helps republicans. when you look where president trump went republicans were doing well. she was happy about the overnor's race in flrida. he held ron destos get out of what would be a rut and she has said the preside has been calling people surrounded by family and friends. some people there#2"jpresident s his wife. the president's children are around. she wouldn't say who the president is callingut its almost we're pretty clear the president's likely recalling republicans an congratulating them and talking to them about how to move forward. kellyanne conway had a message to democrats who just took control of the house. she said democrats should not be focused on subpoenaing the president and should not be focused on investigating the president but they ouldn't be looking for his tax returns and instead they should be working with the president on infrastructure. reporter:infrastructure.

>> woodruff: she doesn't want them tgo going after his tax returns. >> she said they should beki focused on w with the president and not focused on taking down the president. the peop who voted foim don't want them to do that. there's a democratic base that really wants a check on this president and they reallyant to see a lot of investigations and the finances. also investigations into whether or not hi could havs daughter and son-in-law working at the white house. >> woodruff: you've raised a lot of interesting material there, ymiche. 're going to think about that and come back to you as the nighyogoes on but thanfor bringing us that report. yamiche al cindor at the white house. we want to go to amna and whreaz about that. -- lisa about that. amna. >> we want to take look at the big story lines we came in tonight trying toollo

one of them of course is there a blue wave is there actually a blue wave and how many seats can democrats sli >> the key republicans to watch of course are the incuent in vulnerable districts and here they are. these are all the republicans ic vulnerable dis and there's also one democrat on this list who is in arizona. but for the other part, this is all republicans and here's how ey've been doing tonight we see in this picture are, this almost looks to me like it's 50/50. if you're a vulnerable house republican and whether you would succeed or not depends on a lot ofistricts. her mike kaufmann in colorado for example. maybe jason crow who campaigned on gun rights. it's not about president trump necessarily. there's a combination of reasons why these men and women are losing. >> tere are some races we ha yet to called and will be filled in income on-line as the night goes on and there's stillme

remaining on our chronicle layout. one of the stories we've been following a lot walking in tonight was the trenabt female candidates. a lot of number of wonmen runing for office. these are the races you were tracking. >> that's right this is a critical pivot race that both republicans and democrats of washington. this is norfolk, virginia beach area. very high concentration of the military there. scott tailor, military veteran van against elaine luria also retired navy. what's interesting democrats when talking about her she doesn't have natural chris ma as a candidate they were concern about thatut here she is winning in this district. the republicans really hoped to teep. this is the firsme female candidate and veteran tonight in virginia too. >> down in texas is another race we were looking at one of thi first female candidates. >> texas 23 i believe we have. this is one of the sort of early all stars for democrats as ge he know or tease jones -- gina

ortiz jones. en did that happen? exas.happening tonight in t right now she is behind. look at this 92,000 votes for will hurd. 4,000 votes difference. this is a lar race. not just because it'station, is it blue, red or purple. is has the longest border with mexico of any congressional dirict in this country. it's an important district when it gets to immigration talks as well. >> with 70% of the votes and all of these individual races is a bigger picture what it i in the house right now. it's up dating in real time. what's the stry here. i think what we see is we're seeing california races starting to come in. let's in the light blue indicating democrats are winning at the moment but they are not called in r favor. this is filling in for democrats as democrats would expect but i want to drw people's attention

to the white circles. these indicate a seat that has flipped from one party another. almost all of them on the democratic side we just have three. honestly these are all in pennsylvania which is ri as tonight because it's been redistricted so it's sort of not typal of a normal pennsylvania year. democrats want to flip 23 seats looks to me like they are getting very close. >> they are getti close. you have of course a lot more races. this is going to be updated in real time throughout the course of the night. you can always go to pbs.org/new hours for the very latest. judy back to yoo >>ruff: it's helpful to put in perspective with those graphics. i think we have a rto call in the state of new jersey. this is one of those house races we've beenin wat the polls closed several hours ago. this is new jersey two. it was an open republican seat held by a republican set

grossman the republican though has lost to the democrat jeff van drew. it's another pick up for democrats. this is a southern tip of the state. includes atlantic city. this is a district i'm to that went for trump and for prentsi obama. here's another house race we want to call, mnnesota two. democrats angaie crig over republican jason louis. we've got about what 92% of district vote counted at this point and they are projecting angie crg to win. and that's what we've got right now. so the picture i think is coming together, my friends and family here at the table for the newshour. the picture's starting to come together. we now know the democrats are going to control, it's been projected to win control of the house. the republicans will hang on to and maybe pio up seats it ks

