'Sunday Morning Futures' on Democrats facing a referendum from voters on their progressive agenda

close

Video

Republicans 'must' and 'will' govern differently 'if given the chance': Sen Mike Lee

Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, discusses his re-election bid for Senate against Evan McMullin (I), inflation, the Republicans' agenda following the 2022 midterms, and the politicization of the FBI on 'Sunday Morning Futures.'

This is a rush transcript from "Sunday Morning Futures," November 6, 2022. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

MARIA BARTIROMO, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: Good Sunday morning, everyone. Thanks so much for joining us. Welcome to "Sunday Morning Futures." I'm Maria Bartiromo.

Today: the end of the line. Destructive Democrat policies on the ballot, with American voters headed to the polls across the country to vote out bad policy and their dangerous outcomes, as a new Wall Street Journal poll shows 71 percent of the country believe the economy is on the wrong track.

Coming up, leading pollster Robert Cahaly from the Trafalgar Group with the very latest polling numbers, with now 48 hours until Election Day.

Then: the Senate contests that everybody is watching, two of the most competitive races right here, with football great and Georgia peach Senate candidate Herschel Walker closing in on his Democrat opponent and North Carolina senatorial candidate and current Congressman Ted Budd with closing arguments coming up live, all of this as desperate Democrats get personal and bring out the big guns in the final days to try and convince voters inflation and spiking crime are not really impacting American families after all.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Herschel Walker was a heck of a football player.

I mean, some of you are too young to remember, but, in college, he was amazing one of the best running backs of all time. But here's the question. Does that make him the best person to represent you?

HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON (D), FORMER U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: They don't care about keeping you safe. They want to keep you scared.

KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And the thing about Kathy Hochul is, she has shown you who she is. She has shown you what she cares about.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BARTIROMO: Oh, yes, she has.

Then: Joe Biden says it out loud. His climate change agenda is priority, no matter who loses their job.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're going to be shutting these plants down all across America and having wind and solar.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BARTIROMO: Plus: dismantling the FBI. After Joe Biden sics law enforcement on political enemies, the GOP plans on the table to take politics out of America's former premier law enforcement agency.

Utah Senator Mike Lee on his plans to take on inflation in Utah and corruption in Washington.

Plus: death and destruction and drugs flowing into America through the wide-open border. Texas congressional candidate Monica De La Cruz and Virginia congressional candidate Yesli Vega on why Hispanics and suburban women are shifting to the GOP.

That's all right here, right now on "Sunday Morning Futures."

And we begin this Sunday morning with expectations of a red wave this Tuesday, with Republicans winning majority control of the House of Representatives and possibly the Senate in Tuesday's midterm elections, as Democrats face a referendum from voters on their progressive agenda and its devastating outcomes, from 40-year high inflation to skyrocketing crime.

In Utah, Republican Senator Mike Lee is defending his seat against independent challenger Evan McMullin, who claims that, if he wins, he won't caucus with either party. But according to a recent article from The Wall Street Journal, McMullin has -- quote -- "raised money from Democrats" and the state party declined to run its own candidate.

Joining me right now on what's at stake in Tuesday's pivotal midterms is Utah Senator Mike Lee.

Senator, good to see you this morning. Thanks so much for being here.

SEN. MIKE LEE (R-UT): Thank you.

BARTIROMO: So what do you think? Is Evan McMullin an independent or a Democrat?

LEE: Evan McMullin is about as much of an independent as I am a Democrat.

Look, he actively courted, sought and obtained the exclusive endorsement of the Democratic Party. He's raise millions of dollars from the Democratic Party. He spent that money using consultants who exclusively serve Democratic candidates. And he's embraced a number of Democratic policy objectives, having voted for Joe Biden and encouraged other people to do the same.

So, look, if it walks like a duck, if it quacks like a duck and has webbed feet like a duck, in this case, it's a Democrat. That's what Evan McMullin is.

BARTIROMO: Well, we're looking at some of the money that he has raised from a Democrat PAC. And, obviously, Democrats have funded his campaign.

But I want to get your take on what you will do and how you will prioritize things should you actually win this race. Tell us how you're feeling about the race and where your priorities are.

LEE: Look, I'm feeling very good about the race.

We're guardedly optimistic, taking nothing for granted. And I do agree with you. There's going to be a red wave election. And I can't wait. I can't wait to get back to doing things the way they're supposed to be done.

