Why Colom's victory in Mississippi changes the whole political playbook

in history and all of that simone while we wa. n. and speak all of us have spoken with him. and have interviewed him but you know him. on a personal level tell us about who he is. and what he's like. you know i met scott cologne um late. last year i do believe after hearing frankly. about him from um friends that i knew folks here. in mississippi um trey baker i believe was. the first person to tell me hey you gotta take. a look at my friend scott he's running.

for senate and And after meeting Scott. and his campaign manager, whom I knew who worked for. Senator Angela. Alsobrooks, the first senator, I will add, that came down to Mississippi to campaign. with now Senator-elect Cologne, HE SEEMED VERY CONVINCING, SO WHAT I ACTUALLY DID, JEN, IS I CONTINUED TO FOLLOW THIS RACE, BUT I TALKED TO MY FOLKS ON THE. GROUND AND I HAVE TO TELL YOU, THE ORGANIZERS IN THIS STATE, PEOPLE HAVE TO GIVE IT UP FOR THE. organizers i'm talking about folks. like what kenya clinton at the southern mississippi. um.

southern poverty law center i'm talking. about obviously the naacp. the mississippi conference and the national naacp. mississippi. votes the students. students are such a big part. of the work that has happened here. across this state and it was really. their work frankly in my conversations. with them and their resolve that let me know oh. something was going. on here in Mississippi personally. my father is originally. from Mississippi who's born in Mount Bayou and he grew. up. in Clarksdale we were here about.

two weeks ago to bury his mother. my grandmother and I I spent summers for 15, 16 years coming to Mississippi every summer, doing the drive, hanging out here, being with my cousins for weeks on end. And I have to tell you, my father, he He graduated from Higgins High School. and he was the last, he was the last segregated. class. at Higgins High School, a high school that is no. longer operable. in Clarksdale, Mississippi. And my father is no longer with us,

but I have to I THOUGHT HE WOULD SEE ANY TIME. SOONER THAT I WOULD EVEN SEE A BLACK SENATOR. ELECTED FROM THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, LET ALONE OTHER PLACES THROUGHOUT THE SOUTH. AND I I just have to say that this, to me, is a testament to the power of the people. And frankly, it's a wake-up call for. everyone. that did not believe, people that did laugh it. off, folks that did not pay attention. And I think they have to ask. THEY ASKED THEMSELVES, WHY DID MISSISSIPPI OR FLORIDA SEEM SO.

FAR OFF AND FAR-FETCHED TO YOU OR. or Louisiana. Again, the Democratic candidate. in Louisiana came within two points of winning. with zero national investment. Why did those races feel so far off. for people yet Texas and Kansas. and Alaska did not? And so to the people in this state, to the black people in Mississippi. and all across the South, that in the face of being. told. that they did not earn it, that they were all DEI. hires, that their livelihoods were not worth it, trying to be literally snatched.

back to the 1950s. They stood up and they asserted their power. and they said not today. I think America owes a debt of gratitude to the people. that have stood. in these communities and continue to fight. And I will note the fight is not over. It's just beginning. Yeah, that's such an important part of it. Chris and I were talking earlier. as we want to bring back. He's still here. Thank you, Chris. But it feels like the playbook to your point. you made EARLIER IS THROWN OUT OR SHOULD BE. THROWN OUT IN TERMS OF AND THIS IS SUCH A GOOD. THING FOR OUR DEMOCRACY IN TERMS OF HOW PEOPLE.

LOOK AT WHAT'S POSSIBLE AND I'VE BEEN THINKING. AS SIMONE'S BEEN TALKING. AND AS YOU WERE TALKING EARLIER JUST ABOUT. PLACES like Georgia, where Stacey Abrams organized for a long time. before you saw the election of Raphael. Warnock. Of course, who did that to his own. accord. and through campaigning all across. the THIS IS A STATE WHERE THE. PARTY AND ALL OF THE ORGANIZATION. HAS BEEN BUILDING FOR SOME TIME. I GUESS I WOULD LOVE YOU TO TALK MORE. ABOUT WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT WHERE THE. PLAYBOOK GOES FROM HERE. I GUESS I WOULD I WAS GOING BACK.

