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  • ♪♪♪ >> STEPHEN: WELCOME BACK.

  • LET'S SAY HELLO TO OUR FRIEND MR. JON BATISTE.

  • JON, HAPPY NEW YEAR.

  • >> Jon: HAPPY NEW YEAR, 2021 IN FULL EFFECT.

  • HOW ARE YOU FEELING THIS YEAR?

  • >> Stephen: I. FEELING GOOD.

  • NOT AS GOOD AS YOU LOOK IN THAT HAT, THOUGH.

  • TELL ME THE STORY ABOUT THIS HAT.

  • >> Jon: I GOT THIS IN NORTH AFRICA, TUNISIA, ACTUALLY.

  • IT'S A KUFI THAT.

  • THE LONELIEST MONKEY WORE THIS WHEN HE WOULD PLAY.

  • I SAW THE AWE THENTDIC ONE AND I HAD TO GET IT.

  • >> Stephen: YOU AND I ARE FROM THE SOUTH.

  • IS THERE A NEW YEAR'S TRADITION WHERE YOU GREW UP?

  • DO YOU GUYS EAT ANYTHING ON NEW YEAR'S DAY WHERE YOU GREW

  • UP?

  • >> Jon: COME ON, NOW!

  • WE EAT BLACK-EYED PEAS, CABBAGE AND PORK SHOPS.

  • >> Stephen: WE DO THE SAME THING.

  • DO YOU CALL IT?

  • WE CALL IT HOPPIN' JOHN.

  • >> Jon: WHERE DOES THAT COME FROM?

  • >> Stephen: I DON'T KNOW.

  • WHERE DOES IT COFROM, DARLING?

  • >> I DON'T KNOW.

  • >> Stephen: IT'S ALWAYS BEEN CALLED HOPPIN' JOHN.

  • AND YOU COOK BACON, BACK FAT IF YOU'VE GOT IT, AND ONIONS AND

  • THROW IT IN WITH THE RICE AND THE BEANS AND IT'S SO GOOD.

  • >> Jon: YEAH, YEAH, WE HAVE BEEN EATING THAT SINCE

  • NEW YEAR'S DAY, WITH LEFTOVERS.

  • IT'S KICKIN', MAN.

  • ( LAUGHTER ) >> Stephen: ANYWAY, JON, HAVE

  • YOU GOT A SONG FOR THE NEW YEAR?

  • >> Jon: YES, INDEED.

  • ♪♪♪ >> Stephen: JON BATISTE,

  • EVERYBODY.

  • THANK YOU, JON >> Jon: YOU GOT IT, YOU KNOW!

  • ( LAUGHTER ) >> Stephen: JOINING ME TONIGHT

  • IS THE WOMAN WHO DELIVERED GEORGIA TO JOE

  • BIDEN THROUGH HER ORGANIZATION, "FAIR FIGHT," AND WHO HOPES TO

  • MAKE HISTORY WITH TOMORROW'S SENATE ELECTION.

  • PLEASE WELCOME, STACEY ABRAMS!

  • MS. ABRAMS, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING BACK!

  • >> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME AGAIN.

  • >> Stephen: HAPPY ELECTION EVE, NICE TO SEE YOU AGAIN.

  • WE HAVEN'T SEEN YOU SINCE RIGHT AFTER THE ELECTION.

  • I WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE ELECTION TOMORROW OF, OBVIOUSLY,

  • RAFAEL WARNOCK AND OSSOFF WHO ARE RUNNING TOMORROW, BUT I WANT

  • TO TALK ABOUT THIS TAPE RELEASED OVER THE WEEKEND WITH THE

  • PRESIDENT PRESSURING RAFFENSPERGER TO FIND VOTES IN

  • GEORGIA THAT WOULD GIVE THE WIN TO THE PRESIDENT.

  • YOUR NAME COMES UP A COUPLE OF TIMES IN THAT.

  • HAVE YOU HEARD THE RECORDING?

  • >> I DID INDEED LISTEN.

  • >> Stephen: THE PRESIDENT SAYS THAT -- HE SAYS THAT STACEY IS

  • LAUGHING AT YOU, TO RAFFENSPERGER.

  • SHE'S LAUGHING AT YOU.

  • COULD YOU CHARACTERIZE THE LAUGH?

  • IS IT A GIGGLE, MORE LIKE A -- ( MANIACAL LAUGH )

  • -- WITH THE FLY HANDS.