And make no mistake, Maria, if we as Republicans are given another chance to control both houses of Congress, we understand that we will be on a short leash. We understand that things can't be business as usual. We have got to undertake this effort to combat inflation seriously, aggressively, and by reining in federal spending and reining in excesses and abuses of government that have been going on for far too long.

BARTIROMO: Well, I would say this administration is always looking for the root causes. And I would say that the root cause of inflation is the COVID relief package passed into law in March of 2021; $1.9 trillion simply was too much money chasing too few goods and stoked inflation all the way up to 40-year highs.

Now it's going to take many years to reverse what has been done in the last two years. How are you going to do it?

LEE: Well, first of all, we have got to stop doing what caused the problem.

And I agree with you. I agree with Milton Friedman, who explained, in the last major phase of inflationary pressures in the American economy, that inflation in America has but one source. It's excessive federal spending, excessive spending by Congress.

So, step one is to stop the bleeding, stop the excessive spending. It's been rammed through, like that 1-point -- trillion-dollar bill rammed through on a party-line vote, as you mentioned a moment ago. Step two has got to involve a major review and overhaul of the way we move spending bills through Congress.

They need to be on the floor longer, subject to debate, discussion and amendment. Step three, we need to undertake a massive review and overhaul of the federal regulatory system that imposes $2 trillion to $3 trillion of regulatory compliance costs on the economy.

Not every one of these regulations is necessary. Not every one of these regulations is as light-touch as it needs to be. Republicans need to, must and will govern differently, if given the chance this time around.

BARTIROMO: Let me get your take on what happens.

The lame-duck session, if you will starts, I guess, on Wednesday. What bills are in the running for action post this election?

LEE: Well, we have got to pass a National Defense Authorization Act if we're going to continue with the tradition that we have established over many decades.

There will also need to be a spending bill passed. Now, there are those, including most Democrats and some Republicans, who want to ran through a major omnibus spending bill. If, in fact, Republicans take control of both houses of Congress, I think that would be a major mistake. In fact, if we take control of even one house of Congress, I think that would be a mistake.

So, if there is a Republican victory of any significant scope on Tuesday, I think what we need to do is pass a continuing resolution to keep the government funded through perhaps the end of January, allowing Republicans to move in and pass their own spending bill without all the Democratic pork added into it.

BARTIROMO: I want to get your take on the FBI, because I know that the whistle-blowers who have gone to Jim Jordan on the House side and, of course, Ron Johnson and Chuck Grassley as well, I want to get your take on what is going on in terms of the plans to take politics out of the FBI.

Whistle-blowers have a long list of issues, from the Russia collusion hoax, pursuing that, even with no evidence, to leadership abusing the law enforcement authority for political reasons, manipulating domestic violent extremism statistics, going after soccer moms.

What are you going to do to take politics out of the FBI?

LEE: Well, I think the very first thing we need to do is hold a series of hearings and actually demand answers.

We have got questions that have remained unanswered for years, from the abuse of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, to unanswered questions about the raid on Mar-a-Lago, to unanswered questions regarding why the attorney general of the United States saw fit to issue a letter, a memorandum essentially accusing moms and dads concerned about what their kids are being taught in public schools of being domestic terrorists of some sort.

We have got to get questions in those hearings. Once we have answers to those questions, we move to the next phase. And that next phase perhaps ought to involve some type of restructuring. Look, most FBI agents are still good and decent and not politically motivated. At headquarters, we have got problems.

And we have got problems that I think are going to demand a legislative response and possible restructuring.

BARTIROMO: Senator, do you have support from within the leadership in the Senate? Because I know that Mitch McConnell is holding the purse strings, and I know that it was hard to get any support from Mitt Romney.

How would you to characterize support within your own party in the Senate leadership?

LEE: Well, look, as far as support for these priorities, we will see next week.

And that's why I think, if we get the majorities, we're going to need to have a conference discussion before any other decision is made about what our priorities ought to be and hear from leadership on what their plan is before we do anything else.

I think it's imperative that Republicans come together around spending reform, around regulatory reform, and on aggressive oversight for the next two years.

BARTIROMO: Yes.

And here are the top five GOP senators that typically vote for Biden's agenda, Susan Collins leading with 69.6 percent.

Senator, it's great to see you this morning. We will be watching all of that. Thanks very much for being here.

LEE: Thank you, Maria.

BARTIROMO: All right, Senator Mike Lee in Utah this morning.

Quick break and, then: From Utah to New York to everywhere in between, we're taking a deep dive at some of the most important races this Tuesday from across the country with the pollster who accurately predicted a big victory for President Trump back in 2016. The Trafalgar Group's senior strategist Robert Cahaly is here next.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BARTIROMO: Welcome back.

