Sen.-elect Scott Colom joins Morning Joe for a wide-ranging interview on his historic win

AND SENATOR-ELECT COLOMB JOINS US NOW. SENATOR-ELECT, CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR. TRULY HISTORIC WIN. IT'S GREAT TO HAVE YOU ON THE SHOW THIS MORNING. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE. WE'VE BEEN TALKING IN THE LAST 24 HOURS ON. THIS SHOW, 36 HOURS, ABOUT THE LONG ARK OF HISTORY IN THE. STATE OF MISSISSIPPI. THE FACT THAT YOU WERE THE FIRST BLACK MAN OR. WOMAN TO BE ELECTED TO THIS SEAT SINCE WHEREVER, BUT TO EVEN HOLD THAT SEAT SINCE RECONSTRUCTION, AND THE IDEA THAT DEMOCRATS BY AND LARGE HAD.

KIND OF WRITTEN OFF MISSISSIPPI. IT'S A RED STATE NOW. I HADN'T WON A PRESIDENTAL ELECTION FOR. DEMOCRATS SINCE JIMMY CARTER. WHAT DID YOU KNOW WHEN YOU ENTERED THE RACE JUST. OVER A YEAR AGO? WHAT DID YOU BELIEVE ABOUT MISSISSIPPI. THAT TOOK SOME TIME AS YOU'VE ATTESTED. TO TO GET OTHER PEOPLE TO COME AROUND TO? WELL, I JUST UNDERSTAND THAT WE'VE MADE. A LOT MORE PROGRESS THAN. THAT PEOPLE GIVE US CREDIT FOR. YOU KNOW, WHEN I WAS 32 YEARS OLD, I RAN UP A DISTRICT ATTORNEY AGAINST A 30-YEAR. INCUMBENT AND A MAJORITY WHITE DISTRICT AND.

I WAS ABLE TO ENERGIZE AFRICAN-AMERICAN VOTERS. BUT ALSO APPEAL TO GO TO WHITE VOTERS AND. WORKING-CLASS VOTERS AND FROM THAT EXPERIENCE, I UNDERSTOOD THAT IN THE RIGHT MOMENT WITH THE. RIGHT OPPONENT, IF I MADE SURE I COULD GET MY VALUES OUT THERE, IF I HAD A VISION FOR OUR STATE THAT. WAS UNIFYING AND FOCUSED ON THE THINGS. THAT WE HAVE IN COMMENT AND HOW WE CAN WORK. TOGETHER TO IMPROVE OUR STATE, THAT I COULD WIN AND I'M HAPPY THE COUNTRY IS. SEEING THAT MISSISSIPPI MATTERS BECAUSE. I ALWAYS BELIEVED A MOMENT LIKE THIS WAS.

POSSIBLE SO SENATOR ELECT CAN YOU TALK. ABOUT THE EARLY DAYS OF THE CAMPAIGN AND YOU. DID TOUCH ON THIS IN YOUR VICTORY SPEECH THE. OTHER NIGHT WHEN YOU AND MAYBE SOME MEMBERS. OF YOUR FAMILY WERE THE ONLY ONES WHO THOUGHT. YOU COULD WIN BECAUSE I THINK IT'S INSTRUCTIVE. TO OTHER PEOPLE THINK ABOUT GETTING INTO. POLITICS AND WHAT THE CLIMB LOOKS LIKE HOW. SMALL THOSE EARLY TOWN HALL MEETINGS WERE THOSE. GATHERINGS WERE AND WHEN DID YOU START TO SEE. THINGS BEGIN TO CHANGE? WELL I THINK PEOPLE DO NEED TO UNDERSTAND THAT. IF YOU HAVE A VISION AND YOU HAVE VALUES YOU.

ALSO STILL HAVE TO HAVE HARD WORK. I MEAN MY FIRST CALL TIME MANAGER WAS MY MOM. BECAUSE I COULDN'T AFFORD TO PAY. ANYBODY ELSE. AND THERE WERE FOUR OR FIVE HOURS, EVERY MOMENT I GOT A BREAK FROM WORK. DURING CALL TIME. IT WAS A LOT OF VOICEMALS. IT WAS A LOT OF HANGING UP. ON ME. IT WAS A LOT OF YOU GOT NO CHANCE. WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? YOU KNOW, AND I JUST POWERED THROUGH. THAT BECAUSE. I STAYED IN PRAYER AND I HAD FAITH. AND I UNDERSTOOD THAT THERE WERE PEOPLE THAT. MADE IT POSSIBLE FOR ME TO RUN WHO SACRIFICED.

