Latest / The Breakfast Club / Charles Booker Sits Down With Mimi Brown on His Run for Mitch McConnell’s Senate Seat

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Charles Booker Sits Down With Mimi Brown on His Run for Mitch McConnell’s Senate Seat · The Breakfast Club

0:05
Speaker 1: Hey, it's Mimi Brown and welcome to Front Page on
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Speaker 1: the Black Effect Podcast Network. Today, we are honored to
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Speaker 1: be sitting with a very esteemed guest. Kentucky is getting
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Speaker 1: ready for a major change in Washington. After more than
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Speaker 1: four decades, Mitch McConnell is leaving the U.S.
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Speaker 2: Senate.
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Speaker 1: And now there is a fight over who will take
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Speaker 1: his seat. One of the candidates, Charles Booker. He's a
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Speaker 1: former Kentucky state representative, and in 2022, he became the
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Speaker 1: first Black person in Kentucky's history to be the Democratic
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Speaker 1: nominee for Senate. He's running again, and this time he's
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Speaker 1: running against Republican Congressman Andy Barr. Charles, thank you so
0:44
Speaker 1: much for joining us on Front Page. How are you?
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Speaker 2: I'm doing well. Honored to be with you. Thank you.
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Speaker 1: Absolutely. So before we dive into all the things with
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Speaker 1: your candidacy, I'm going to play a quick game.
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Speaker 2: Okay.
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Speaker 1: Right? Teach us a little bit about Kentucky.
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Speaker 2: All right.
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Speaker 1: See where we land. Okay. So I'm going to say
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Speaker 1: part of a sentence and you just finish it.
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Speaker 2: Okay.
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Speaker 1: Okay. You know you're in Kentucky when?
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Speaker 2: You see bourbon in the afternoon.
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Speaker 1: Bourbon in the afternoon.
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Speaker 2: Mm-hmm. Explain. It's always a good time for a glass
1:15
Speaker 2: of bourbon, Kentucky. Okay. Yeah.
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Speaker 1: Okay. All right. The one thing that people get wrong
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Speaker 1: about Kentucky is?
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Speaker 2: Kentuckians are incredible people. hardworking, loyal, and we focus on family.
1:30
Speaker 2: And a lot of people put us in stereotypes, but
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Speaker 2: Kentuckians are remarkable people.
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Speaker 1: Okay. All right. I'll take it. The best thing to
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Speaker 1: eat in Kentucky is?
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Speaker 2: Oh, well, if you come into Kentucky, you got to
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Speaker 2: try some chicken. You know, with the history of Kentucky,
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Speaker 2: having fried chicken and Indies, where I'm from in West
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Speaker 2: End of Louisville, get you a little bit of chicken
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Speaker 2: with that bourbon.
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Speaker 1: Is there a local spot that you like? Yeah.
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Speaker 2: So so where I'm at is in the hood. But
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Speaker 2: then Eagle is another good place. We got a lot
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Speaker 2: of local restaurants, shop local. If you love food, you'll
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Speaker 2: find it in Kentucky.
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Speaker 1: OK, love that. If you've never been to Kentucky, what's
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Speaker 1: the first place that you're taking someone?
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Speaker 2: You know, the first place I would say go is
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Speaker 2: two places. One, go to Louisville. Experience Churchill Downs. But two,
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Speaker 2: go to the mountains. In eastern Kentucky, it's a beautiful scene.
2:28
Speaker 2: It's like walking into a... And a lot of Kentuckians,
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Speaker 2: you know, we appreciate our landscape. We appreciate our environment.
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Speaker 2: So come to Kentucky. It's a beautiful place. Okay.
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Speaker 1: And the one thing I love the most about Kentucky is.
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Speaker 2: The people. The people. Hands down. From the hood to
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Speaker 2: the holler. It's incredible folks. Faithful. They'll give you the
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Speaker 2: shirt off their back. Hungry. They're going to get you
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Speaker 2: something to eat. Yeah. And like I said, we're not
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Speaker 2: the stereotypes. We're remarkable. I love that.
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Speaker 1: And last one. Kentucky would be better if.
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Speaker 2: If we take this Senate seat. When we take this
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Speaker 2: Senate seat and replace Mitch McConnell, we're going to be
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Speaker 2: a lot better.
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Speaker 1: There you go. That's a great answer. All right, and
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Speaker 1: let's just dive right in. You know, Mitch McConnell, he
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Speaker 1: has represented Kentucky in the Senate for more than 40 years.
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Speaker 1: You're asking voters to give that seat to a Democrat.
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Speaker 1: What do you think Kentucky needs from its next senator
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Speaker 1: that it hasn't gotten from Mitch McConnell?
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Speaker 2: Yeah, and you know, it's always surreal to say it,
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Speaker 2: but Mitch McConnell was elected when I was two weeks old.