The final stretch has arrived, with voters headed to the polls this Tuesday for the midterm elections.

The polls have not looked good for the Democrats and Joe Biden, with nearly 60 percent of voters disapproving of President Biden's job performance. In the very latest congressional preference poll from the Trafalgar Group, Republicans hold a six-point advantage over Democrats.

Joining me right now is the Trafalgar Group's senior strategist, pollster Robert Cahaly.

Robert, it's good to have you this morning. Thanks very much for being here.

ROBERT CAHALY, CHIEF POLLSTER, TRAFALGAR GROUP: Great to be here.

BARTIROMO: Characterize what you're expecting this Tuesday.

CAHALY: It looks like not just a Republican wave, but it could be a very big way.

I have said from weeks now that there are a certain amount of voters that are not being identified by these polls because they're just hesitant. After Biden gave such threatening remarks about MAGA voters, there's just so many that aren't participating in the polls.

So I have said from the very beginning I think that the Republican turnout will meet and exceed anything even we have predicted. So, how big that wave is, we will -- yet to be seen, because we just can't measure them. But, right now, it looks like it's going to be a very strong night for the Republicans, and it might be an overwhelming night for the Republicans.

BARTIROMO: Well, there are some hot races that everybody is talking about.

I want to talk to you about those some of these toss-ups. I know Kari Lake is doing real well in Arizona, the gubernatorial race there, but talk to me about that, as well as Blake Masters for the Senate seat in Arizona. And then I'd like to go through some of the other hot races that you think are most closely watched.

CAHALY: Well, Kari Lake, from weeks now, has just had a significant presence.

I mean, ever since Hobbs didn't do the debate -- and frankly, she shouldn't have, because Kari Lake would have eaten her lunch. But ever since that, all the legitimate polling has shown Kari Lake with a nice lead. I expect maybe three or four, even greater. We will put out our final poll in the next day or so.

But what's happened with Masters is so important. With the libertarian dropping out of that race, I mean, he's still on the ballot, so there are still going to be a few people who voted him for early, who will vote for him on Election Day. But the fact is, this thing is tied now.

Matt Towery with InsiderAdvantage has the most recent and certainly one of the most reliable polls that you can look at, and it shows this thing is tied. We will put out another poll again coming out in the next day or so. But that race is up for grabs.

And when you're -- when you're tired, and you're running in this kind of an environment, that is just very bad news for Mark Kelly.

BARTIROMO: Let's move on to Georgia.

We're going to be speaking with Herschel Walker shortly. He's my guest coming up. How does he look in Georgia? And what can you tell us about that race?

CAHALY: Well, ever since the debate, Herschel Walker has really been a juggernaut.

I mean, all the reliable polling has shown Herschel continuing to get stronger and stronger. And I think what's more important is, Herschel's probably flirting with not just winning, but winning without that run-off that everybody has predicted for so long.

He is just literally hitting on all cylinders. And with everything that has happened, and it's closing days, with coach Dooley having done that incredible endorsement video and then passing last Friday, it has just had a huge impact here. And I think we can expect to see Herschel Walker doing very well, and quite possibly no run-off.

BARTIROMO: And then, of course, there are the massive upsets that we have been talking about.

One upset could be New York. I want to get your take on Lee Zeldin. He joined us a few weeks ago. And when you look at a real blue city, like New York City or Portland, Oregon, it's pretty interesting to see how close things have become. What's your take on New York?

CAHALY: Well, New York -- we were the only ones talking about New York being close for months now.

And I -- just Lee Zeldin's campaign, by every indication we can get, is extremely strong. His numbers even in the city are just -- no Republican should be doing as well as he's doing. So, I expect that he has got an excellent chance of winning. Our most recent poll showed Zeldin with an advantage. It was 0.8, so it wasn't a huge advantage.

But, frankly, to have an advantage at all against Hochul is significant. And we also see a lot of people who -- a lot of Democrats who wish Cuomo was still there backing Lee Zeldin. That's an important part of the coalition that's backing Zeldin. But he's got a lot of strength.

Crime is the leading issue in New York. It's the only state in America where crime is number one and inflation number two, and that is benefiting Zeldin. And, frankly, she's dragging down a lot of the congressional races right now with just how weak her campaign has been.

BARTIROMO: Yes, it's interesting, because some people say that Eric Adams, the mayor of New York City, secretly wants Lee Zeldin to win, because he feels that that's going to be better for his fighting crime.