AND SUFFERED THROUGH MUCH WORSE. AND I WANTED TO MAKE PROGRESS WHEN THE. PEOPLE STARTED TELLING ME, OH, MY GOSH, YOU ARE WORKING SO HARD, SCOTT, I CAN'T SIT ON THE SIDELINES, BECAUSE THAT WAS THE FIRST THING THAT CHANGED. CONGRESSMAN BENY TOPSON TOLD ME LISTEN, THE CALVARY IS NOT COMING. YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO BUILD. AN IN-STATE GRASSROOCE LEVEL. THE ONLY WAY YOU'LL BE ABLE TO. DO THAT IS YOU'VE GOT TO. AND I STARTED DOING THAT BECAUSE I'M COMPETITIVE,

I'M COMPETITIVE. I'M COMPETITIVE, I'M COMPETITIVE. I CAN CAMPAIGN. PEOPLE STARTED TELLING ME, MAN, HOLY MOLLY, you're everywhere and I can't sit. on the sidelines. I'm going to volunteer. I'm going to contribute. I'm going to, you know, I had a great camera guy, KP Ryan. They were willing to sacrifice. THEY SAW HOW HARD I WAS WORKING. FOR OUR STATE AND IT JUST BUILT FROM THERE. YOU KNOW, SCOTT, YOU HAD TALKED ABOUT BEFORE. WHEN YOU.

WERE ON THE SHOW THAT YOUR FATHER. I THINK ONE OF THE BEST MOMENTS OF THE CAMPAIGN, NOT JUST YOUR CAMPAIGN BUT EVERYTHING. THAT'S SO ON 26, IS WHEN YOU WENT DOWN THE. LINE OF DONALD TRUMP. SUPPORTERS AND PROVED THAT NOT. ONLY DID YOU NOT THINK THEY WERE EVIL, BUT THAT YOU ACTUALLY, you wanted to hear from. them and,

you know, it's crazy, but I mean, I learned knocking on 10 ,000 doors. that when you reach out. and shake somebody's hands and let them know that you. care about them, they don't, they don't have to agree. with you on everything. They're just like, wait a second, that guy cares about me and my family. Talk about, talk about that and what. message maybe. you could bring to other Democrats in Washington, D .C., about working with Republicans even.

if they don't agree with them 100 % of the time. Yeah, thank you for that because that's. something I was doing for a while, Joe. You know, I had these videos where I. would call. Mississippi Matters Monday and I would put out. videos of me, man on the street, asking voters what matter to them and I did it. for months and months and months and months and, you know, my campaign team would tell. you I was doing. that even when the cameras weren't rolling. I was always asking voters what matter to them. and listening. And so when I kind of thought.

that there was a chance that President. Trump might I TOLD MY TEAM, LISTEN, I'M GOING TO WORK THE TRUMP LINE. I'M GOING TO ASK THOSE VOTERS. WHAT MATTER TO THEM. I'M GOING TO LISTEN. AND YOU KNOW, IT ENDED UP BEING AS I EXPECTED, THERE WAS A A LOT OF THINGS THAT, YOU KNOW, THEY WERE SAYING THAT I'VE BEEN HEARING IN THE. BLUEST AREAS OF THE STATE. GAS, GROCERIES, CONCERNED ABOUT THE WAR IN. IRAN, CONCERNED ABOUT FLOT CAMERAS, JUST VERY COMMON SENSE STUFF. AND I'LL TELL THAT'S SOMETHING WE HAVE. TO TAKE TO D .C.