like they are picking up seats in the senate. mocrats are picking up some governorships. david brooks, what do you take away from all is. >> i actually think just greenfield's long term i tink it's a pretty good night for the country to be honest. i would hate to havseen donald trump's closing argument with that ad on immigratione a successful argument frankly. and i would have hate vto hae seen -- right now everybody has some skin in the game.ro democrats cothe house. i hate to think what would have been the reaction on the blue side of the country if they had another defeat. that would have beende gitimizing to our country. donald trump has to look and sar idential elections are more like house selections and senate elections are like the electoral it's an recollection where both sides come away with somebody and both sides have

responsibility for something. in the short term that's at least a good thing. >> woodruff: mark shields what are you seeing. >> i think one of the great mistakes we make is to jump from a midterm election if we're sitting here on the night of 2010 we wuld have been sure that broke wabaroque wasbarack m president. they picked up seats in the house and thetu legis. i'm not sure what message there is being cept from this election. we are and continue to be a divided country. we are sorted out. the president has chosen un a campaign of division when he had a opportunity in my judgment to be a un ifying messad to do quite well. t he can take consolation. he got his people who ordinarily

don't vote in midterm elections. you look at the vote he did get in 2016. those are not people who are regular midterm voters and he did generate their interest. i good get a kick out of kellyanne conway's explanation. wherever he goes, if he wants to no to california, he wants to go to massachusetts, cticut or new jersey, he's welcome to go there and i don't think it's going to hip many replicans. >> woodruff: one more house race to call we just learned about. this is a flip in new york state. antonio delgado an john faso. the republican, amy you can tele xactly where this district is or can you. >> all right. a pick up r democrats but chris bus kirk i want to come to you off of what david and mark has been saying about what this election says about

electorate and what the message is for president trump tonight. >> i think president trump i think the republicans if you look at this of course it's a mixed bad. you do badly in the ho3se you lose the house. not one of these peple who thinks you win by losing. you lost you lost. but on the other side you're lookinuat the senate and yo're winning. k think that republicans in general need to away from this is that there's not a repudiation of the 2016 election. there were a lot omp truome within the republican party who thought that was a mere certainly once theid terms rolled around. it just didn't happen. n. fact what happened we got an aversion to the me the outer power party picked up seats in the house. al's unusual and unu good for the party in power that holds the presidency to pick up seats in the senate. it was just one that's going to dve to be sorted out aigure out how do you come up with a message that is able win a majority of the american people

come 2020. nojust a majority in the electorate house because the outright majority so you can gon that basis. reporter: rather than split level. > -- > odruff: rather than the treme. karine. t it's disappointing to see mccaskill to loe way she did. when you look at the house which is a gerrymandered districts and ill think it was really empowered by women. it was a blue wave and not only that, the democratic, the new freshman democrats that are going to be goi into the house are diverse. you ski people of color, the first native american, the first two muslim women are going to go to the house and i think that says a lot about the democratic party and where it's going and how it's moving. and i think that's something

that i inspiring and hopeful. >> woodruff: before i come to you amy i'm told we have a cli of beto o'rourke speaking in texas. he's lost this bid to unseat ted cups in the --ted cruz in the senate . let's listen. >> and to see all of you tonight reminds me why we set ou to do this in the first place.no we'r about being against anybody, not about being against litical party. we're not going to define ourselves by who or what we are against or afraid of or scared of. wear great people -- we are great peoitple, ambus, defined by our aspirations, the hard work that we' willing to

commit in order to achieve them. >> woodruff: a lot of energy there, amy for concession speech. >> i suspect democrats would like to see a lot more of him. i think this is sorof an adventure election. you are a republican you look not just at the senate but there go races right now it's not looking as rosy for democrats li a lot of democrats had hoped it would be. we talked about ohio, we've talked about florida, georgia of course. we're still waiting on wisconsin. iowa looks like the republican they hold there.r so these places the democrats were really hoping to break open the republican holds on this state.ki again we're th about the electoral college and thinking about 2020, those are the state that are going to be very important. but i do think there is the oneu bistion mark which is how

does donald trump deal with a democratic house and how does a democratic house deal with him. that's a big question mark. it's instructive when nancy pelosi gae her victory speech did not mention trump's name.'s she said our responsibility to find common ground. we've had enough of division. i agree with karine it's going to be very difficult for the democratic base to say yes we need to work eth prsident troubltrump but i think that ovt is one thing for deocrats. going overboard is going to be the real challenge for them to not gooo far and to be pulled in to looking like as nancy pelosi is trying to say where they won't find common ground where they will onlyivide. so thehallenge are fooump of course what's going to happen when investigations start, how is he going toeact to that and