But real quick, before you go, Robert, if we do see this red wave, what does that mean for the 2024 election, the presidential election?

CAHALY: Well, if it's a red wave, and you see virtually every candidate Donald Trump has endorsed win, then it's hard to make the argument that Donald Trump won't be a viable candidate.

I mean, there are those who will try to make that argument, but it doesn't make a lot of sense. I mean, weeks and weeks ago, we were hearing how bad the candidates are, but if they all seem to win, maybe they weren't so bad. Maybe they weren't -- maybe he didn't choose the wrong people.

BARTIROMO: Yes, good point.

Robert, good to have you this morning. Thanks very much.

CAHALY: Thank you.

BARTIROMO: Robert Cahaly joining us.

Quick break, and then: more independents, suburban white women and Hispanics moving toward the GOP, amid shocking new footage from El Paso of President Biden's wide-open border, migrants crossing the Southern border illegally, waving the Venezuelan flag and attacking the brave men and women of Border Patrol.

Texas congressional candidate Monica De La Cruz and Virginia congressional candidate Yesli Vega -- Yesli Vega -- are here on why Hispanics and -- voting Republican and why even legal immigration has been impacted by Biden's border policy.

That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BARTIROMO: Welcome back.

The wide-open border has become a major issue for voters ahead of the midterm elections, even causing some Texas Democrats to change parties.

Last Monday, a massive group of migrants crossed into the United States and Mexico border illegally, waving the Venezuelan flag. And then they started attacking Border Patrol agents, in just the latest example of President Biden's lax border policy and these stunning numbers -- take a look -- from the Southern border for the just completed fiscal year.

Nearly 2.4 million migrants were encountered by border agents. At least 599,000 migrants evaded apprehension. That's part of the one million who got away that we know of in the last year-and-a-half. The trek is a dangerous one, through the Rio Grande. And some 856 migrants are dead. They died while making the dangerous trek crossing the border, while more than 14,000 pounds of fentanyl have been seized in the last fiscal year.

Joining me right now to examine the devastating results of Biden's lax border policy is Texas Republican congressional candidate Monica De La Cruz, who switched parties from Democrat to Republican, and Virginia Republican congressional candidate Yesli Vega.

Ladies, it's great to have you. Thanks very much for being here.

And, Monica, I want to kick it off with you, because we just showed you the official numbers. But an Arizona sheriff who did a roundtable with Kari Lake and Blake Masters on Friday, he says the numbers are much worse. He said that, in the last 20 months, it's been five million people who have entered the country illegally and 1,000 people have perished attempting to cross the border.

What can you tell us about this situation?

MONICA DE LA CRUZ (R), TEXAS CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE: I agree with him.

Look, the Biden-Pelosi open border agenda has been disaster -- disastrous for all Americans, especially here on the border. We're seeing record number of illegal immigrants crossing our border. But let's just talk about the drugs, drugs just like fentanyl.

I'm a single mother of two teenagers. It scares me to death that children all over this country are dying of fentanyl abuse and fentanyl overdose. We are in scary times right now. And I think that's why Democrats are moving towards the Republican Party.

Moms, suburban moms are -- will vote Republican, because when you get a mama bear upset, she's going to go all in and protect her children. And I think that's what we will see in the polls on November 8.

BARTIROMO: Oh, yes.

And, of course, we saw that in Virginia really materialize, Yesli, because it was the DOJ and the FBI who went after soccer moms, who called them extremists because they were against the CRT education -- and I say that -- quote, unquote -- "education" -- in schools and in the curriculum.

What can you tell us about what's happening in Virginia?

YESLI VEGA (R), VIRGINIA CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE: Look, it's clear that today's liberal progressive Democrat Party has been waging war against parents.

We have a fundamental right to be involved in our children's lives, not just in the classroom, but also outside of the classroom. You have liberal Democrats here in the commonwealth proposing legislation that is going to jail parents -- listen to this -- for not conforming to woke culture ideologies. This is insane. And it's going to stop in two days, when we flipped the Seventh District.

BARTIROMO: Well, how is this possible? I mean, how have they gotten away with that so far?

I mean, I guess it was the COVID lockdowns, when we were all at home and parents started to understand what was going on in the classroom and what their children were actually learning.

VEGA: Yes, I do believe that the pandemic did expose many of this that we're discussing now, all of these issues.

It's obvious that a movement was started here in the Commonwealth of Virginia, when we flipped the commonwealth red. But it seems like today's liberal progressive Democrat Party didn't hear that message loud and clear. We're talking to the voters about what's at stake. The stakes have never been higher.