AND ACTUALLY BOTH PARTIES, INCLUDING OUR PRESIDENT. NEED TO. UNDERSTAND THAT TO BE A REAL LEADER. YOU HAVE TO LEARN HOW TO LISTEN. MY MOM USED TO TELL ME MY MOM WAS A JUDGE, JOE, SHE USED TO ALWAYS TELL ME, SCOTT, SHE WAS TELLING ME YOU GOT TO. LISTEN AND THAT'S WHAT WE NEED. IN D .C., THAT'S WHAT WE NEED IN. OUR POLITICS, WE NEED LEADERS. THAT LEARN HOW TO LISTEN TO VOTERS BECAUSE IF YOU DO. THAT. THE PRESIDENT WAS PRAISING THEY DON'T HAVE TO AGREE. WITH. THEM ON EVERYTHING BUT THEY FEEL LIKE YOU HEARD ABOUT. AND.

THEY'LL GIVE YOU A CHANCE. EXACTLY. AND THE PRESIDENT ACTUALLY HE WAS PRAISING YOUR. EFFORTS TO. TRY TO REACH OUT TO HIS SUPPORTERS OUTSIDE. OF THAT RALLY IN MISSISSIPPI. TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT HE SAID YESTERDAY. THERE'S A BLACK U .S. SENATOR IN THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI FOR. THE FIRST TIME SINCE Reconstruction. I don't know the gentleman, but I give him credit. And you know what he did? He campaigned on lines. I give him a lot of credit for this. He campaigned on lines. I heard it the other day where. I had a rally there, and we had lines that went 10 miles long,

and he campaigned on that line, telling everybody on the line what a good job. he did. I give him a lot of credit for that. Not quite sure the line was 10 miles long, but certainly the president, PRESIDENT SAW WHAT YOU DID THERE, MR. SENATOR-ELECT. AND I THINK THAT'S SORT OF OUTREACH, REACHING, TALKING TO REPUBLICANS, DEMOCRATS TALKING TO EACH OTHER, I THINK IS PERCEIVED AS REFRESHING BY MANY. I WANTED TO ASK YOU, THOUGH, AS TO WHAT YOU SAW SOME OF THE. ANIMATING PRINCIPLES OF THE CAMPAIGN, IN PARTICULAR WHAT YOU SAW IN BLACK.

COMMUNITIES AFTER THE SUPREME COURT. DECISION THAT CAME DOWN, THAT GUTTED THE VOTING. RIGHTS ACT AND. COMBINED THAT WITH THE GERREMANDERING. WE SAW REPUBLICANS TRY TO DO. THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY. WAS THERE A SENSE THAT people felt. like there was more at stake here. than your normal election? 100%. You know, after that decision, there was a rally in Jackson on March 10th. And it was IT WAS A WEDNESDAY AND IT. STARTED RAINING. I REMEMBER THINKING, MAN, IT'S GOING TO BE TOUGH TO. GET PEOPLE. TO COME IN THE RAIN.

IT'S ALREADY A WEDNESDAY. IT WAS NOT, IT WAS DURING work hours, 5 ,500, excuse me, 5 ,500 people showed up. It was electric with injury. It was fully young people. And I remember telling the person to help. organize that. There were a lot of people that were involved. But, you know, I was in touch with Charles. AND I REMEMBER TO TELL THEM, THIS IS REALLY SPECIAL BECAUSE. WE GOT YOUNG PEOPLE EXCITED. AND I THINK THAT REPUBLICAN LEADERS THAT WERE SO EAGER. TO. GERRYMANDER the South need to understand.

that Republican voters don't benefit. from that. I mean, I have Republican voters tell me like, what do you think about gerrymandering? And I tell them, listen, this ain't about you. They aren't trying to make your life better. They're trying to. YOU NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT THE. VOTERS ARE EMPOWERED TO PICK. THEIR LEADERS AND NOT LEADERS. EMPOWERED TO PICK THEIR VOTERS. BECAUSE I THINK PART OF THE GERRYMANDER IS BANFIRE. COUNTRY. IT HAS PEOPLE ONLY FOCUSED WE'VE GOT TO HAVE PEOPLE. WORRIED. ABOUT WINNING THE GENERAL ELECTION. BECAUSE THEN YOU GET MORE MODERATE POLICIES,

YOU GET MORE MODERATE POLICIES, YOU GET PEOPLE FEELING. LIKE THEY HAVE TO LISTEN TO THE. OTHER SIDE AND YOU'LL GET A BETTER. PUBLIC POLICY IN D .C. SO LET'S BRING IN RIGHT NOW THE HOST. OF POLITICS NATION ON MSNOW, REVEREND ELL SHARPTON. HE IS THE PRESIDENT OF THE NATIONAL. ACTION NETWORK. REV, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU SAW IT OR NOT, BUT I'M SURE THE RELIGIOUS AUTHORITIES TOOK NOTE. WE HAD JIM CLIBURN ON EARLIER THIS WEEK. AND HE HE WAS PREACHING WITHOUT A LICENSE, A MINISTER'S LICENSE, TALKING ABOUT BEING. REDEEMED.