oversight, how is he going to react to that. we still don't know what's goin to hapth the mueller investigation and his reaction to that. but what we do know is that for democrats there are also som perils how they are going to deal with andonfront this administration. >> woodruff: we heard from nancy pelosi. she spoke and also spoke here on this program a few hours ago and was equally not i think confronting the president. have yet to hear from the president but i want to thank each one of you. you've been excellent partners for us through this adventure as you pick your adventure nght. thank you so much chris bus kirk, david, mark. thank you very much. that does conclude our election night special. i want to thank all of yo for watching, for joining us. there is a lot more to dig into in thtsese res as you know we've called a

number of races. there are still races that have yet to be called. we know the how is going democratic. yi know the senate is st in republican hands but we still if ol're interested in the details, you canw us on-line. that's at pbs.org/newshour where we're going to be continuing the analysis updating with the remaining race hdle as they come in until it is all over. and of course we'll be back here tomorrow evening with the pbs newshour.i' judy woodruff on behalf of everybody at the newshour thank you so much. anwe'll see you soo

which i never had this much of it, i'm not prepared to give advice as to what she should've done. - and chisholm chose not to go because one, she had already announceruthat she was gonnfor president and she didn't feel like catching flak and she didn't want to be there when there was a vote of non-support for her. - i went to the gary, indiana, black political convention, and we tried to get an endorsement from the black political convention delegates for shirley chisholm for president. couldn't even get it there. i mean, the guys had it so sewed up. - they could not stand the fact that a black woman kind of leapfrogged over them and made the decision for herself to run. for many, they thought a black man should do this first. - she sees black men as often extremely hostile to her candidacy. the bigger part of the joke for them isn't that she's a african-american running, but, like, she's a girl running.

we're never gonna have some girl president, right, much less a black girl president. - the convention voted not to support her. - you see, the black politicians are no different than the white politicians. they've made their deals. they've made their contracts. 'cause they didn't believe that mrs. chisholm knows how to maneuver or what he you. that has always been their problem with me. "don't pay her any mind." but, you know, you can't wish me away. you can't. - she knew that she wast taken seriously and still fought the good fight. cause she was so committed to actually shaking it up, that's why she was able to get out there day in and day out. - because i burn myself up with, you know, with wt i see and it makes me more determined than ever to-- to see if i can't conqr it. and i know i can't conquer it, but, you know, it's deep with me. not, you know, it's intense. it's deep. i see too much suffering. mm. and now i want to tell these politicians around here.

they don't care. - she was very sensitive and she was very hurt by people who would tell her one thing, do something else, n didn't believe ir. you know, they tried to shut her out every step of the way. she had to file a lawsuit, from what remember, to just get on the stage in a debate. - iverse array of delegates now converged on the convention city miami beach, florida, where the final choice of the democratic candidate would be made. - the black e ople of america tching us. find out whathese candidates who need our vote to get across the top are going to do for us concretely, not rhetorically. - we knew we weren't going to be necessarily a real power broker. we didn't have enough delegates. but there was no waytohe was going step aside or back down. she was going and she understood the symbolic importance of doing that.

so she was really out there alone. and it was like that from the begning to the end. there few exceptions. and she always spoke so highly of representative ron dellums nc out in--out in san fraisco, in california. - ron dellums, who was a prominent member of the house of representatives from oakland/berkeley, and very progressive, he had once been a panther, had promised that he would put mrs. chisholm's name into nomination. and then at the very last moment, dellums said he would not. it was a real betrayal. it was a terrible betrayal. - the support of congressman dellums. i know he has supported in recent months the candidacy of congresswoman chisholm out of the conviction, out of the same kind of sincerity that he brings to this endorsement

of my candidacy here today. and i'm most grateful... - i want my people to know, at, you know, there's no feelings, you know, towards ronald dellum. if any of you see him, whatever, you just tell-- you just tell ron, "shirley wants you to come say hello." - derstands it, but it still hurts nonetheless because this is a friend who had actually stayed with her for quite some time and when other elites had abandoned her or flat-out said that they would not support her. i think at some point she just realized this is just politics, right, it's not personal. - i stand before you here tonight at an historic moment for the democratic party and for the american people. - fortunately for mrs. chisholm, she had percy sutton to put her name in nomination. - i present toou, in nomination for the presidency for these united states, all these united states, the honorable shirley chisholm. [cheers] - she was able to claim

that he's the first woman who evd in nomination for the u.s. presidency. - she eventually relinquishes her delegates so they can be free to pledge their support for whatever candidate was left. - so people who might naturally support shirley chisholm at a certain point said they had to make a judgment. they couldn't live with the thought that richard nixon would be re-elected. and when the crunch came, so many of them then threw their hat in the-- in the ring to support george mcgovern. - nator george h. mcgovern id the 1972 democratic nominee for president of t united states. [cheers and applause] - come home, america. come home to the affirmation that we have a dream. come home to the conviction that we can move our country forward.

