MSNBC "The Rachel Maddow Show" - Transcript: 2014 Election

Interview

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Joining us is somebody who by law must always be on the show on Halloween, I don`t know how this has become a tradition, but it`s a tradition. Senator Amy Klobuchar is back with us on Halloween for a third straight year. She`s recently been out on the campaign trail, Georgia, North Carolina, New Hampshire, just to name a few.

Senator Klobuchar, thank you so much for being here. Happy Halloween.

SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR (D), MINNESOTA: Well, thank you so much, Rachel. Happy Halloween to you. We don`t have a witch running in Delaware, an actual witch this time. But I`m sure we`ll have a lot to talk about.

MADDOW: Well, you are the chair of the Joint Economic Committee. That`s obviously your area of focus in the Senate. You`re also a total political animal.

Can you explain to me what those sorts of two sides of you, how come all of this good economic news hasn`t meant more good political prognostication for your party, for the president and his party?

KLOBUCHAR: Well, I think first of all, you are right, and I will defend your honor on FOX, if you like. In fact, the gas prices are at their lowest level in four years. Unemployment is much better than the depths of the downturn. In fact in my state, unemployment is down to 4.1 percent.

MADDOW: Wow.

KLOBUCHAR: We have a situation where we have had 55 straight months of job growth. And we still know that people are suffering out there, and a lot of work needs to be done, but the point is, there have been some pretty dramatic changes and a lot of these senators that are on the ballot from Kay Hagan in North Carolina to Jeanne Shaheen in New Hampshire, to Mark Udall in Colorado, they worked very hard to get policies in place, whether it was the recovery act or Wall Street reform or all kinds of things, and energy and a lot of work that was done to make this recovery happen.

The recovery is about jobs and it`s about our businesses and our workers. But some policies were put in place and some tough votes taken. So, I do hope, and I think one of the reasons you see despite all of the noise and the $44 million spent against Kay Hagan in North Carolina, you still see our candidates hanging in there and ahead in so many polls.

And I just think part of this is in states where the candidates are very focused on talking about the economy, they`re tending to do well, and I predict that this election is not going to be the kind of landslide that you have some pundits talking about. I think you`re going to see some surprise wins.

I can`t wait to see what happens in Georgia. I was there yesterday with Michelle Nunn, and I have to tell you, she is running a grassroots campaign that Paul Wellstone would be proud of in terms of how she`s getting the volunteers out there, door to door, just getting people out there that have never been involved in politics before. You can see that in those numbers.

Early voting --

MADDOW: Yes.

KLOBUCHAR: Hmm? Early voting -- yes.

MADDOW: I was going to interrupt you, one thing you said there about both tactics, but also the message, as these candidates are trying to make the case, and a lot of these places, as you say, you know, tens of millions of dollars spent against them. A lot of Democratic candidates widely outspent not just by the Republican Party, but by outside groups, and stuff.

Is what you`re saying when Democrats are doing better than expected, it`s because they have been very disciplined about keeping the message on the economy, that Democrats talking about the economy is working even though the rest of the -- you know, sort of pundit sphere talking about the election isn`t focused on that?

KLOBUCHAR: I think it`s true and I think you have in Kay`s case, her opponent slashed education funding as speaker of the house and the state legislature. And by a 24-point margin, the people in North Carolina, the voters in North Carolina don`t agree with that.

So, when you`re able to make that kind of contrast on the economy, it makes a difference. I would also add for people that are questioning enthusiasm in both Georgia and North Carolina, you have incredible numbers with 212,000 voters registered early in Georgia, and in North Carolina outpacing early voting that you saw in the presidential year.

So, I just think that there`s a lot going on here, as coming from the state, which you know, where Al Franken is doing incredibly well this time, but back in `08, won by 312 votes, Rachel. I think people that claim they can predict when these polls are so close, I just don`t think anyone can.I`ll never forget the picture of Heidi Heitkamp in her election in North Dakota where the next day she held up the headline from the local paper that had predicted her defeat and she won that election.

MADDOW: Senator, I have to ask you, because we keep meeting on Halloween. Obviously, you and I both are bad at celebrating Halloween because we both keep going to work and being with one another on a satellite feed.

Is there some other holiday you do like freaking awesome that counteracts how poorly we both do Halloween?

KLOBUCHAR: Like when I`m not working? Yes, Thanksgiving.

MADDOW: OK.

KLOBUCHAR: I tend to actually make some food and decorate.

But I was thinking, Rachel, with two of these states, as you know, could go into run-offs --

MADDOW: Right.

KLOBUCHAR: -- and so while we have always had these election Halloweens together, the voters in those states might just say boo, the election is not over, and you and I could well be spending Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year`s eve talking about these elections because it may not end. As you know, one run-off is December 6th and one is January 6th.

MADDOW: Wow. Well, to New Year`s Eve in New Orleans if need be -- Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, thank you so much for being here. Good to see you.

KLOBUCHAR: Thank you.

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