AND I KNEW HOW HE FELT. I SHALL BE REDEEMED. AS SOMEBODY THAT LIVED IN MISSISSIPPI AND TUSCALOOSA, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING. TO ALABAMA AND ATLANTA, GEORGIA. I'LL TELL YOU WHAT, LAST TUESDAY SURE FELT GOOD. SURE FELT GOOD. TALK ABOUT TO SCOTT AND AND ALSO, LET'S TALK LIKE SCOTT'S NOT EVEN HERE ABOUT WHAT. HIS WIN OR WHAT KEESHA'S WIN. AND WHAT SO MANY OTHER WINS LAST TUESDAY MEANT. WELL, I THINK THAT YOU YOU PROBABLY COULD BE.

REALLY CHALLENGED TO PUT IT IN WORDS TO. SEE WHAT HAPPENED IN THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE STATE OF GEORGIA AND ALL THE WAY. I THINK IT'S A WAY ACROSS THE. SOUTH TO SEE THIS UNPRECEDENTED. AMOUNT OF ELECTIONS, AMOUNT TO victories for. blacks. and that they were blacks that were. measured and wanting to unite the state, not coming in a way that they were saying this.

is vengeance. Now it's our. I THINK THIS IS WHAT JOHN LEWIS AND OTHERS FOUGHT FOR. JESSE JACKSON WITH RAINBOW COALITION. AND SCOTT, I HEAR YOU ARE TALKING. ABOUT HARD WORK, AND I CAN ATTEST TO THAT BECAUSE I HAVE. CALLED YOU AND YOU'VE CALLED ME BACK. LAY TONIGHT AND I SAID THIS GUY IS STILL. WORKING. THAT'S A GOOD THING. AND THEN I HAD A LONG TALK YOU'VE BEEN TALKING. WITH YOUR FATHER AND PATRICK GASPARD WHO. I TRUST AND FOLLOWED SO ALL OF THEM GAVE TO THAT.

But what impressed me about you, and I want you to talk about this, is that you've reached out and said, yes, I'm a black candidate, but I'm going to be a. senator for everyone. And you found a way to stand up for. your base community, and at the same time, say I'm standing up for everyone. And you didn't run from being connected to the. past, because a lot of young leaders.

have to condemn those that are going. on and say it's a new thing. You did your commercial, last commercial at. Medgabers' house to. connect the past. Talk about how you YOU REALLY FEEL IT'S. IMPORTANT TO REACH OUT TO WHITES, NATINOS AND OTHERS AND AT THE SAME TIME BE. CONNECTED TO THE PAST AND THAT'S. THE KIND OF MANTEL YOU WANT. WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BRING INTO WASHINGTON? THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION, REV. MEGAN EVERS IS THE BEST OF OUR COUNTRY.

HE'S NOT JUST A A GREAT AFRICAN-AMERICAN LEADER. HE'S A GREAT AMERICAN LEADER. HE'S A GREAT AMERICAN LEADER. HE'S A GREAT AMERICAN LEADER. HE SERVED OUR COUNTRY IN NORMADY, CAME BACK TO PROTECT VOTING. RIGHTS IN MISSISSIPPI, MADE the ultimate sacrifice. as a result of his willingness. to stand up to the values of our Constitution. And so anybody that would be offended. by Megan Evers and me honoring. I DON'T, YOU KNOW, THAT'S OKAY. THEY DON'T HAVE TO VOTE FOR ME. I CAN LIVE WITH THAT. AND, YOU KNOW, MY MESSAGE TO EVERY.