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Speaker 2: So he really has been in office my entire life.
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Speaker 2: And you know, for me, this is not about Taking
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Speaker 2: the seat back for Democrats, it really is about Kentuckians
3:39
Speaker 2: taking this seat back for the people. Because whether you're Democrat,
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Speaker 2: Republican or independent, we are all being screwed by the
3:45
Speaker 2: status quo Mitch McConnell gave us. And to me, we
3:49
Speaker 2: need a senator who will work just as hard for
3:52
Speaker 2: us as we work every day to keep the lights on,
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Speaker 2: to take care of our families. And with rising costs,
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Speaker 2: these ridiculous tariffs that are being thrown around war after
4:00
Speaker 2: war with Ron, but go on down the line. And
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Speaker 2: just all the chaos in our politics, a lot of
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Speaker 2: it is thanks to Mitch McConnell. We need a leader
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Speaker 2: who will prioritize working people to where we have more
4:11
Speaker 2: money in our pockets, that we have that same high
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Speaker 2: quality health care that he's been getting while he was
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Speaker 2: gone for 90 plus days and throughout his career, and
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Speaker 2: that we finally have the chance to do better than
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Speaker 2: just struggle. Kentucky's been one of the poorest and sickest
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Speaker 2: states in the country, and we deserve better.
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Speaker 1: Yeah. I think Americans around the globe or around the
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Speaker 1: country feel that struggle, right? They feel that they're not
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Speaker 1: bringing enough money. The economy is stretching them. They're struggling
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Speaker 1: for gas, food, just the basic needs right now. Um,
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Speaker 1: you know, but Donald Trump remains extremely popular with Kentucky voters.
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Speaker 1: If you're elected to the Senate, you know, how do
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Speaker 1: you plan or do you plan to work with Trump
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Speaker 1: and what would you be willing to stand against him?
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Speaker 2: Well, you know, something different is happening in Kentucky. Um,
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Speaker 2: We often talked about this phenomenon that it blew my
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Speaker 2: mind to see it, had to take pictures of it,
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Speaker 2: where folks had Booker signs by Trump signs. And it
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Speaker 2: speaks to something powerful that we've been able to build
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Speaker 2: this coalition of lifelong Republicans, lifelong Democrats, frustrated independents, because
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Speaker 2: we really are talking about taking on the status quo
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Speaker 2: and delivering for working people. But the fact of the
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Speaker 2: matter is, Trump's underwater in Kentucky now. Mitch McConnell's way underwater.
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Speaker 2: And people are looking for leadership who will really fight
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Speaker 2: for them. And I was a state legislator when Republicans
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Speaker 2: had the supermajority in both chambers, passed legislation with hardcore
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Speaker 2: Trump supporters. And it was because we found common bonds.
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Speaker 2: To me, that's what my work with Hood to the
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Speaker 2: Holler has been all about, finding those common bonds, because
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Speaker 2: we have so much more in common, anything that would
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Speaker 2: divide us. And so I put it this way. I
5:46
Speaker 2: don't care about party. If you're standing up for regular people,
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Speaker 2: you're standing up for Kentucky, you'll find a partner in me.
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Speaker 2: I complimented and commended Congressman Thomas Massey for calling for
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Speaker 2: accountability with the Epstein files and calling for an end
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Speaker 2: to endless war. Same with Rand Paul. We may disagree
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Speaker 2: on a lot of things, but when we find those
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Speaker 2: moments where the mission is the people of Kentucky, I'm
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Speaker 2: going to show up every single time. Yeah.
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Speaker 1: You know, and speaking of the people of Kentucky, I know,
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Speaker 1: you know, we just kind of touched a little bit
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Speaker 1: on how hard it is out there. I know you've
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Speaker 1: talked about almost dying because you didn't, you couldn't get
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Speaker 1: your insulin, right? People are worried about Medicaid, insurance premiums,
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Speaker 1: prescription-priced drugs. You know, how will you, or tell me
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Speaker 1: how you will work to bring down those costs and
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Speaker 1: make healthcare just cheaper for the everyday Kentuckian?
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Speaker 2: Yeah, you know, I tell my story as a part
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Speaker 2: of my testimony really to just be clear that we
6:44
Speaker 2: need regular people in these positions of decision making who
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Speaker 2: know what it's like to choose between getting the medicine
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Speaker 2: you need or getting the groceries. And I literally had
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Speaker 2: to do that. I am a type one diabetic and
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Speaker 2: there are times my insulin would cost more than my
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Speaker 2: rent or my car payment. And I had a week
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Speaker 2: until payday. I got three girls, my three bosses. I
7:05
Speaker 2: will give my last breath for them. And week to payday,
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Speaker 2: I'm either getting groceries for them or I'm getting my
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Speaker 2: refill and I chose groceries and nearly died from diabetic ketoacidosis.