come home to the belief that we can seek a newer world. - don't let the spirit die. don't let the enthusiasm die. ju's say, that this was a wonderful trip that we all took together during the past seven months. that we have learned from our errors. god knows there were plenty. that we have gained experience. and that if there is to be a next time, we will start a little bit differently because we will have learned and we wld be able to continue. i am not downheartened. i'm not disillusioned. i am not bitter. the only thing that i continue to regret, of course, iswe didn't have the moolah. [laughter] - even the most liberal,veven the most progresndividuals even women and women leaders in this country, could not really wrap their hands around the thought that a woman, a black woman,

could actually be elected president. - among the half dozen democratic candidates george mcgovern came into tha convention with cided edge. the platform he favored was chosen and the nomination was his. - when we think about the end of 1972 with nixon garnering 49 of the 50 states. we see that, unfortunately, the democrats chose a candidate that just did not represent how they were feeling in-- in the best of ways. and it always makes me wonder if they had given chisholm a closer look what-- [chuckles] what could have been. - it's-- it's impossible. it's impossible to express what it means. she always showed that you could be interested and involved

in politics and berue to yourself. and to really stand up for something and to fight for something. - gosh, in order to bring about change, what gne doesn't have through to bring about change and to get people thinking and moving in another direction. it's a real sacrifice that you have to pay. - but when you're ready to take on goliath, when you're ready to get out there u only got a slingshot, when you can hold your own and it seems like the whole world is against you, i think that is when you grow to recognize the actual strength of a person. - you know she charted a new course. she cracked that glass ceiling. - and so i'm sure many people have heard the cversation there would be no barack obama in 2008 without the successful runs to a certain extent of jesse jackson in '84 and especially in '88. but in many ways you can't look at the successful runs of jesse jackson in '84 and '88

without looking at shirley chisholm in '72. - shirley chisholm's example transcends her life. and when asked how she'd like to be remembered, she had an answer. "i'd liky them to say that shirisholm has--had guts." and i'm proud to say it. shirley chisholm had guts. - i'm breaking the ice, though. the nexta black person runs and a woman runs and they have the ability to guide this country and to lead this country, you will know that they're serious. - you cd your buddy billlinton debaof the institutions government. - john mccain forged his own path. he wasn't easily held down by party lels. - he talked off the cuff, so i think that caused people [upbeat music] ♪ ♪ i'm the luckiest person.

i'm a guy that crashed four airplanes. i'm the guy that got hit by a surface-to-air missile. ♪ - if i'd met you when you were 16 and said, "john, what are you gonna do in the future," uld you have said politics? - my grandfather was an aviator, my father was a submariner. that was my ambition in life. - john mccain had an amazing story. he was born into aof famous american naval family. - his father was the commander-in-chief ific, had responsibility for the execution of the war in vietnam when his son, john mccain, was shot down an btaken prisonthe vietnamese. he was considered by his fellow pows to be, you know, the most badly injured prisoner of war to survive those wounds, to survive his captivity. none of them thought that he would. - he's finally released,

along with the other american pows in january 1973. - then governor reagan and his wife nancy took a very deep and abiding interest in the whoan issue of powmias. y and i think he was rea the catalyst for me wanting to be involved politically. - he began public service, as a member of the congress. and was ultimately elected to the united states senate in 1986. - on issue after issue, john mccain forged his o path. he wasn't easily held down by party labels. - you had to have some kind of thing like you have... - one of the things that mccain was always willing to was to reach across the party aisle. the one hand that helpe buy in terms of legislation. dn on the other hand, he seem quite like a party man. and so i think that caused people some nervousness. but ideologically, he was hard to fit. - and more recently in somalia. i was woto try to be a good senator,

but people did come to me and say, "you ought to consider running." john mccain was an antidote to the insanity of the clinton years, particularly at the last term it was just a complete battle between congress, you know, peachment, the allegations, whitewater, all this stuff that confounded the clinton administration. john mccain stepped into that as a, "i'll settle you down." - because i'm gonna turn to al gore, and i'm gonna point my fingeay and i'm going to "al, you and your buddy bill clinton debase the institutions of government." - i've got character. i'm a war hero, pow. and he really had a set of credentials is that blew away all of ense of the clinton years as superficial, as erratic, as immoral. - that the lincoln bedroom has become a motel 6