MISSISSIPPIAN WAS. WE ARE A STATE THAT HAS TO FOCUS ON. THEY ARE GOING TO MOVE OUR STATE FORWARD. THE TERRORISTS WERE TERRIBLE FOR FARMERS. WE SHOULD HAVE NEVER ALLOWED OUR. VOICE TO GO AWAY. THAT REALLY HURT OUR FARMERS. THE WAR I RAN WAS BAD BAD FOR FARMERS AND. CONSUMERS AND TRUCKERS. WE'RE NOT A STATE THAT CAN HAVE. 100 ,000 PEOPLE LOSE MEDICAID. BECAUSE OF THE MEDICAID WE ARE NOT A STATE THAT WILL. HAVE 200 ,000 IN MISSIMIANS LOSE.

HEALTH INSURANCE BECAUSE THE. FEDERAL SUPPORT GOES AWAY FROM THE AFFORDABLE. CARE ACT. WHAT I KEPT TELLING PEOPLE IS THERE ARE A LOT OF. REPUBLICANS THAT ARE ON. I WAS TALKING TO ISSUES THEY CARE ABOUT BECAUSE. I WAS CAMPAIGNING AND THEY WERE TELLING ME, THANK GOD, NO ONE IS TALKING ABOUT THE FACT. THAT WE DON'T WANT TO LOSE OUR HEALTH CARE. WE DON'T WANT TO LOSE OUR HOSPITALS. SO I HONORED THE PAST BECAUSE THERE'S, YOU KNOW, THOSE, THE PAST IS VERY IMPORTANT BUT I. ALSO HONORED OUR FUTURE BY TALKING.

ABOUT THE ISSUES THAT ARE GOING TO. SENATE MAJORITY LEADER, WE'LL UNITE MISSISSIPPI AND. HELP US. REACH OUR POTENTIAL. MR. SENATOR-ELECT, ON ANOTHER NOTE, DOES CHARLES SCHUMER HAVE YOUR SUPPORT FOR. SENATE MAJORITY LEADER? HERE'S MY POSITION ON I THINK OUR PARTY IS TOO. CONCENTRATED IN URBAN AREAS. IT'S NOT A GOOD THING THAT BOTH. OF OUR NEW MAJORITY LEADERS. LIVE IN THE SAME WE NEED LEADERSHIP TO. UNDERSTAND RURAL AMERICA AND. ARE WILLING TO CHAMPION RURAL. AMERICA.

I THINK WHAT THE READ POINTED OUT AND WHAT JOE. POINTED OUT IS THIS CAMPAIGN CYCLE SHOWED. the power of the vote in the deep south. I think my victory shows how we were able to, you know, get victory with a lot less resources. than other states got. And so the next leader needs to be. someone that's committed to the DEEP SOUTH, COMMITTED TO PUTTING US IN POSITIONS. WHERE WE CAN DELIVER FOR THE DEEP SOUTH. AND THE PERSON THAT'S WILLING TO DO. THAT, THAT'S THE PERSON I'M WILLING TO SUPPORT. SO THAT SOUNDS LIKE A NO. WOULD THAT BE A SUPPORT FOR SENATOR VAN HOLLAND,

SOMEONE ELSE? IT'S NOT A NO. I DON'T KNOW SENATOR VAN HOLLAND THAT WELL. HE REACHED OUT TO ME, CONGRATULATED ME. I HAVEN'T HAD A CHANCE TO talk to leader Schumer. about what his priorities are. and what his commitment is to. the deep south yet. I mean, I've got like 700 text messages, 50 voicemails. I mean, Oprah Winfrey left me I PLAYED THAT FOR. 10 PEOPLE. SO, YOU KNOW, I NEED TO BE CAREFUL AND. DISCUSS THESE. ISSUES WITH THE PEOPLE THAT MATTER IN.

MISSISSIPPI AND MAKE SURE WE. GET LEADERSHIP THAT'S GOING TO ACTUALLY FIGHT. I'M OPEN TO SUPPORT ANYBODY THAT'S. WILLING TO DO THAT. DEMOCRATIC SENATOR-ELECT SCOTT. COLOMB OF MISSISSIPPI, YOU MADE A LOT OF HISTORY DOWN THERE AND. CHANGED THE WAY PEOPLE THINK. ABOUT THAT STATE politically and otherwise. Congratulations on your win, and good luck in Washington, sir. Thank you. God bless you. Thank y'all so much.