7:15
Speaker 2: And the reason why I believe Medicare is a human right,
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Speaker 2: no one should have to die because they don't have
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Speaker 2: enough money in their pocket. And I've been making it clear,
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Speaker 2: everyone deserves the same high quality healthcare that Mitch McConnell's getting.
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Speaker 2: So that's why I have been pushing for it. And,
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Speaker 2: you know, I know that by honoring this right and
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Speaker 2: guaranteeing healthcare for every single person, not only can we
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Speaker 2: drive down costs, but we can invest in our economy
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Speaker 2: because when you're healthy, you're able to work, you're able
7:46
Speaker 2: to lean into your business. And one of the biggest
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Speaker 2: things in front of us right now are these cuts,
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Speaker 2: nearly a trillion dollars in cuts to Medicaid. And my opponent,
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Speaker 2: Andy Barr, signed onto those cuts. This will potentially close
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Speaker 2: over 30 rural hospitals in Kentucky. And premiums are already skyrocketing.
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Speaker 2: You know, they took away the support for ACA and
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Speaker 2: So restoring those subsidies, but also continuing to build towards
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Speaker 2: guaranteeing health care for everyone. I'm committed to that.
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Speaker 1: Yeah, I like that you said that, because when you
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Speaker 1: say health care is a human right, are you talking
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Speaker 1: Medicare for all? Are you talking about expanding the Affordable
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Speaker 1: Care Act? Are you talking about the public option? Which
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Speaker 1: one would you vote for?
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Speaker 2: Well, you know, I've been very clear that Medicare for
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Speaker 2: all is the destination. It's a goal. And we have
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Speaker 2: to continue fighting along the way to get the progress
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Speaker 2: we need to expand access, to make it. more affordable,
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Speaker 2: because again, no one should have to die because they
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Speaker 2: don't have money in their pocket. And I took the
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Speaker 2: same approach in the state legislature. We will work cap co-pays,
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Speaker 2: working to make sure you get emergency refills if you
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Speaker 2: run out and you can't get ahold of your physician.
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Speaker 2: So we have to continue to bring creativity, thoughtfulness to
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Speaker 2: this problem of making sure that everyone has high quality
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Speaker 2: health care with the goal in mind of securing it
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Speaker 2: for everybody. And I'm committed to that.
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Speaker 1: Yeah. You know, And I know Kentucky is preparing for
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Speaker 1: new work requirements for Medicaid. Do you support those work requirements?
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Speaker 1: And if not, how would you address that in the Senate?
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Speaker 2: Well, we need work requirements in the Senate. We can
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Speaker 2: start there. Mitch McConnell has not worked for people of
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Speaker 2: Kentucky for years. Andy Barr has been in Congress for
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Speaker 2: 14 years. has done nothing for Kentucky but take money
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Speaker 2: from big banks. He has screwed Kentucky every step of
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Speaker 2: the way. They ain't working. How about they work while
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Speaker 2: they're trying to make it hard for regular people? A
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Speaker 2: lot of folks who are using assistance for food, for
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Speaker 2: health care, they're working hard, multiple jobs. A lot of folks,
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Speaker 2: like my mom, we want food stamps, food stamps and
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Speaker 2: free lunch. My mom worked multiple jobs my whole life.
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Speaker 2: This isn't about Kentuckians being lazy. It's about politicians being
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Speaker 2: judging us and telling us we don't matter while they
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Speaker 2: give handouts to people like Elon Musk.
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Speaker 1: You know, you have proposed something that I like, but
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Speaker 1: I want you to explain it. You propose it's called
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Speaker 1: the 40 for 40 for 45. Can you explain what
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Speaker 1: that is?
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Speaker 2: Yeah, this to me is a substantive conversation about true
10:05
Speaker 2: living wages. How do we make sure that people have
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Speaker 2: the opportunity to have money in their pocket? People are
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Speaker 2: working hard, working multiple jobs just to barely get by.
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Speaker 2: And essentially, it's a way of saying that we have
10:16
Speaker 2: a baseline. where you have a certain minimum threshold of
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Speaker 2: income that is not taxed. Let's give working people a
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Speaker 2: tax break for a change so they can take care
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Speaker 2: of their children. They can go on a trip every
10:28
Speaker 2: once in a while and they can keep a roof over.
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Speaker 2: How about that?
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Speaker 1: I love that. You know, I want to talk about
10:36
Speaker 1: black Kentuckians. You know, Louisville became part of a national
10:40
Speaker 1: conversation of race, especially when Breonna Taylor was killed. And
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Speaker 1: there's still big gaps, though, when it comes to jobs,
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Speaker 1: when it comes to health care, home ownership, you know,
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Speaker 1: that generational wealth gap. Talk to me about, you know,
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Speaker 1: ways in which you're looking at, you know, that disparity
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Speaker 1: and what can be done.