  • HOW ARE YOU LAUGHING AT THEM?

  • >> HYMN THINKING ABOUT THEM.

  • I'M FOCUSING ON WINNING THE ELECTION.

  • THEY ARE NOT MY ISSUE.

  • >> Stephen: BOOM!

  • VERY QUICKLY, WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PRESIDENT PUTTING THE

  • PRESSURE ON RAFFENSPERGER?

  • WERE YOU SHOCKED TO HEAR AT OR IS THIS PAR FOR THE COURSE?

  • >> NOT AT ALL.

  • THIS IS A PERSON WHO HAS DEMONSTRATED ABSOLUTELY NO, YOU

  • KNOW, GRASP OF THE AWE GUSTNESS OF HIS OFFICE OR THE CONTOURS OF

  • THE LAW, BUT I WILL SAY LEON-IZING BRAD RAFFENSPERGER IS

  • NOT IT.

  • HE'S DEFENDING THE ELECTION HE RAN.

  • AT THE EXACT SAME MOMENT HE'S PUSHING ON TRUMP, HE'S WORKING

  • HAND IN HAND WITH REPUBLICANS TO PUT TOGETHER A LIST OF WAYS TO

  • CONSTRAIN THE RIGHT TO VOTE STARTING WITH THE NEXT ELECTION.

  • I DON'T WANT PEOPLE BE DISTRACTED BY HIS ATTEMPT TO NOT

  • BECOME A LAUGHING STOCK BASED ON WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM IN JUNE, WE

  • SHOULDN'T MISTAKE HIM FOR A VOTING RIGHTS CHAMPION.

  • HE'S NOT.

  • BUT A BROKEN CLOCK IS RIGHT TWICE A DAY, AND HE'S DEFENDING

  • THE RESULT BECAUSE THE ELECTION RESULT IS THE RIGHT RESULT.

  • >> Stephen: IS IT HARD FOR YOU TO ACCEPT THAT YOU AND DONALD

  • TRUMP AGREE ABOUT ANYTHING?

  • BECAUSE, EVIDENTLY, BOTH OF YOU DON'T THINK BRIAN KEMP SHOULD BE

  • THE GOVERNOR OF GEORGIA.

  • >> AGAIN, BROKEN CLOCKS AND OCCASIONAL CORRECTNESS.

  • I TRY NOT TO THINK ABOUT THAT TOO CLOSELY BECAUSE I DON'T WANT

  • TO HAVE TO REEXAMINE MY LIFE'S GOALS AND MISSION.

  • >> NOW, WHEN IT COMES TO THE CURRENT SECRETARY OF STATE,

  • RAFFENSPERGER DOWN IN GEORGIA, AS YOU SAID, DON'T LIONIZE HIM.

  • THIS IS BUTT COVERING FOR HIM, IS HOW I CHARACTERIZE YOU

  • CHARACTERIZING IT AND STOP ME IF YOU WANT, BUT SINCE HE IS IN

  • CHARGE OF THE ELECTIONS, WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR HIM TO DO OR

  • WHAT SHOULD WE KEEP OUR EYE ON AS VOTES ARE COUNTED FROM

  • TOMORROW'S ELECTION?

  • >> WELL, FIRST, WE NEED TO MAKE CERTAIN THAT THE PROCESS WORKS

  • SMOOTHLY.

  • SADLY, BECAUSE TO HAVE THE PROPAGANDA AND THE

  • MISINFORMATION, WE ARE CONCERNED ABOUT ELECTION WORKERS.

  • WE WANT THEM TO BE SAFE.

  • WE WANT THEM TO BE ABLE TO DO THEIR JOBS AND, HOPEFULLY, HE IS

  • GOING TO WORK AS HARD AS THE REST OF US ARE TO MAKE SURE THEY

  • THEYHAVE ACCESS TO THE SUPPORT T NEED.

  • BUT WE KNOW IT TAKES TIME TO COUNT BALLOTS.

  • WE HAVE 4.2 MILLION CAST BALLOTS ALREADY AND THE NUMBERS REFLECT

  • AN EXCITEMENT THAT'S NEVER BEEN SEEN IN A RUNOFF.

  • WE NEED TO BE PATIENT AND WE NEED TO KNOW WE MAY NOT HAVE THE

  • ANSWER TILL WEDNESDAY OR THURSDAY.

