stupidity of the government shutdown and I think they saw particularly in the -- some of the Republicans again in Virginia that same kind of extremism.

MORGAN: What does it say about the situation nationally, what is going in Virginia because the Tea Party clearly repelled by the new (inaudible) lead by Ted Cruz again it clearly be a force to be reckoned with going forward. If they take a defeat tonight albeit quite a close one by the look of it, what will that do to Senator Cruz's chances of keeping his momentum going?

WARNER: Well, listen, I think the American politics which has always had a strain and extremism but after we swing outside of that strain it comes back to a more moderate. I actually -- I'm a strong Democrat but I believe in a strong two-party system. I actually hope the Republican Party comes back into the mainstream because that's where you get governing done in our country, from our deficit, to jump-starting our economy is going to need to actually stop bickering a bit in Washington and get some things done. Work with the President on improving the health care plan and that's going to take reasonable people not that kind of our way or the highway approach.

So I actually hope is if we see McAuliffe victory (of this size) I think it'll end up being that there will be perhaps a rethinking that maybe having folks that realize compromise that part of politics is not a bad thing to happen.

MORGAN: And finally, Senator, given Chris Christie's thumping victory tonight and a lot of support from even Democrats where he is. How concerned would you be if he ends up being the Republican nominee? Is he more of a threat perhaps another Romney-type character or you want it Ted Cruz?

WARNER: Well, I think that (inaudible) prognostic aid (ph), I do know that as a former governor, governor's more than I think senators are sometimes viewed by actually what they get done. But I think that, you know, part of Governor Christie's challenge if he goes nationally would be actually fighting off some of that Tea Party wing inside the Republican Party but that's a waste down the road.

MORGAN: Senator Warner, thank you very much for joining me.

WARNER: Thank you.

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