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Speaker 2: Yeah. You know, I often reflect on the way a
11:03
Speaker 2: lot of people came to know about me on the
11:05
Speaker 2: national stage. It was in the wake of Breonna Taylor's murder.
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Speaker 2: And we were organizing for justice, speaking out humanity. People
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Speaker 2: around the world saw regular folks in Kentucky standing up
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Speaker 2: and saw me marching in the streets in Appalachia with
11:24
Speaker 2: folks who, in a lot of cases, you may have
11:26
Speaker 2: never thought that they would support someone that looks quite
11:30
Speaker 2: like me, handsome. And, you know, one of the things
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Speaker 2: that has continued to inspire me to this day is
11:36
Speaker 2: when we have to honor Breonna's legacy, but we have
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Speaker 2: to do the work of taking care of communities that
11:40
Speaker 2: have been disproportionately harmed and impacted by inequities in our policies.
11:45
Speaker 2: by a status quo that has said that regular people
11:48
Speaker 2: don't matter. And in a place like Kentucky, where so
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Speaker 2: many people are struggling, one of the poorest states in
11:54
Speaker 2: the country, having an economic agenda that is not only
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Speaker 2: about raising wages, but creating access to capital, creating access
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Speaker 2: to ownership so we can have paths to prosperity. And
12:05
Speaker 2: that's why I talk about making sure that we are
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Speaker 2: investing in those communities that have been marginalized. This is
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Speaker 2: a unifying message. We talk about legalization.
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Speaker 1: Mm-hmm.
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Speaker 2: Um, the war on drugs and how communities like mine
12:16
Speaker 2: have been preyed upon, uh, criminalized and incarcerated and in
12:21
Speaker 2: a push to not only legalize, um, and make sure
12:24
Speaker 2: there are parameters in place, but to invest in those
12:27
Speaker 2: communities that have been disproportionately impacted so that they can
12:30
Speaker 2: have businesses so that they can, um, provide wealth that
12:34
Speaker 2: they can pass down to their children, their families. We
12:37
Speaker 2: need to be that level of intentional more than ever.
12:39
Speaker 2: And I'm dedicated to that work. Yeah.
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Speaker 1: You know, talk to me about, uh, building a coalition
12:45
Speaker 1: from the hood to the holler. What does that entail?
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Speaker 1: And what are Black Kentuckians telling you that they need
12:51
Speaker 1: right now that Washington just isn't delivering?
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Speaker 2: Yeah, so hood to the holler is like the spirit
12:55
Speaker 2: of the Rainbow Coalition. Man, I'll never forget being able
12:58
Speaker 2: to sit down with Reverend Jesse Jackson and talking to
13:02
Speaker 2: him about my vision, him explaining like, man, I gave
13:05
Speaker 2: you the playbook, son. He was talking about the Rainbow Coalition.
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Speaker 2: And this really is just what it looks like when
13:10
Speaker 2: regular people come together. Black, white, no matter your background, urban, rural,
13:15
Speaker 2: because we really are in this thing together. And it's
13:18
Speaker 2: been a rallying cry of all of us being tired
13:21
Speaker 2: of a corrupt status quo that Mitch McConnell built, that
13:24
Speaker 2: Andy Barr is profiting from. And people just want to
13:29
Speaker 2: know the government cares about them, that we're not just
13:32
Speaker 2: seeing these tax giveaways to these big corporations or just
13:36
Speaker 2: seeing data centers being rammed in everybody's backyards. that we
13:39
Speaker 2: can finally work and take care of the people across Kentucky,
13:43
Speaker 2: especially when I'm talking to folks in the black community.
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Speaker 2: But it really is a unified message. People are tired
13:48
Speaker 2: of the corruption. They're tired of the prices going up.
13:51
Speaker 2: They're tired of Washington seemingly giving them the middle finger.
13:56
Speaker 2: And whether it's high utilities, high groceries, high gas prices,
14:01
Speaker 2: jobs leaving communities and not coming back, and we're struggling
14:05
Speaker 2: to make ends meet. So my agenda is for working people.
14:08
Speaker 2: called it Working People's Bill of Rights. And my dedication
14:12
Speaker 2: to Kentucky and to our country is to lead, not
14:16
Speaker 2: to enrich members of Congress. We need to ban members
14:18
Speaker 2: of Congress from being able to buy and trade stocks.
14:20
Speaker 2: You should not go there to build a career. That's
14:21
Speaker 2: why I've pledged to term limits too. So I'm not
14:24
Speaker 2: going to replicate Mitch McConnell. We're going to clean this
14:26
Speaker 2: mess up.