where the president of the united states serves as the bell hop - i think it was natural, you know, by 2000 that, you know, john mccain, who had been then in the senate for 14 years, d take a shot at the presidency. - he just seemed to be the man for the moment in re-engage people's fait american politics and run as a conservative, but a reformer. - it is because i owe america more than she has ever owed me that i am a candidate for president of the united states. [cheers and applause] [dramatic music] ♪ - m going to run a campaig that is optimistic and hopeful and positive. - i'm proud of our son. i'm proud of our wisle family and thoy, this son of ours, is not gonna let you down. he's gonna go all the way and serve with great honor all the way.

- george w. had been a successful governor of texas. he talked about a new kind of optimistic conservatis and had a certain resonance. it was a powerful message. - there is a contest... - but george w. bush had been running for a while and had consolidated the fundraisers and political leaders and governors pu and sort of the reican establishment were all behind bush. - i felt we had a clear route. we thought that we could sort of weave our way past lamar alexander and elizabeth dole, and that we would have a challenge from steveorbes, who had a personal wallet. but, of course, then along came john mccain. - senator mccain launched the "straight talk express" and started getting a lot of attention in n hampshire and started, you know, this freewheeling 24-hour-a-day press conference on hisus. - senator, how do you reconcile the fact that you were one of the most vocal critics on pork barrel politics. and yet, while you were chairman of that committee set a record for unauthorized appropriations?

i'm just kidding. no, i domet even know what thas. - he was sort of the one that was appealing to the frustrations of people who were only hearing from ri candidates who were ed and who had talking points and, you know, who were of the establishment. and john mccain famously talked off the cuff. - and it is the beginning of the end for the truth twisting politics of bill clinton and al gore. [cheers] 2000, mccain was ahead of the curve. he wanted nothing to do with the republican leadership. mccain did not see eye to eye with the standard republdean conservative lhip. e did things his own way. and i think he had a power base that he could demonstrate would work 'cause people listened to him and respected him.

- he was feisty. he's kind of a classic-- if there was "scotch-irish feisty magazine," . he'd be on the cov - neither party should be defined by pandering to the outer reaches of american politics and the agf intolerance, whether they be louis farrakhan or al sharpton on the left or pat robertson or jerry falwell on the right. [applause] - but he ultimatelemerged as governor bush's chief challenger. a candidate who gave access to the media. dodged no question he was irreverent. he was funny. - the republican party nationally have lost the last two presidential elections. they've lost the last two congressional elections. and that's because we've lost our way, my friends. f we are a party oinclusion, not exclusion. - we thought if the country could get to know mccain, not only his story, but what he was talking ab00t at the time in he could really catch on. we had rocket fuel. so we didn't know if tto rocket was goinlow up on the pad or get all the way to jupiter,

but none of useaould resist the f lighting the match. - george w. bush, a compassionat conservative leader. a fresh start for america. - we were outspent by the bush campaign in 2000 by a factor of a hundred, you know, they saturated the airwaves. - we had a pretty simple strategy. pick our spot to kind of ambush the frontrunner, george w.ush, which was nehampshire. beat him there, beat him in south carolina with veterans support and then run the table. - how you doing? - well, hanging in there. but, the people in new hampshire want to meet you. i would s many as five town hall meetings in a day. thank you again. - lunching with you. - thank you. it's my honor to be with you. john mccain. nice to see you how are you? they expect that and that's how we did it how are you, sir? good to see you. looking forward to seeing you tonight. - so m ain talking about some process issues that normally don't resonate in a presidential primary much, but talking about campaign finance reform and kind of replacing political bs witstraight talk,

he hit a chord. he reallhit a chord. and thenoce got that rket fuel. - governor bush called me. i was in my hotel room that afternoon, and said, e,"you need to come down h and i said, "well--" he said, "have you taed to karl?" and i said, "no." and he said, "well the polls have come back and they're not good." and i said, "how not good?" and he said, "really nd." [cheers and applause] - a lot of us kinda thought, "well, mccain's kind of tilting "at windmills here, but, you know, he's a good guy, let him go." well, thstarted winning primaries, particularlyamrushed bush in new hhire, and it became a real race. [upbeat music] ♪ ♪ - how did you feel coming out of new hampshire down by 19? did you guys feel like we always assumed there was going to be an upset? - well, we assumed there would be an upset, but we didn't assume there would be that upset, or t would be that big. - we were feeling very confident, to be honest with you, because the size of our victory, which no one had expected.