And that's why it's so important for people to get out and vote or this coming Tuesday, so that we can take our country back, so that we can protect our children from the madness that we're seeing coming from today's Democrat Party.

BARTIROMO: Monica, tell me about that madness at the border, because we have these pictures.

One of my border sources in El Paso sent me a shot of one of the Border Patrol agents actually having his arm impacted because the migrants from Venezuela were throwing rocks at them. And he's going to be OK. He's fine. But a rock hit him. And he was trying to defend the border.

And we see, what, 2.5 to five million people having crossed on Joe Biden's watch. How has that changed the neighborhoods and the border town that you represent, Monica?

DE LA CRUZ: The Biden-Pelosi border agenda has been horrific for specifically Border Patrol agents and local law enforcement.

The Biden administration is not funding the Border Patrol. In fact, what they're doing is funding 87,000 IRS agents, when we need 87,000 Border Patrol agents on our border. We're happy to have local law enforcement support Border Patrol agents, because the amount of illegal immigrants crossing through our border is just so big for our brave Border Patrol men and women.

And it is dangerous. There are several stories where not just do they have a rock hit on their arm, but have actually died. In the last year, we had a Border Patrol agent who actually drowned in the Rio Grande River saving an illegal immigrant. It is a dangerous job.

And Border Patrol agents are putting their lives on the line for our community. And it has been devastating for our local communities.

BARTIROMO: Ladies, tell me about your opponents, because, Monica, it's really hard to ignore this at this point.

I mean, we know that fentanyl poisoning is going on across the country. And while it comes through the port of entry, it's also coming through the border. We have our sources telling us that the drug cartels are dangerous as ever, and they're using drones to drop fentanyl in different places in Texas.

Have your opponents talked about this, Monica?

DE LA CRUZ: Look -- look, my opponent is a socialist who should be running in California, quite frankly. She's trying to bring California values to South Texas, where, in South Texas, we love our faith, we love our family, and we love this country.

Our -- my socialist opponent worships big government. We in South Texas worship God. She should not be running here. That's for sure.

BARTIROMO: Yesli, is it possible that your opponent can ignore what's going on at the border?

VEGA: Oh, it is possible, because she's done everything in her power to ignore it.

And talk about the hypocrisy, right? They were talking about the children in cages. Let's talk about the killed -- the children in cages. That number has tripled under this administration. And those images that we see at the Southern border is a clear representation of the Biden/Pelosi/Spanberger agenda, one that represents chaos, lawlessness, a regard for the rule of law and respect for authority.

Look, folks, it's so important for you all to get out and vote, because we cannot literally afford another two years of this administration. We have to get out and flood the polls, so that we can take our country back, so that we can provide the brave men and women with the resources and the funding that they need to uphold the oath that they took to serve and to protect.

BARTIROMO: Was it Liz Cheney who supported your opponent?

VEGA: Absolutely.

And that is a big sign of desperation. She knows she's on borrowed time, and she knows we're flipping the Seventh in two days.

BARTIROMO: All right, ladies, thanks very much, Texas Republican candidate Monica De La Cruz, Virginia candidate Yesli Vega.

Thank you, ladies.

Quick break, and then: from the grid iron to the political arena.

College Football Hall of Famer Herschel Walker is here on his political journey, as he seeks to unseat Georgia Democrat Senator Raphael Warnock this Tuesday, one of the races everybody is watching, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: There's something else at stake, democracy itself.

I'm not the only one who sees it. Recent polls have shown an overwhelming majority of Americans believe our democracy at -- is at risk, that our democracy is under threat. They too see that democracy is on the ballot this year, and they're deeply concerned about it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BARTIROMO: That was President Biden speaking on Wednesday night in his last-ditch effort to convince voters that Republicans are a threat to democracy, despite Democrats in Washington, D.C., right now on the verge of giving noncitizens the right to vote in local elections, and President Biden using his FBI and DOJ as weapons against his political enemies, while the Democrats say they want to pack the Supreme Court, among other moves against the U.S. Constitution and U.S. democracy.

With the polls set to open in less than 48 hours, Republicans are making their final pitch to voters, focusing on the economy, crime and the threat of communist China, among other issues affecting American families.

In Georgia's Senate race, Republican challenger Herschel Walker has a two- point lead over Democrat incumbent Raphael Warnock, with inflation topping voters' concerns there.

Joining us right now to talk more about that is the man himself, Herschel Walker.