  • HOPEFULLY, WE'LL HAVE IT BEFORE NEXT NOVEMBER, BUT WE SHOULD

  • HAVE AN ANSWER PRETTY QUICKLY, BUT WE SHOULD BE PATIENT WITH

  • THE PROCESS.

  • >> Stephen: THAT 3.2 MILLION PEOPLE WHO VOTED EARLY IN

  • GEORGIA, HOW DOES THAT TURN OUT TO THE TURNOUT IN THE GENERAL

  • ELECTION.

  • GENERAL ELECTION HAS A TOTAL TURN OUT OF 5 MILLION PEOPLE AND

  • IT'S UNUSUAL FOR A RUNOFF ELECTION TO COME CLOSE.

  • THE LAST ELECTION OFTEN WAS 2.8 MILLION PEOPLE IN 2008, SO

  • WE'VE SMASHED THOSE RECORDS.

  • WHAT'S MORE EXCITING, OF THE MILLIONS WHO VOTED, 112,000 ARE

  • PEOPLE WHO DID NOT VOTE IN NOVEMBER BUT DECIDED TO VOTE IN

  • THIS ELECTION, 40% ARE AFRICAN-AMERICAN, AND

  • AFRICAN-AMERICANS ONLY COMPRISE ABOUT 30% OF THE REGISTERED

  • VOTERS.

  • BUT 20% ARE UNDER THE AGE OF 29, THEY'RE 18 TO 29, AND THEY'RE

  • ONLY 12% OF THE ELECTORATE.

  • THAT MEANS PEOPLE UNDERSTAND WHAT'S AT STAKE AND THEY WANT TO

  • BE HEARD.

  • >> Stephen: NOW, IN NOVEMBER, YOU TOLD ME THE SENATE RUNOFF

  • STRATEGY WAS "TO RAISE ALL THE MONEY WE CAN AS FAST AS WE CAN."

  • HOW DID THAT GO?

  • >> YES.

  • IT WENT REALLY WELL.

  • WE WERE PRETTY GOOD AT IT.

  • THERE'S A LOT OF INVESTMENT -- >> Stephen: BY REALLY GOOD AT

  • IT, I UNDERSTAND IT'S OVER $100 MILLION FOR EACH OF THE TWO

  • DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES.

  • >> YES, AND MY ORGANIZATION "FAIR FIGHT" WAS ABLE TO RAISE

  • ENOUGH MONEY THAT WE WERE ABLE TO SHARE MORE THAN $25 MILLION

  • WITH OTHER ORGANIZATIONS TO MAKE CERTAIN THAT THEY HAD THE

  • RESOURCES THEY NEEDED TO SUPPORT TURNING OUT VOTERS.

  • >> Stephen: HOW ARE YOU FEELING ABOUT TOMORROW'S

  • ELECTION?

  • WHAT DO YOU THINK THE ODDS ARE?

  • >> IF I KNEW ODDS-MAKING I WOULD BE IN LAS VEGAS.

  • UNFORTUNATELY I DO POLITICS INSTEAD.

  • BUT WE'VE SEEN INCREDIBLE TURNOUT FROM DEMOCRATS ACROSS

  • THE STATE.

  • WE HAVE SEEN A DIVERSE ELECTORATE, THE LIKES OF WHICH

  • WE HAVEN'T SEEN IN A RUNOFF, AND WE'RE ENERGIZED.

  • I WAS AT THE BIDEN RALLY TODAY, AND THE ENERGY IS EXTRAORDINARY,

  • BUT I WAS ALSO IN SMALL COUNTIES AROUND THE STATE.

  • PEOPLE WANT COVID RELIEF, THEY WANT GOOD JOBS, THEY WANT ACCESS

  • TO JUSTICE, AND THEY WANT JOE BIDEN TO HAVE A PARTNER, NOT AN

  • OBSTRUCTIONIST, AND THEY NEED KAMALA HARRIS TO BE

  • VICE PRESIDENT AND GET A TIE BREAKING VOTE.

  • I PUT MY ONE ON BLUE.

  • >> Stephen: WE HAVE TO TAKE A QUICKBREAK BUT WHEN WE COME BACK

  • I'LL ASK MS. ABRAMS IF SHE HAS ANY PLANS TO RUN FOR OFFICE

  • AGAIN PERHAPS IN GEORGIA, PERHAPS FOR GOVERNOR IN TWO

  • YEARS.

  • STICK AROUND.

♪♪♪ >> STEPHEN: WELCOME BACK.

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