i just remember being stunned. that was a huge setback to the front-runner, and so then we went to south carolina, and it was clear we had to win in south carolina or basically the campaign would be over. - the george bush campaign thought, "we gotta do something about this." and they went for the jugular. - south carolina has a history of rough politics anthey lived up to it 2000. - but i like my chances here in south carolina. my message... - itas very nasty. there were thousands--i don't know how many thousands, tens of thousands of phone calls made that said, "you know that the mccains have a black baby." - a spartanburg, south carolina woman, donna duren, so describes how her idealized the former navy pilot and pow until the 14-year-old boy scout took a phone call last night plegedly from a bulster. - but he was so upset when he came upstairs. and he said, "mom, someone told me that senator mccain is cheat and a liar and a fraud."

and he was almost in tears. - you guys socked mccain in the jaw pretty hard. there was retty tough campaigning that-- - like what? - [laughing] i mean, you've heard the push polling. the--the whisper campaigns. - lo , first of all there wasan e that mccain had fathered a black child out of wedlock, and mccain blamed it on us. now, this was an important moment, though, because it angered mccain and caused him to stke out at bush in ways that caused people to say, "wait a minute, that's not fair; that's not true. ri- i'm calling on my goodend george bush to stop this now. he comes from a better family. he knows better than this, and he should stop it. i'll pull down every negative ad that i have. let's treat the voters of south car with some respect. - imagine what would've happened if john mccain, rather than being egged on by his advisors, to say this is george bush and i'm gonna hit him ha for saying and being behind this.

what if he had said, "you know what? "i'm glad people brought that up. leabme tell you out my daughter." we have a daughter that we're so blessed that my wife, cindy, got from mother teresa's orphanage in bangladesh. she's one of the joys of ourife. - and my wife brought that child home. it was one of the best days of my life. i mean the american people would have said, "wow, we now know something about the mccains we didn't know before, and isn't that terrific?" hard to describe the emotion i feel about that because there should not be a pce for that in the political process. 's impossible to know whether or not the bush campaign is totally responsible for that. se. - yes, of co s, i do think they did, and of course they're gonna deny it. that is typical of what these strategists who are brilliant at the dark arts, as we call them, that's what they do. they put stuff out there and then they deny that it was them. but every campaign has some sort of mechanism

that can do that if needed. and clearly they needed something to change the narrative. - i'll use the surplus money to fix socl security, cut your taxes, and pay down the debt. governor bush uses all the surplus for tax cuts, but not one urw penny for social sy or the debt. his ad twists the truth like clinton. we're al as president, i'll be conservative ways tell you the truth. - and we did a response ad where governor bush said, "cal but do not question my integrity." it was a really powerful response ad. so i think in that case, senator mccain made a mistake because the response ad was more powerful than his attack ad. - cs is tough. but when john mccain compared me to bill clinton and said i was untrustworthy, that's over the line. disagree with me, fine, but do not challenge my integrity. i fought the education establishment for high standards and local control and won. while washington politicians deadlocked, i delivered a patients' bill of rights.

i challenged the status quo to reform welfare and cut taxes. b i fight for what iieve in and i get results. - do you remember that 2000 primary debate ogop side that you moderated that had w. and mccain? - never forget that, as long as i le. columbia, south carolina, live. i moderated that, press in the next room mobbed, mccainmpad just won new ire, and it was dirty campaign. ant before we go out, we're standing, it's about two minutes to 9:00, the debate was at 9:00 and i'm standing-- bush here, mccain here. mccain said to bush, "george." like this, "george." "what, john, what? he said, "is everything-- "you can do anything to win, george? is that it? you'd do anything to win?" says, "hey, it's politics. "we go to war, you went to war. this is going to war." anenly they called us on stage. this is the south carolina republican debate.

- and i was beat up very badly by all of the surrogates. called clinton, called clinton, like, you've seen it. turn on the radio, turn on the television, and unfortunately now pick up the telephone and you'll hear a negative attack against john mccain - let me say one thing about all this business, john. - i told you i pulled them all down. - you didn't pull this ad. - yes, i did. - this had ended up in a man's it questions my-- this is an attack piece. - that is not by my campaign. - well, it says, "paid for by john mccain." - it is not by my campaign. - and you could feel the heat there. - oh, ho, the whole hour and a half. it was intense. the--you--these were two guys who didn't disagree with policy. they didn't like each other. - i guess it was bound to happen. gov. bush's campaignis gee with a negative ad about me. - unfortunate results of thesec kinds of nasty smepaigns, isthe person who is the receiving end of it has two choices. either you respond, and if you're gonna respond in kind,