Herschel, it's great to see you this morning. Thanks so much for joining us.

HERSCHEL WALKER (R), GEORGIA SENATORIAL CANDIDATE: Hey, thank you for having me on.

BARTIROMO: How are you feeling now, 48 hours away?

WALKER: Well, I feel pretty good.

When you have a president talking about the biggest threat to democracy, it seem to be to electing a Republican. But I want everyone that is listening to me, the biggest threat to democracy is to have him at the White House. And the biggest threat to democracy is to have someone like Senator Warnock that voted against our Keystone pipeline, which put us in an international threat.

I think, right now, that's a threat, and it's a security threat. We're going into our enemies to ask for energy. That's a threat. That's the biggest threat to democracy there. And also putting men in women's sports, which he voted for that.

The biggest threat to democracy is have the people that -- the Democrats right now leading this country, because they seem to be taking this country in the wrong direction. And I think America sees that and they know that.

BARTIROMO: And, Herschel, the threats to democracy is just really one of the many attacks against you and other Republicans, but specifically you.

I want to get your take on what you think about some of these slurs that have come your way. We ran a sound bite of President Obama attacking you earlier in the program. But, beyond that, there's been people calling you a Republican puppet, disgrace to black people. I mean, they're using your race against you, despite the fact that you have got two black men competing against one another in Georgia.

How do you feel about all these slurs and these attacks?

WALKER: Well, first of all, running for the seat is much bigger than name- calling and much bigger than Herschel Walker.

And the biggest threat to me right now, to have Senator Warnock to represent the great people of Georgia, because he's a fake. He's an actor. And, right now, he went to Washington and said that he was going to represent the people, and yet he voted with Joe Biden 96 percent of the time, which is the reason we have this high inflation, which is the reason we have an open border, which the a reason we have crime in the streets.

The biggest threat, to me, is to have someone like that representing Georgia. And I say, I'm not going to stand for it. Right now, he's called our men and women in blue thugs and bullies. They are bringing pronouns into our military, but yet they're saying it's the Republicans' fault.

But I want everyone that's going out to vote this coming Tuesday to remember that this has happened in less than two short years. This is what they have done to this country. We can't give them any more time, because they will totally, totally destroy this country, destroy the state you live in. And they don't seem to care. They don't seem to care, because the reason why is, if they care, they will be coming up with solutions.

If they care, they will be talking about it. They're not talking about it. They're going to something else to try to throw you off track. Well, it's not going to happen on my watch. I'm much better than that. When I got into this race, I got into it because of my faith. And I'm not giving up.

BARTIROMO: Yes, I want to get your take on the issues at hand, but how would you answer President Obama?

He said, he was a great running back, he was the best on the field, but he shouldn't be the guy to represent you.

You have obviously been resonating with the people. What's your answer to Obama?

WALKER: Well, my answer to Obama is, he got it wrong when he told us to vote for Joe Biden. He got that wrong, didn't he?

And where has he been all this time? He'd been in his nice mansion doing whatever he was doing. And now he's coming down telling us to vote for Senator Warnock, whereas Senator Warnock has shown, as I have said, he's a fake. He's a wolf in sheep's clothing. He's done nothing for the people, except evict them.

I don't know if you talked about that. He's evicting poor people from their home, like for $28. And he says, don't sully the name of Dr. King. Dr. King got nothing to do with this. It is you who's doing that. The apartments that he's in are disgusting. They are filthy. People are dying in these apartment. And he's doing nothing but talking about Herschel is not prepared.

Well, I hope, during that debate, people saw who was the adult in the room. He wouldn't even ask a question. And he's a sitting senator. He's the one that should know the answer to the question. But he didn't want to answer, because he know now that he had the guy that should be representing Georgia, and that's Herschel Walker. That's the reason I'm here.

BARTIROMO: So, you're talking about the apartment that Raphael Warnock owns and the conditions in that apartment?

WALKER: It's -- the church owns them. And his name is at the top of the list.

And that's what he continues to say. And I -- I told people this. I put my business experience against his business experience any day, because it's built my business. Oh, yes, he don't have a business. All he ever done is lived off of his parishioners, and he lived off the federal government. He lived off the government. He's never built anything.

Well, I have signed the front of a paycheck. He's never done that. So I have done those things. They talk about my athletic career. Let's talk about my business experience. They don't mention that, because I have been very, very successful in the business world. I have been doing a lot.