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Speaker 1: What's one thing that Black families in Louisville need and
14:36
Speaker 1: families in rural Kentucky need? What do they have in common?
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Speaker 2: Yeah, you know, I tell my story of being a
14:43
Speaker 2: father with three girls, you know, my three bosses. And
14:47
Speaker 2: one thing that is true across Kentucky is people want
14:49
Speaker 2: their children to be safe. They want their schools to
14:53
Speaker 2: be able to be a launchpad for them to pursue
14:55
Speaker 2: their dreams, which means we need to fully, equitably fund
14:58
Speaker 2: our public schools. We need to protect our teachers and
15:01
Speaker 2: protect their benefits. So those are unifying messages, but then
15:04
Speaker 2: also creating communities where people feel safe. where we feel
15:10
Speaker 2: secure dealing with the issues of gun violence. I've lost
15:14
Speaker 2: loved ones, seven loved ones since 2016 to gun violence.
15:18
Speaker 2: And knowing that the challenges we face, seeing them as
15:20
Speaker 2: public health crises and putting the type of leadership in
15:25
Speaker 2: place that won't ignore our pain, that's something that I
15:28
Speaker 2: hear all across Kentucky. And it's why we're building so
15:30
Speaker 2: much support because while my opponent is giving blank checks
15:33
Speaker 2: to Endless Wars, I'm saying we need to invest in
15:36
Speaker 2: our infrastructure. We need to take care of our people.
15:38
Speaker 2: And that's why we're in a position to win this race. Yeah.
15:40
Speaker 1: And so what do they have in common together, just
15:43
Speaker 1: knowing that they are facing the same issues?
15:46
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah. The same issues of taking care of their families,
15:50
Speaker 2: knowing that they can be safe in their communities, and
15:53
Speaker 2: knowing that their voices, that's a big thing across the board.
15:58
Speaker 2: And that's why with the issue of data centers, you're
16:00
Speaker 2: seeing folks organizing against them, Black community organizing in rural communities,
16:05
Speaker 2: Republicans organizing in Democrats and independents, because everyone feels like
16:10
Speaker 2: they're being bullied. That's something that we're all tired of.
16:14
Speaker 1: That's a really good way to put it.
16:15
Speaker 2: Being bullied.
16:16
Speaker 1: Yeah. Your opponent, Andy Barr, says he's a candidate that
16:20
Speaker 1: will lower taxes, protect Kentucky jobs and support President Trump's agenda.
16:24
Speaker 1: We just talked about that. But what's the clearest policy
16:27
Speaker 1: difference between the two of you that you think will
16:30
Speaker 1: actually affect Kentuckians and just their livelihood?
16:34
Speaker 2: Andy Barr voted to cut health. I want to make
16:36
Speaker 2: sure everybody has it. Andy Barr has voted against investing
16:39
Speaker 2: in our infrastructure. I want to make sure that we
16:42
Speaker 2: have roads and bridges that can connect us to our
16:45
Speaker 2: opportunities and that Internet's not crap. Andy Barr supports endless war.
16:49
Speaker 2: I want to end endless war. Andy Barr built a
16:52
Speaker 2: campaign saying in his ad, he put money behind an
16:56
Speaker 2: ad on TV saying it's not a sin to be white.
16:58
Speaker 2: It's not a sin to be Christian. It's not a
17:00
Speaker 2: sin to be man. That's his message. And as I
17:04
Speaker 2: called him out, of course, it's not a sin to
17:05
Speaker 2: be who God created you to be. But it ought
17:07
Speaker 2: to be a sin to be that desperate. We are
17:10
Speaker 2: nothing the same. He's a sellout and I'm standing for
17:12
Speaker 2: the people.
17:14
Speaker 1: You know, and just looking at the polls, I know
17:16
Speaker 1: you said this race is tightening. The latest poll, it
17:19
Speaker 1: still has Barr ahead. What are you seeing that is
17:24
Speaker 1: closing the gap on your end?
17:25
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah. I'm excited. So not only are we closing
17:28
Speaker 2: the gap, we are surging and we're in a real
17:30
Speaker 2: position to win this race. We have a real path
17:33
Speaker 2: to win this race and flip this in the seat.
17:35
Speaker 2: And it's really because of a couple of things. One,
17:39
Speaker 2: Andy Barr should be leading by 30 points. Trump carried
17:42
Speaker 2: this state by over 30 points. The fact that we're
17:45
Speaker 2: already within single digits and he's been on the air
17:47
Speaker 2: over a year lets you know something. People are tired
17:50
Speaker 2: of the way things are and they're looking for change.
