Morning Joe host Joe Scarborough slammed the desk in celebration while his wife and co-host, Mika Brzezinski, held a hand to her chest in pride as the pair reacted to the Democrats’ historic Texas midterm victory.
Scarborough raised his voice early Wednesday after Republicans lost the Texas governorship and a Senate seat in a stunning upset.
“After Hispanics have been beaten, brutalized, killed and treated—not like second- or third-class citizens, but like animals—like animals,” he declared, striking the desk as he spoke.
Brzezinski placed a hand over her chest during the outburst, nodding slightly and repeatedly saying, “Yes.”
“Last night, Hispanics spoke back. Hispanic Americans—Americans—Americans—and they used their vote. And Gina [Hinojosa] is the new governor,” Scarborough continued. The longtime Republican has become a vocal critic of MAGA politics.
He briefly interrupted himself to say that, although he wished he could “be in the middle on everything,” he could not remain neutral about Hinojosa’s victory.
“Gina is the new governor of Texas. None of us thought Texas would ever go blue because we always heard Democrats saying, ‘It was going to go blue this year,’” he said. “A Hispanic woman trounced Greg Abbott.”
No Democrat had won statewide office in Texas since 1994. When Hinojosa entered the race, she was regarded as a long-shot challenger to Republican incumbent Abbott, who was seeking a third term.
Morning Joe host Joe Scarborough slammed the desk in delight as Mika Brzezinski held a hand to her chest while they celebrated Gina Hinojosa’s Texas victory
Hinojosa, pictured, defeated Republican incumbent Ken Paxton in the Texas gubernatorial race
Democrats also captured Senate seats in former Republican strongholds including Kansas, South Carolina, Ohio, Maine and Iowa.
They reclaimed control of the House of Representatives, which they last held in 2023, after flipping several seats in states including Kentucky, New Jersey, Indiana and North Carolina.
Liberal news anchors had already begun celebrating what they called a blue wave, with CNN’s Van Jones erupting with excitement as results came in Tuesday night.
“I’m happy, happy, happy! I’m so happy!” Jones said, grinning broadly from the anchor desk during CNN’s special Election Day in America program.
“Listen, this is much bigger. This is like Christmas, a birthday, Easter and Halloween all at once. This is the repudiation of Trumpism that people have been hoping for—the moment when American democracy stands up.
“Sometimes you have kleptocratic rulers who come to power and entrench themselves for decades. In America, 24 months later, it’s: Knock it off. We don’t want it.”
Scott Jennings, CNN’s leading conservative commentator, rolled his eyes as Jones delivered his victory speech.
Jones then compared the Republican Party to a cult, specifically the People’s Temple of the Disciples of Christ, led by Jim Jones.
CNN’s Van Jones, left, celebrated as results came in Tuesday night before comparing the GOP to the Jonestown cult. His conservative colleague, Scott Jennings, rolled his eyes during Jones’s victory lap
The People’s Temple of the Disciples of Christ was founded by Jim Jones in 1955. The group, later regarded as a destructive cult, met a tragic end in 1978 when more than 900 members died in a mass suicide
The religious organization, founded by Jones in Indianapolis in 1955, blended Christian teachings with communist ideology.
The group, which would later be regarded as a destructive cult, met a tragic end in 1978 when more than 900 of its members died in a mass suicide.
“By the way, if you join a cult, at some point the cult leader takes you to Jonestown and tries to get you to drink the Kool-Aid,” Van Jones said on CNN.
“This is Jonestown for the Republican Party. They drank the Kool-Aid, and their candidates are dropping like flies across the country because they failed to stand up to this man when he was doing things that were wrong, violating the law and undermining our system.”
He continued: “They didn’t stand up to him, and now they’re paying the price. It’s Jonestown tonight. You join a cult, and at some point you go to Jonestown.
“That’s where you are tonight, Republicans.”
Jennings shook his head and stared at Jones, appearing disgusted by what he regarded as the absurdity of the rant.