I have been to over 400 bases to remove the stigma of mental health. This is what I do. I want to help people. And I'm not going to sit back and let someone like Senator Warnock, let someone like former President Obama, or let someone like President Biden destroy Georgia or destroy this country, because this country means a whole lot more to me than anything.

And I say ask not what your country can do for you, but ask what I can do for my country. What I can do for my country is get Senator Warnock out of office, get Joe Biden out of office, get President Obama to go back to his million-dollar home and sit there and enjoy the freedoms and liberties that America gives him.

BARTIROMO: Herschel, what will be your priority should you win this race? Tell me where your interests are in terms of what you think you can take on.

Economic issues, clearly the number one issue for voters, what are you going to do about it, and what are your priorities?

WALKER: Well, I think one of my top priorities is, I want to get our energy independence back. I think that is the start of everything.

By getting your energy independence back, you're going to create jobs, which is going to get this economy started. You got to get this economy started, getting money back into the economy, not just continue to spend, spend, spend, spend, spend. It is OK for them to continue to spend money, but you got to bring money in.

And then we're putting ourself in a national security problem. They have given up a lot our Strategic Reserve. That is a -- national security problems. And we got to continue to protect this country. That is the biggest threat to democracy is to have people that don't protect America.

BARTIROMO: Well, the amount of oil in that Strategic Petroleum Reserve now the lowest level since 1984. You make a great point.

Herschel, it's good to have you this morning. We so appreciate it. And we will be watching on Tuesday. Thank you, sir.

WALKER: Hey, thank you. And God bless you.

And, everyone, go to TeamHerschel.com. Let's get him out of this seat and get every Democrat out of their seat. Get Republicans in that believes in America.

BARTIROMO: Herschel Walker, we will see you soon. Thank you, sir.

Quick break, and then we will take it to the Tar Heel State, where the GOP is looking to retain the Senate seat their.

North Carolina Republican Congressman Ted Budd is here on his bid to replace the retiring Richard Burr. We will talk about it when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BARTIROMO: Welcome back.

Well, the Federal Reserve raised interest rates again this past week, announcing a rate hike of 75 basis points in an effort to slow the economy and bring inflation down.

It was the fourth straight 75-basis-point hike. That rate hike will also mean taxpayers will be paying more on the $31 trillion debt that the federal government has accumulated, including the $5 trillion of borrowing on Joe Biden's watch. For the last fiscal year, taxpayers paid almost half- a-trillion dollars just on the interest alone. That is a 35 percent increase from 2021.

Joining me right now on how the U.S. can get back on the road to fiscal responsibility is North Carolina Republican Senate candidate Congressman Ted Budd.

Congressman, it's good to see you this morning. Thanks very much for being here.

REP. TED BUDD (R-NC), SENATORIAL CANDIDATE: Thanks, Maria.

BARTIROMO: What are your thoughts on the economy today and reining in some of that debt?

BUDD: Well, if you look at what the Fed's doing, that's really -- there are limited tools in the toolbox. It's mostly interest rates.

And if they're a hammer, everything that they see is a nail. And they're going to try to raise interest rates to tamp down the demand. But that's not really the problem. We want demand in this country. The problem is, Joe Biden and his policies over the last few years have choked down supply.

So, you got to stop, what Milton Friedman would say is too much money chasing too few goods, which inevitably leads to inflation. We got to deal with the goods. We got to deal with American energy and getting back to energy independence again. We have got to get back to rolling back regulations, which have stopped housing projects, have stopped building apartments.

It's made it hard on small businesses trying to meet the demand of the consumers out there. And even -- we don't even have enough truck drivers to get groceries to the grocery store, nor enough diesel to get it there. So these are all self-inflicted problems by Joe Biden. So what we have to do in the next few years is press the brakes on his agenda and get this country back on the right track.

BARTIROMO: Well, at the same time, Joe Biden is blaming corporate America. He says that the oil companies are greedy. He says that it was the meat companies that raised prices. He's even blaming candy companies for candy price increases around Halloween.

BUDD: You know, they always try to divide us, so they always wag their finger at anybody.

But all these problems of these what they would call as excess profits is completely due to their regulatory scheme. They make it hard on new entrants and small businesses and entrepreneurs who want to go out there and create competition in the marketplace. But everything they do put -- squashes demand -- or squashes supply, squashes innovation.

And it makes it more and more expensive for those going to the grocery stores, those trying to put gas in their tanks. Everything that Joe Biden has done and Cheri Beasley, my opponent in this Senate race, would do makes it harder on those in North Carolina and in our country.