17:52
Speaker 2: And as they hear our message, as they see our
17:55
Speaker 2: campaign building momentum, we know that we're tied. So now
18:00
Speaker 2: we got the chance to do this. And the part
18:02
Speaker 2: that excites me about it is people realize that the
18:06
Speaker 2: cuts that are happening to their food access to health care,
18:11
Speaker 2: to their benefits, retirement, pensions, Social Security. They see all
18:15
Speaker 2: of these, all the things that they they leaned on
18:20
Speaker 2: to protect their families. They see it at risk. They
18:23
Speaker 2: see that it's the status quo right now in Washington
18:25
Speaker 2: that's being led by this administration and being perpetuated by
18:29
Speaker 2: Andy Barr. And so that's why they're standing with us.
18:32
Speaker 1: And it's another thing to actually see it, but to
18:34
Speaker 1: actually feel it. I feel like people are actually feeling it.
18:38
Speaker 1: People can't get gas. They're making life-altering decisions between gas
18:45
Speaker 1: and groceries right now. Yeah, that's real. And so I
18:48
Speaker 1: think that that's a united message of affordability for everyone,
18:54
Speaker 1: I think.
18:56
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, it is. And You know, I think Kentucky
18:59
Speaker 2: is uniquely positioned to tell the story of what it
19:02
Speaker 2: looks like when we come together on those common bonds, because, again,
19:05
Speaker 2: Kentucky has been one of the poorest states in the country.
19:09
Speaker 2: And and I know I'm a black man running in Kentucky.
19:13
Speaker 2: I'm not registered as a Republican, but I'm speaking to
19:17
Speaker 2: the issues. I'm telling my story, but I'm lifting up
19:20
Speaker 2: the stories of Kentuckians from all backgrounds. And when you
19:24
Speaker 2: do that, you find people ready to work with you.
19:26
Speaker 2: That's why we have a Democratic governor who's one of
19:28
Speaker 2: the more popular governors in the country, is because when
19:31
Speaker 2: you treat people like they matter, regardless of party, you'll
19:34
Speaker 2: find folks ready to work with you. And that's why
19:35
Speaker 2: we're in a position to win this.
19:36
Speaker 1: Yeah. You made a really good point. The gap should be,
19:40
Speaker 1: you know, if Donald Trump carried the state, it should
19:42
Speaker 1: be within the, you know, that 30 point margin. And
19:45
Speaker 1: it is in single digits. But who do you still
19:47
Speaker 1: have left to convince, do you think? Is it is
19:49
Speaker 1: it black voters who may stay home, rural voters or
19:52
Speaker 1: those Trump supporters who are just, like I said, feeling
19:55
Speaker 1: it and maybe just, you know, they're teeter tottering, right?
19:57
Speaker 2: Yeah. So that's where the work comes in for us.
20:01
Speaker 2: We know we have a path to win. We know
20:02
Speaker 2: that when our message is out there, we're tied now
20:05
Speaker 2: without even being on the air yet, which is what
20:07
Speaker 2: I'm grateful for. this opportunity to tell the world about
20:09
Speaker 2: what we're doing. But we know that there are a
20:11
Speaker 2: lot of folks who have sort of given up on
20:14
Speaker 2: the idea that things can change. Mitch McConnell's been there forever.
20:17
Speaker 2: Andy Barr is just like the spawn of Mitch McConnell.
20:20
Speaker 2: So it's just like more of the same. And our
20:23
Speaker 2: job is to not only let people know that change
20:25
Speaker 2: is possible, but to remind them that we are the change.
20:28
Speaker 2: So a lot of the campaign has been not just
20:30
Speaker 2: talking about why you should vote for me, but lifting
20:32
Speaker 2: up their issues and leaning into mutual aid, showing up
20:36
Speaker 2: in community, being consistent in that. So our job now
20:39
Speaker 2: is to turn out the folks who already know what
20:41
Speaker 2: this moment means, but then to speak to those folks
20:43
Speaker 2: who've been ignored. So even now, as soon as I
20:47
Speaker 2: leave this interview, we're getting back on the road. We're
20:49
Speaker 2: going back up into the mountains. We're sitting down in
20:51
Speaker 2: rooms with lifelong Republicans. We're sitting down in rooms with
20:54
Speaker 2: folks who have given up on politics because that's what
20:57
Speaker 2: family does. And we got about 35-ish days to make
21:01
Speaker 2: it happen. We're right in a position to throw that
21:04
Speaker 2: knockout punch and win this race. And we're going to
21:06
Speaker 2: make it happen.
21:06
Speaker 1: Yeah, pedal to the metal time.
21:07
Speaker 2: That's right.
21:14
Speaker 1: You ran for the seat before, right? And Kentuckians at
21:17
Speaker 1: that time didn't choose you and you're running again. What
21:19
Speaker 1: do you believe the difference is this time?