then you have the possibility toet as dirty as the perso who is throwing the mud at you, or you d't respond. and if you don't respond, then the narrative sticks. - i-i will not take the low road to the highest.ffice in this la [cheers and applause] i want the presidency in the best way, t the worst way. [cheers and applause] - we had a great comeback wi right after south carolina, but we really needed to break him early, break george w. bush politically early because the resources-- like wrestling a huge gorilla. ofu know, if you don't kin knock him down fast. and it's an attrition war, the gorilla is bigger and stronger. and that'shat happened. we didn't get our early knockouts. we got two of them, but not the third one. - u you go. there yogo. - welcome to the celebration of victory

for george w. bush's campaign on this super esday night. [cheers and applause] - after super tuesday, i withdrew and met with george w. bush in pittsburgh and agreed to support him. st- john mccain and i ad a very good meeting. - you can't be a sore loser in this business. i congratulate governor bush and wish him and his family well. he may very well become the next president of the united states. itt like in a football game. you lose, and you've got to get ready for the next sunday. [dramatic music] ♪ a - in 2008, he ran ore establishment candidate 'cause he'd had that credential of coming so close in 2000. and he had to do what we did not do in 2000, which was bring in parts of the party that were more establishment to build a bigger coalition than he had. and, you tnow, he had competitire. he had mitt romney, who in 2008 had a lot of support the regular establishment.

- in the 2000 election, john mccain had been a supporter of immigtion reform. it was an issue that he knew, as arizona had a large immigrant community. and had a large border shared with mexico. and so this was an issue that he cared abou - we should build no walls in a futile attempt to keep the world at bay. walls are for cowards, not for us. - some of his consultants had told him that, "part of the reason you didn't beat george w. bush in 2000 is that people didn't think you were conservative enough." and so in 2008, as the immigration iss was really picking up steam because they h had these two iled bills, mccain shifted and decided to become a border security first candidate. - and by july of 2007, john mccain was barupt. everybody on the campaign had quit. he was in last place in the polls. and the press that had gathered to greet him up in new hampshire had only one question in their mind,

"when are you going to drop out of the race?" but john mccain doesn't quit, doesn't give up. one foot in front of the other clawed his way back and became the republican nominee. - i went over to iraq, ki and i saw it wor seand i did not want to lo in iraq after all the expenditure of american blood and treasure. so i said at the time, we cannot surrender. it was called the no surrender tour. - for while-- while senator mccain was turning his sights to iraq justays after 9/11, d i stood up posed this war, knowing that it would distract us from the reacethreats that we - i think he had counted on the fact that this would be an election about the military. about america turning the corner in these wars. and what it became about was a black president possibly. - there wasn't a strategy to outine barack obama.

barack obama was a celebrity politician without parallel. he was on the cover of every news magazine in the world. and he also had another powerful force working for him, which was the notion of generational change. john mccain was 72 years old. - i think what happened in 2008 was when it was clear that barack obama-- well, if it hallbeen barack obama or y clinton. it would have been a game-changer, either the first woman -a or the first africrican nominee of a major party. so i think mccain felt,, that he had to show that he was, you know, just as open and diverse as anybody else. - you go to the dnc in denver, and it is epic. epic, right. they build basically the white house right in invesco field outside.

and turns out that all the hillary supporters come right along. there'd be that anxiety that the hillary supporters wouldn't come. everyone in the world is focused on denver and obama-biden for 32 min until they announce... e next vice president of the united states, governor sarah palof the . [cheers and applause] - sarah palin is the vice presidential candidate for john mccain and the world goes, "w?" i was in denver and hed every light, camera, and all the action... [inhales sharply] pack up and head to wasilla, alaska. it was the wildest thing! rybody go?" - senator, i am honored to be chosen as your running mate. [cheers and applause] - what drove you to chse governor palin

'cause as you're saying, you had several good choices. - well, she was a very successful governor. she was vo a very conservative. i thought she was suitable for the position of vice preside. the most important thing, obviously, ismething happens to me, would she fill in as president? - sarah palin's capacity to captu the space that was left open for those who needed an obama on the other side, who needed something to feel excited about. something vigorous, something new. - i lohose hockey moms. you know e they say the differe between hockey mom and a pit bull? lipstick. [cheers and applause] - she was pitch perfect. ust that it couldn't hold. - good evening. this is an extraordinary period over the past few weeks, many americans have felt anxiety

about their finances and their future. i understand their worry and their frustration. we've seen triple digit swings in the stock market. major financial institutions have teetered on edge of collapse and someave failed. - america this week faces an historic crisis in our financial system and we are running out of time. tomorrow morning, i'll suspend my campaign and return to shington. i've spoken with senator obama and informed him of my decision and i've asked him to join me." - your recommendation that you guys suspended campaigning for a bit and really focus on that, that some people felt like that was a turning point, in your case, perhaps a negative turning point. - look, the country was in crisis. i was a united states senator. whether you thinas the right thing to do or not, how could i be out campaigning when the congress is expected to along with the president, to act in a worst financial crisis since the great depression.