AND LOOKING AT THOSE, THERE WERE THREE REAL CLOSE RACES. IN MISSISSIPPI. THAT SPECIAL ELECTION, MIKE ESPEY RAN A REALLY. GOOD RACE. AGAINST CINDY HYDE Smith and, you know, came within a few thousand votes. There were two gubernatorial statewide. races that were really contested. I mean, Tate Reeves has been scandal-prone. There was the The Jackson water crisis, there was the insane welfare crisis. in which money was diverted from social services to go.

build a gym. at Brett Favre's daughter's university, state I MEAN, TRULY, TRULY CRAZY STUFF. SO, YOU KNOW, THERE HAVE BEEN CONTESTED. RACES. AND ONE OF THE THINGS I THINK IS. SO INTERESTING TO THINK ABOUT, SIMONE, HERE AS WELL IS, YOU KNOW, THERE'S THERE'S A GUBERNATORIAL RACE IN. MISSISSIPPI NEXT YEAR NOW. AND ALL OF A SUDDEN LIKE YOU'VE GOT A SITTING. DEMOCRATIC DEMOCRATIC CENTER, THAT SITTING DEMOCRATIC CENTER CAN GO AND. BARNSTORM AROUND THE STATE WITH THAT PERSON.

NEXT DOOR IN LOUISIANA YOU GOT A CANDIDATE. THAT LOST BY 25 OWN INVESTMENT. 25 ,000 VOTES. TWO POINTS AS YOU SAID, SIMONE, BUT 25 ,000 VOTES WITH NO NATIONAL INVESTMENT. JOHN KENNEDY, THE SITTING REPUBLICAN SENATOR. I DON'T KNOW, I DON'T KNOW, MAN, PROBABLY SHOULD PUT. SOME INVESTMENT. OVER THERE. SO WHAT YOU HOPE YOU SEE HERE IS THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, SUCCESS BREEDS SUCCESS, INVESTMENT BREEDS INVESTMENT, RIGHT? NOW THAT YOU KNOW IT'S POSSIBLE,

WE HAVE ABSOLUTELY SEEN THAT TRAJECTURE. IN GEORGIA. I MEAN, THAT HAS BEEN WHAT HAS. HAPPENED IN GEORGIA 100 %. IT'S ALSO BEEN THE CASE IN ARIZONA AND I'M NOT. SAYING YOU JUST DRAW A STRAIGHT LINE AND. NOW MISSISSIPPI IS A DEMOCRATIC STATE. BUT SEE IT IN GEORGIA, WE SEE IT. IN ARIZONA. I MEAN, ARIZONA IS GOING IT'S NOT GOING TO HAVE. A DEMOCRATIC TRIFECTA. ARIZONA WAS LIKE, YOU KNOW, ARIZONA WAS THE WESTERN. VERSION. OF MISSISSIPPI IN THE SENSE OF LIKE IT WAS THE MOST. RIGHT. BE A LITTLE BIT OF A RIGHT-WING. STATE IN THE MOUNTAIN WEST. FAMOUSLY, THE HOME OF BERRY GOLDWATER,

COMPLETELY HOSTILE TO THE DEMOCRATIC. PARTY IN PROGRESSIVE POLITICS AND. I THINK THAT GOVERNOR'S RACE NEXT YEAR IS GOING. TO BE A FASCINATING ONE TO WATCH AND. THINGS CAN CHANGE. YEAH, I THINK THAT GOVERNOR'S RACE NEXT. CAMPAIGN WHO FELT LIKE THEY. COULD WIN IF THEY JUST HAD MORE MONEY. I KNOW SIMONE DID, TOO. EVERYBODY DID. AND NOW HERE WE ARE, EVERYBODY. SO START LOOKING AT THESE RACES FOR NEXT YEAR. THERE'S LOTS OF OPPORTUNITIES.