21:21
Speaker 2: You know, the difference is the world around us. And
21:25
Speaker 2: I'm a preacher's kid, so I get it honest. And
21:27
Speaker 2: there are times in your journey when you're doing something
21:31
Speaker 2: to set you up for what's to come. And yeah,
21:34
Speaker 2: this is like Rocky III for me. And what I
21:37
Speaker 2: didn't realize that I'm so grateful for now is that
21:40
Speaker 2: we laid foundation for I don't come from money. I
21:43
Speaker 2: still live in the hood. I'm still on my childhood block.
21:45
Speaker 2: And because I introduced an idea of politics that reaches
21:49
Speaker 2: out to people who get ignored, we had to earn
21:52
Speaker 2: some trust. We had to navigate some headwinds. And we
21:56
Speaker 2: have built a coalition that is unlike any we've seen
21:59
Speaker 2: in recent political history because of the consistency, even when
22:02
Speaker 2: the cameras aren't around. So this time, not only do
22:05
Speaker 2: we have the support, we have the infrastructure to We
22:08
Speaker 2: have the message. Now we got the team. I brought
22:11
Speaker 2: together an all-star team because now I know how to
22:13
Speaker 2: put a big campaign together. Again, I'm just a regular
22:16
Speaker 2: guy from the hood trying to fight for my family.
22:18
Speaker 2: And now we've been able to build a campaign that
22:21
Speaker 2: can carry this message. So we're in a position to
22:23
Speaker 2: win it.
22:24
Speaker 1: Is that what you think you learned then versus now?
22:28
Speaker 1: So from 2022 to 2026, you've learned that you need
22:29
Speaker 1: to you know, have that team behind you and you
22:36
Speaker 1: saw where you went wrong. And so you were able
22:37
Speaker 1: to kind of redirect and fix and kind of full
22:40
Speaker 1: steam ahead now.
22:41
Speaker 2: Yeah, a lot of lessons learned, a lot of cleaning
22:44
Speaker 2: up to do, you know, and so I'm excited that
22:46
Speaker 2: I can help sort of shine the light to more
22:48
Speaker 2: regular people who might think, well, we don't belong in
22:51
Speaker 2: these spaces because we do. And, you know, when I
22:54
Speaker 2: think about what has changed, not only have I grown,
22:58
Speaker 2: but as I mentioned, the world around us has changed.
23:01
Speaker 2: The bottom has fallen out for so many people. Trump
23:04
Speaker 2: has been so diabolical. And these sellout politicians like Andy
23:07
Speaker 2: Barr have laid down to the erosion of our Constitution,
23:11
Speaker 2: to the attacks on democracy. And it has lifted up
23:15
Speaker 2: an urgency for a lot of people that is essentially
23:18
Speaker 2: my platform. I mean, you can call it affordability. Call
23:21
Speaker 2: it whatever you want. People have been struggling. They're tired
23:23
Speaker 2: of it. And they're looking for people who will fight
23:25
Speaker 2: for them. And that's been me. That's my story. I
23:29
Speaker 2: think that's why God put me here. And now I
23:31
Speaker 2: believe my pastor said it correctly, that this is a
23:34
Speaker 2: moment whose time has come.
23:36
Speaker 1: You know, when you are talking to the locals in
23:40
Speaker 1: Kentucky and they're telling you what their fears are, what
23:44
Speaker 1: are you hearing?
23:45
Speaker 2: You know, people are afraid for the future. They're afraid
23:49
Speaker 2: of whether they'll be able to afford the medicine they need.
23:53
Speaker 2: They're afraid of what's happening at the federal level, the
23:56
Speaker 2: gutting of the Voting Rights Act, the tax on democracy.
24:00
Speaker 2: This blatant corruption in Washington. I mean, we've seen the
24:02
Speaker 2: White House destroyed. We're seeing these folks making money hand
24:06
Speaker 2: over fist in the midst of endless war. There's this
24:10
Speaker 2: trade war with Canada. And that's Kentucky's largest trade partner.
24:14
Speaker 2: So people are just afraid of what's happening. And they're
24:17
Speaker 2: looking for some calm, some clarity, some common sense. And
24:23
Speaker 2: a lot of times over the years when I spoke
24:26
Speaker 2: about regular people fighting, standing together from the hood to
24:28
Speaker 2: the holler, Health care as a human right and true
24:31
Speaker 2: living wages. Folks might say, oh, well, that's that's radical.
24:34
Speaker 2: That's extreme. No, it's not. It's responding to the people.
24:39
Speaker 2: And now folks see that this is what we need
24:42
Speaker 2: to meet this moment. We need leadership that is responsive
24:45
Speaker 2: to us. And that's the common sense leadership that I'm bringing.
24:49
Speaker 1: I like that you are going in and speaking with
24:51
Speaker 1: people and really getting to know what their needs are
24:54
Speaker 1: and taking that back to Washington. You know, when you
24:57
Speaker 1: do that and you may be met with some resistance,
25:00
Speaker 1: you know, what is your plan?