BARTIROMO: Well, we know that North Carolina voters were asked what party they trusted more on handling inflation, and they said Republicans, 48.8 percent vs. 39.1 percent for Democrats.

Let me ask you your plans in terms of reining in inflation. How can you change the scenario?

BUDD: Well, inflation, go back to that definition. It's too much money chasing too few goods.

You have got to stop pumping trillions of dollars in there, essentially to buy votes, which is what Joe Biden has done and what Cheri Beasley would do. So, let's stop all this excess money, starting, what, back in April of 2021, when Joe Biden pumped trillions more dollars into the economy.

The other thing is, you have got to right-size and roll back regulations. You have got to bring accountability back to Congress, let Congress make decisions and people that are elected by the people make decisions, rather than runaway bureaucracies.

If you do that and you encourage people, get into the work force, if you do those things, we will be well on our way to getting back on the right track in our country.

BARTIROMO: All right.

BUDD: But Joe Biden's ideology, the Democrats' ideology doesn't allow them to solve this problem.

BARTIROMO: You want to go from the House to the Senate.

Congressman, I want to take a break and find out how you're feeling about this race.

Stay with us. We're talking with Congressman Ted Budd. We will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BARTIROMO: Welcome back.

And we're back with North Carolina Republican Senate candidate and Congressman Ted Budd.

Congressman, how you feeling about the race, now 48 hours away?

BUDD: Two days to go.

North Carolina, as you know, it's the racing state, Maria, and we don't let up until you see the checkered flag. So we're campaigning today, tomorrow, all the way until polls close at 7:30 here in North Carolina on Tuesday.

So we feel good, cautiously optimistic. I see the polls. But, look, we're going to run like we're behind, and we're not going to lift until we go win.

BARTIROMO: What are you hearing from voters?

BUDD: The top three things they are concerned about is what we have been discussing. And that's inflation. It's crime. It's education.

When it comes to inflation, they know what the Democrats have done, and it's made life worse. It's made it -- and they're talking about it in very real terms. Like, this is the grocery cart that I could afford two years ago, but this is all that I can afford now.

And when it comes to crime, I mean, sheriffs, whether it's local, I sat with parents this week. They talked about their beautiful children that aren't coming home because of fentanyl. And so every single county in this -- in this state is now a border county because of Joe Biden's policies.

So, that's the local issues we're dealing with, is a spike in crime, including drug deaths. And then, down at the border, they know that's related to what's happening down there. So, it's all connected when it comes to crime.

And the last thing is, parents, they're talking about education. They just want a say in their kids' education. They're tired of having this woke leftist socialist agenda shoved down their kids' throats and their throats, and then told that they're a domestic terrorist for trying to stand up and stand up for their kids.

BARTIROMO: Yes.

BUDD: I think they just want to take this country back.

BARTIROMO: What about what you're seeing in terms of the green agenda?

I mean, the president this week said that he's going to shut down coal plants. And there's a whole government approach to this climate change agenda, whereas you're actually seeing the SEC enforce money managers to go ESG. What kind of an impact does that have?

BUDD: You know, that's shoving more of that agenda down people's throats.

And that's not where they are. Look, if you want to produce energy, then you produce it here in the United States. If you produce or manufacture it here, we're twice as clean as anywhere else around the world. China's not going to comply with this. It's -- anything we do to make ourselves green or go with a Green New Deal is going to send jobs offshore, where it's even dirtier to produce.

BARTIROMO: Yes.

BUDD: So, we need jobs here in the United States, and we need to use traditional energy.

And we can work our way over the next decades to more green, if you want to. But let's not shove it down people's throats, because that's not where folks are. And they know that it hurts them in their pocketbooks.

BARTIROMO: And, real quick, what can you do in the Senate that you can't do in the House?

BUDD: We can put the brakes on the Biden agenda.

We need to win the House and the Senate, Maria. We need 218, and plus we need 50 in the Senate.

BARTIROMO: OK.

BUDD: Because then we can hold the -- hold them accountable.

We can't -- we can't have our committees led by Republicans unless we have those gavels.

BARTIROMO: Congressman, thank you so much.

Ted Budd joining us.

That will do it for "Sunday Morning Futures." I'm Maria Bartiromo. The news continues. And I will see you tomorrow on FOX Business, "Mornings With Maria," 6:00 to 9:00 a.m. Eastern.

Have a great Sunday, everybody.

Content and Programming Copyright 2022 Fox News Network, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Copyright 2022 VIQ Media Transcription, Inc. All materials herein are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of VIQ Media Transcription, Inc. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content.