>> Eric: WE TURN OUR ATTENTION TO THE U.S.

SENATE RACE.

LESS THAN A MONTH AWAY UNTIL PRIMARIES AND ALMANAC CONTINUES MIDTERM COVERAGE WITH TONIGHT' HIGHLIGHTS FEATURING THE REPUBLICAN U.S.

SENATE PRIMECH.

>> NOW, SENATOR TINA SMITH IS RETIRING LEAVING AN OPEN SEAT IN THE U.S.

SENATE.

LAST MONTH WE SAT DOWN WITH THE LEADING DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES FOR THE RACE AND THIS WEEK WE INVITED THE LEADING REPUBLICANS TO JOIN US.

MICHELLE TAFOYA AND ROYCE WHITECAPS DID NOT RESPOND TO REPEATED INVITATIONS.

THE REPUBLICAN PARTY ENDORSED CANDIDATE, ADAM SCHWARZE DID AGREE TO JOIN US, PLEASED THAT HE'S ON "ALMANAC."

WELCOME.

>> HAPPY TO BE HERE, IT'S GREAT >> Cathy: WE'VE BEEN TOLD THAT YOU'RE A CONSTITUTIONAL CONSERVATIVE, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN EXACTLY >> WE WERE FOUNDED 250 YEARS AGO ON A FRAMER'S VISION OF AMERICA.

WHY I'M RUNNING FRANKLY IS LACK OF LEADERSHIP ON BOTH SIDES OF THE AISLE.

WE'RE GETTING AWAY FROM THAT.

THERE'S TOO MUCH POWER IN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT BOTH IN THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH ND CONGRESS, TO PUT IT PLAINLY THE BEST TAX DOLLARS NEVER LEAVES YOUR BANK ACCOUNT, MORE POWER TO FAMILY UNITS, MORE POWER TO LOCAL COMMUNITIES TO HAVE CONTROL OF THOSE TAX DOLLARS, DON'T HAVE THEM GO TO WASHINGTON, D.C., JUST NOT GOOD INVESTMENTS OF YOUR MONEY.

>> Eric: WHAT IS YOUR VIEW, RELATIONSHIP WITH PRESIDENT TRUMP IF ANY?

>> I HAVE NOT MET THE PRESIDENT, I HAVE DISCUSSIONS ABOUT HIS WHITE HOUSE TEAM ONCE A MONTH.

>> Eric: WHAT O YOU THINK OF HOW HE'S DOING >> I THINK HE'S BEEN GREAT, MILITARY GUY, 11 YEARS IN NAVY SEALS, NINE DEPLOYMENTS TO OVER 77 COUNTRIES, I THINK I HAVE MORE TIME DOWN RANGE THAN ANYBODY SERVING IN CONGRESS OR SENATE RIGHT NOW.

ON TOP F THAT I'M KIND OF A NERD.

GOT MY UNDERGRAD AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA, MASTER'S AT HARVARD, INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS, MASTER'S CERTIFICATES AT HARVARD, NUCLEAR DETERRENTS, MBA AT JOHNS HOPKINS, A UNIQUE INTERSECTION OF BOOTS ON GROUND, HAVING DONE CONVENTIONAL COMBAT, PEACE KEEPING, INTELLIGENCE OPERATIONS, WORKED WITH JUST ABOUT EVERY THREE-LETTER AGENCY UNDER THE SUN AND AN ETHICAL BACKGROUND AFTER MY EXPERIENCE.

I THINK PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS BEEN A WONDERFUL PRESENT FORCE IN INTERNATIONAL SPACES SPECIFICALLY ABRAHAM ACCORDS DURING THE FIRST TIME, SPECIFICALLY ANYBODY NOT NAMED PRESIDENT TRUMP WOULD HAVE GOT A PEACE PRIZE FOR.

THERE WAS THIS INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION REALLY GAINING ROOTS WHEN TRUMP 1.0 CAME ON THE SCENE CALLED ISIS AND ABOUT SIX MONTHS OF TRUMP 10 WE ELIMINATED ISIS OFF THE FACE OF THE EARTH BECAUSE HE ALLOWED US TO DO OUR JOB AGAIN.

>> Cathy: WHERE DO YOU BREAK WITH HIM IN ANY OTHER AREA?

>> THE REASON I'M RUNNING IS BECAUSE OF COVID AND THE DRACONIAN GOVERNMENT OVERREACH.

I PROBABLY WOULD HAVE FIRED ANTHONY FAUCI A LITTLE BIT SOONER.

OTHER THAN THAT I'M A PRETTY BIG FAN OF PRESIDENT TRUMP'S POLICIES ESPECIALLY FOREIGN POLICIES.

>> Eric: YOU TALKED ABOUT THIS BEING THE YEAR OF THE OUTSIDER.

>> YEAH, YEAH.

, EXEC I WONDER IF YOU ARE FRUSTRATED AS PEGGY FLAN BEGAN SEEMS TO BE ON THE DEMOCRATIC SIDE ABOUT THE AMOUNT OF DARK MONEY AND THE ROLE OF DARK MONEY IN PAINS, DUSHARE THAT WITH HER?

>> IT'S VERY FRUSTRATING, AGAIN I'M A POLITICAL NOBODY, LIFELONG PATRIOT TO OUR COUNTRY, AND D.C.

TRIED TO PARACHUTE A CANDIDATE INTO MY RACE AS WELL THAT HAS NO SUPPORT, NO POLITICAL BACKGROUND, NO POLICY THINGS TO BRING TO THE TABLE EXCEPT SHE'S BOUGHT AND PAID FOR BY D.C.