- if the meltdown hadn't happened in the economy, i think the mccain-palin to beat the obama-biden ticket. - my friends, we have come . the end of a long journ the americ people have spoken d they have spoken clearly. a little while ago, i had the honor of calling senator barack obama to congratulate him-- [audience booing] please-- to congratulate him on being elected the next president of the country that we both love. - i was with him when he lost the '08 election. and he said, "i'm disappointed but, you know, "this is--losing the election is nothing compared to what i've been through." but he is a man of great integrity, and he encourages others to be the same. and he got a long way toward winning the white house with that integrity and that commitment and willpower to win.

- this is an historic elecon, and i recognize the special significance it has for african-americans. and for the special pride that must be tirs tonight. occasionally someone comes to me and says, "senator mccain, "why don't you get back in there? we need you." red i am reminded of the g southern philosopher who once said that there's no education in the second kick of a mule. i'm proud of our camign. i'm proud of the people around me. you can't look back in anger. and you gotta move forward and appreciate the fact that a guy that stood fifth from the bottom of his class at the naval academy won the nomination of the republican party for president of the united states. - god bless america. thank you all very much. - i just--more and more people were getting excited.

and i remember the spirit coming over me i said, "i don't want to liste t fundamentalist preachers anymore." - he had all the answers until he didn't and then, boy, he didn't. - abortion on demand, homosexual rights. it's not the kind of change we can abide in a nation we still call "god'sountry." - buchanan's orthodoxy was attractive to the base, but was frightening to the general population. female announcer: "the contenders: 16 for '16" is made possible in part by the ford foundation, working with visionaries on the front lines ld of social change wde; the william and flora hewlett foundation, buhelping people d measurably better lives; the corporation for public broadcasting, and by contributio to n from viewers like you. thank you. election 2016 on pbs

trump: she lacks the confidence to lead our country. clinton: this isn't reality television, this is actual reality. narrator: before ameri votes, a 2 hour special report that's less about what they say and more about who they are. tuesday september 27th, 9/8 central the faces you know the news you rely on, anytime you want anywhere you are. man: i really value pbs's ne i think it's very rigorous journalism woman: clea man: both thoughtful and thought provoking woman: mind blowingly honest and open woman: information that will onlp me make a good decisi sth so much at stake, thi election year one place has the news you need to decide pbs

ju woodruff: at a time like this we are called on to be reasoned, to listen and to cut through the noise so that people can understande what's really at s in this election. e hari sreenivasan: we ha pretty good relationship with ou audience in that they ar the kp of pple that can say, 'okay, this isn't exactly how i think but i'm better for hearing this point of view.' t on pbs man: what you what you get on frontline is in-depth, long-form coverage that you don't get anywhere else. charlie rose: we have a unique opportunity to have in-depth conversation not just with candidates but, with advisors, with experts, with people who understand and know how to assess the political process. judy woodruff:ndf we can understa what voters want to know and then distill that into coverage that people can count on then we're doing our job. gwen ifill: news and public affairs is still at the heart of our mission and pbs at the place to come fo [laughter]

donald trump: the r nfidence to lead untry... hillary clinton: this isn't reality television... lin-manuel miranda: i feel like hamilton reached out of history and wouldn't let me go until i told his story. ma ross poldark: i no apologies for my actions, i would do the same again!s henry lotes jr.: how have we come so far, and yet have so far to go? ♪ man on boat: right there, coming out. [stampede of hooves] ross poldark: [laughing] ♪ your favorite pbs shows ready to watch, when you are anytime, any place find more ways to explore than ever before at pbs.org slash anywhere

election 2016 on pbs - one. - what's wrong with my running for president of this country? - i almost resent, vice president bush, your patronizing attitude that ye to teach me about foreign policy. - ahh! - i'm doing this because i love you. - tomorrow night my name will go on nomination for presidency. - i will beat al gore like a drum. [cheers and applause] - i want my country back. [cheers and applause] - mr. president, you were elected to lead you chose to follow. and now it's time for you to get out of the way. female announcer "the conten"