25:02
Speaker 2: You know, I look for those moments where disagreements come
25:07
Speaker 2: up because there are opportunities to learn, opportunities to grow.
25:10
Speaker 2: And I've made it very clear. I'm not running because
25:13
Speaker 2: I expect everyone to agree with me. That doesn't even
25:15
Speaker 2: make sense. Find someone that agrees with you on everything.
25:19
Speaker 2: Somebody's lying. The main thing for me is to be honest,
25:22
Speaker 2: to be clear and to be consistent. And so in
25:26
Speaker 2: those moments where there are disagreements or where folks are
25:29
Speaker 2: just frustrated with politics in general, I want to show
25:32
Speaker 2: up for them. I want to earn their trust. And
25:35
Speaker 2: I tell people all the time, let me earn this.
25:37
Speaker 2: Be hard on me because I know we need real
25:40
Speaker 2: change in Washington and we cannot keep sending folks up
25:43
Speaker 2: there who are trying to get rich and build power
25:45
Speaker 2: for themselves and then give us the middle finger. So
25:48
Speaker 2: I want to earn it. I look for those hard conversations.
25:50
Speaker 2: And because of that, people of Kentucky have stood with
25:54
Speaker 2: me because they're like, well, even if we don't agree
25:56
Speaker 2: with Charles on all the things, we know he's fighting
25:58
Speaker 2: for us. And I know how important that is.
26:00
Speaker 1: Before I let you go, quickly, for the people who
26:03
Speaker 1: just may not be familiar with you all around the world,
26:06
Speaker 1: can you just tell us a little bit about your upbringing?
26:08
Speaker 1: I know you said that you're a PK and all
26:12
Speaker 1: the things, but just a little bit about where you
26:14
Speaker 1: grew up, your family life.
26:16
Speaker 2: Yeah, so... From the hood, 35th and Market. You know,
26:20
Speaker 2: I come from a really big family, one of over
26:21
Speaker 2: 70 grandkids. Over 70 because I stopped counting. But I
26:26
Speaker 2: learned about community from my family. My grandparents' house was
26:29
Speaker 2: like the community center. If you needed something to eat,
26:32
Speaker 2: come over to grandma's house. And both my parents are ministers. So,
26:35
Speaker 2: you know, we were in church seven days a week.
26:37
Speaker 1: I know the feeling.
26:39
Speaker 2: And, you know, just knowing in faith that mountains can move.
26:42
Speaker 2: That led me in a career of politics because I
26:45
Speaker 2: don't trust politicians. But I know that change won't happen
26:48
Speaker 2: unless we do it. So working at every level of government,
26:51
Speaker 2: working with small family farmers, standing on the tracks with
26:54
Speaker 2: coal miners, working with organized labor, fighting for developments in
26:58
Speaker 2: our communities, standing up for justice. To me, it's a
27:01
Speaker 2: part of just fighting for family. And if anyone is
27:05
Speaker 2: questioning whether change is possible, look at us in Kentucky.
27:09
Speaker 2: Look at what we're doing. We're going to flip a
27:11
Speaker 2: Senate seat that Mitch McConnell has held my entire life,
27:15
Speaker 2: focused on community, focused on family. healing. And I think
27:19
Speaker 2: the country needs to see this win. I think the
27:21
Speaker 2: world needs to see this win. And we're going to
27:22
Speaker 2: make it happen.
27:23
Speaker 1: Let's end with this. Before I let you go, you
27:26
Speaker 1: talked a lot about bringing different kinds of leadership to
27:28
Speaker 1: Washington and reaching people who may not feel like politics
27:31
Speaker 1: have been working for them. So if Kentucky sends Charles
27:36
Speaker 1: Booker to the United States Senate, their life will be
27:39
Speaker 1: different because?
27:41
Speaker 2: Their life will be different because they will have a
27:42
Speaker 2: senator who listens to them. who shows up for them,
27:46
Speaker 2: who takes their voices to Washington to cause good trouble
27:48
Speaker 2: with them, who is not there to get rich, but
27:51
Speaker 2: who is there to raise their wages and put more
27:53
Speaker 2: money in their pocket and make sure they have the
27:55
Speaker 2: health care they need without data centers in their backyards,
27:59
Speaker 2: a flock cameras on their front porch, or big politicians
28:02
Speaker 2: in their bedrooms or in their hospital rooms. They will
28:05
Speaker 2: have a leader who cares about them.
28:07
Speaker 1: Absolutely. Charles Booker, thank you for joining me on Front Page.
28:11
Speaker 2: Thank you.
28:14
Speaker 1: That's your front page. I'm Mimi Brown. This podcast was
28:17
Speaker 1: brought to you by the Black Effect Podcast Network.