AS WELL.

THAT'S ONE THING YOU COULD PUT THAT PEGGY FLAN BEGAN AND I AGREE ON.

>> Cathy: WHY DO YOU THINK MICHELLE TAFOYA ISN'T SHOWING UP TO DEBATES?

DOESN'T REALLY SEEM LIKE SHE WANTS TO BE DEBATE YOU.

>> I DON'T WANT TO BE COCKY OR CAVALIER BUT I WOULDN'T WANT TO DEBATE ME EITHER.

I HAVE EXPERIENCE IN OLICY MATTERS, INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE, ON THE FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE, ON THE ENERGY COMMITTEE, MY BIGGEST THING I HOPE IS MY LEGACY IN THE U.S.

SENATE IS PROMOTING NUCLEAR ENERGY TO SHEPHERD IN THE NEW WAVE OF ENERGY.

WHAT DOES SHE BRING TO THE TABLE?

I MEAN SHE HAD AN EARPIECE AND WALKED THE SIDELINES OR A DECADE AND THEY BROUGHT HER IN BECAUSE THEY COULD CONTROL HER.

>> Cathy: SHE'S GOT A LOT OF MONEY.

SHE RAISED MORE THAN $2 MILLION, NGIE CRAIG'S RACE SO FAR $5 MILLION.

IT LOOKS LIKE YOU HAVE $211,000 IN THE BANK, IT'S PRETTY TOUGH TO RUN A CAMPAIGN THIS DAY AND AGE WITH THAT KIND OF MONEY.

>> WE RAISED $1.5 MILLION, THAT'S MORE THAN A CANDIDATE DID ALL OF LAST CYCLE, WE RAISED ENOUGH MONEY TO RE-SOUNDINGLY DOMINATE THE ENDORSEMENT, 63% OF THE ENDORSEMENT.

THE ENDORSED CANDIDATE FOR SENATE HAS NEVER LOST THE PRIMARY, AND I AM PRETTY CONFIDENT I WILL GO ON TO RAISE FUNDS NEEDED IN THE GENERAL.

NAVY SEALS IN GENERAL ELECTIONS,WARE 7 FOR 7.

[ LAUGHTER ] SO WE DON'T MISS THE TARGET.

WE WORK REALLY HARD AND WHICH OF THE CANDIDATES SHOWED UP TONIGHT?

YOU HAVE TO SHOW UP AND DO THE WORK.

ESPECIALLY AS A MINNESOTAN.

I'M NOT FROM BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA, MANHATTAN BEACH.

TO HAVE SHOW UP AND DO THE WORK HERE.

>> Eric: I WAS WITH YOUR WORK, I'LL SURPRISED YOU'VE BEEN INTERVIEWED AND SAY I'M A NO WAR GUY.

>> AGAIN, I'VE HAD MY BROTHERS DIE IN MY ARMS, THAT'S SOMETHING I'M HAPPY TO SAY THAT'S A PRETTY UNIQUE THING FOR A YOUNG AMERICAN BOY TO EXPERIENCE, I WAS 19, 20 YEARS OLD WHEN IT HAPPENED, I'VE LOST A LOT OF BROTHERS AND SISTERS DOWN THE RANGE AND FOR ANYBODY WHO'S ACTUALLY BEEN IN COMBAT ESPECIALLY A LOT OF COMBAT AND WHEN THEY GET OLDER THEY HATE WARS.

I DON'T KNOW, YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY ON MY TEAM WHO'S A PART OF MY CORE THEY HAVE TO READ MEDLEY BUTLER'S WAR IS A RACKET, IT'S A GREAT BOOK WRITTEN AFTER WORLD WAR II, YOU'D THINK IT WAS WRITTEN YESTERDAY ABOUT THE MILITARY INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX HOW THEY ALL GET RICH WHILE THE PEASANT AMERICANS SACRIFICE THEIR BLOOD SO I'M A BIG NO WARS GUY.

>> Cathy: GIVEN YOUR BACKGROUND AND RÉSUMÉ, PEOPLE WILL LOOK AT YOU AND SAY WHY DO YOU WANT TO GET INTO POLITICS >> YEAH, I NEVER THOUGHT IT WOULD BE RUNNING, IT WAS COVID, IT OPENED MY APERTURE, IT DIDN'T MILLION HOW SEXY THE NAVY SEAL MISSION I WAS DOING BEHIND THE SCENES, AFTER 20 YEARS OF SERVICE SACRIFICING A LOT FOR AMERICA, THE FEDERAL DRACONIAN POLICIES AND LOCAL POLICIES BOTH IN MINNESOTA AND OTHER STATES REALLY OPENED UP MY APERTURE TO LEADERSHIP MATTERS, AND THE MORE I WORK TO PREPARE MYSELF AND ACADEMICALLY GET MYSELF READY FOR THIS RACE BECAUSE I'VE BEEN PREPARING FOR A FEW YEARS NOW, I'M LIKE OH, MY GOSH, WE ARE TRULY ON THE WRONG DIRECTION AND AGAIN IT'S LARGELY BIPARTISAN PROBLEM.

HOW DID ROME FALL?

ROME WAS THE LAST WORLD HEDGEMON BEFORE THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

IT WASN'T FUNDED BY A -- ARMY OR DEEPER BLUE WATER NAVY, CIVIC DISCOURSE, POLITICAL CORRUPTION AND THAT WAS THE DEATH KNELL, AND I SEE A LOT OF SIMILARITIES TO THE GLIDE OF AMERICA.

>>