SIMONE DEL ROSARIO: Results are starting to come in as polls have closed in most states in the eastern and central time zones. It’s way too early to call the most contested races of the midterms. But recent weeks have seen Republicans close many gaps with Democrats when it comes to the Senate. Conservative commentator and founder of American Majority Ned Ryan is here to talk with me about how things are going so far tonight. Ned, do you think we’re seeing the kind of red wave that Republicans expected?

NED RYUN | CONSERVATIVE COMMENTATOR AND FOUNDER, AMERICAN MAJORITY: I still pretty early but I’m seeing enough signs that I think it’s definitely a red wave of sorts. You know, I’m sitting here in Virginia. And there’s three key congressional House races. Virginia to Virginia, seven, Virginia 10. I feel really good about Virginia to being a pickup for Republicans. And based off what I’m hearing from those that are on the ground involved with some of the campaigns in Virginia, tenant seven, they feel optimistic as well, if if all three of those go Republican, look out for a pretty strong red wave tonight.

DEL ROSARIO: What do you think Republicans have done well, in order to likely take the house and as we’ve seen in polling have a pretty good shot at the Senate?

RYUN: I’ve been optimistic the whole year. The Republicans were certainly taking back the house and I was pretty bullish on their chances of taking back the Senate. I think the only real dynamic that’s changed as polls have become more honest, in that people have left behind the registered voter poll has gone towards the likely voter polls. And that has shown what I thought was there all along, whether you were beginning of the year summer into the fall or into you know, the weeks before the election, that there were that was going to be a Republican pickup of the house at a minimum. I think what Republicans have done well, they’ve they’ve stayed pretty focused on the issues that voters care about. I mean, voters have made it very clear in poll after poll after poll, that they care about inflation, economy, rising gases, rising prices, rising crime, and Republicans have stayed true and focused on that message. And I think what Democrats have done in many ways, first of all, I think they’ve been lying to themselves in the polls and a belief polls that I did not believe reflected reality. But they were also trying to message to voters on topics that the voters simply didn’t care about, or or certainly did not think were their top five issues. And so it really feels to me like Democrats were deeply detached almost intentionally. So from what was important to voters in this midterm cycle. And it wasn’t a mystery. I mean, voters were making it very clear what was important to them. And Democrats were convinced that they were going to make them feel that other issues were important than whether was abortion, whether it was January 6. And I think voters tonight are going to tell them, you wouldn’t listen to us. And now you’re going to have to listen to us because we’re going to make it very clear at the polls, how we feel about it all.

DEL ROSARIO: We’ve talked about a lot of the big races, probably an excess over the last few months leading up to this point. But what sort of surprises do you think we’re going to see across the country tonight, anything that stands out to you?

RYUN: I think you’re going to see some surprises in some statewide. I would not be surprised if Republicans maybe win a couple statewide is up in Minnesota. I mean, I think you need to look at the attorney general’s race. I think you need to look at the auditor race in Minnesota. I know for a while there, people did not think Michaels could win the gubernatorial in Wisconsin against Evers. I would not be surprised if Michaels pulls that out tonight, especially if if Ron Johnson wins by at least four points. I feel like that’s the measure if Ron wins by four points, I think Michaels wins. Lombardo to me in Nevada was kind of a real surprise that he was running such a strong race. I think he’s going to pick up that gubernatorial I think the one that I’m fascinated by will be the Michigan gubernatorial of Tudor Dixon, the Republican pulls off that upset against Whitmer and it truly would be one of the biggest upsets tonight. I think that would be a staggering rebuke for Democrats on a whole host of fronts. So Michigan to me if Tudor Dixon pulls that out, pretty, pretty incredible win and I think would would really shock the political world.

DEL ROSARIO: We will be watching it all. And I know that Ray bogans gonna be tracking all those races for us. I know that you are a supporter of former President Trump. Now GOP megadonor. Ken Griffin just said this week that it is time for the Republican Party to move on from Trump. What races are you looking at that would reject that thinking that would tell Republicans that is not the direction?

RYUN: Well, I for Case in point, I’m looking at Arizona, you’ve got Kerry Lake. You’ve got Blake masters, you’ve got Mark Fincham, the the Attorney General candidate. All of those were endorsed by Trump. I think all of them stand a very legitimate chance of winning tonight. And I’ve made this point in other places in Arizona. I’m not looking at a right way. Wave, I’m looking at America first wave. And if all of those candidates statewide candidates that Trump endorsed and made very clear early on that he was backing him if all of them win, I think that’s going to be really hard for people like Ken and others to say, Well, it’s time to move on from Trump. You know, I’ve made this point to Trump himself, you had a great win record and the primary. And now to seal the deal, your candidates have to win the generals. And he’s been, but he’s been out there a lot, a lot more than people thought he would be in the general elections and working on their behalf doing rallies even doing I think 1415 $16 million of spending. He’s really invested into this general election. So I think after tonight, if a lot of his candidates where he’s put some real endorsement, wait money, wait, you know, you know, a lot of his political cachet behind if they win tonight, I think it’s very hard for people to make an argument that the party should move on from Trump. And I think regardless of what they think anyway, I think on November 15, he’s going to announce that he’s running for re elect for re election in 2024.

DEL ROSARIO: Yeah, that’s a widely suspected that that is going to be his big announcement in a week and quite the timing of week after midterms. I was wondering if you think that any of the results tonight will inform that decision? Or do you think his minds pretty made up at this point?

RYUN: Oh, I think it’s made up. I I’ve been having conversations with him throughout the year, I wanted him to announce earlier. And then I really got the feeling a few months ago that it was probably going to be sometime between the midterms and Thanksgiving, that he was going to announce that he was running in 2024. So this this isn’t a surprise to me. I think he feels really good about where all the political climate is where he stands with the base, his win record in the primary. I think he’s gonna have a great win record in the general. And I think he’s, you know, all of those things added together. He’s, he’s running. I don’t think there’s any doubt in my mind that there’s 99.999% chance that November 15. He’s going to announce I’m running in 2024.

DEL ROSARIO: Conservative commentator and founder of American Majority net Ryan, thank you so much for being with me tonight.

RYUN: Absolutely.

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