Transcript: Sen. Chris Van Hollen on "Face the Nation," October 14, 2018

The following is a transcript of the interview with Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland that aired Sunday, Oct. 14, 2018, on "Face the Nation."  

JOHN DICKERSON: And we turn now to Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen, who among other things, is in charge of his party's efforts to elect more Democrats to the Senate this cycle. Welcome Senator, I want to start where I left off with Senator Rubio. You are on the environmental committee and in-in the Senate. What did you make of the senator's remarks?

SENATOR CHRIS VAN HOLLEN: Well look, in the same week that we saw Hurricane Michael flatten the Florida Panhandle, we had this report from the world's leading climate scientists saying climate change is hurting us today and it's only getting worse. And the same time you have a Trump administration and a lot of Republicans who just want to put their head in the sands. They don't want to hear the information and we should start by not making things worse. This administration and Republicans on- in Congress are actually rolling back auto emissions standards, rolling back clean power plant rule. So let's stop making things worse and then we definitely need to take action to make things better.

JOHN DICKERSON: But what of Senator Rubio's point and the administration's point which is once you come in with all these regulations, you choke off the economic recovery that-that America is in the middle of now?

SEN. VAN HOLLEN: Well the reality is we've had auto emissions standards in place for many, many years and in fact the auto industry has grown substantially. The reality is that there are lots of economic opportunities when it comes to investing in clean energy and energy efficiency and those are homegrown jobs. Wind. Solar. These are homegrown jobs. These aren't jobs where you're importing oil from Saudi Arabia for example.

JOHN DICKERSON: Let me switch to politics, a couple of weeks ago in the Senate people were writing about hey the Democrats have a chance. They're writing that less these days. What happened?

SEN. VAN HOLLEN: Well what we've said from the beginning is this is a very tough political map for Senate Democrats. Probably the toughest we've seen in 60 years. The fact that people were talking about Democrats taking back a majority of the Senate, shows how strong we have been and what kind of momentum we've got. So, I've said from day one, that we have a credible path to a Democratic Senate majority. It is a narrow path. And there are so many very tight seats that this is all about turnout at this point.

JOHN DICKERSON: Two things related to the Kavanaugh nomination. First, I want to get your sense- you talked to a number of your constituents who reached out to you during the confirmation process. And then you said they were- their statements were reminders of-of how our society has let down survivors of sexual assault for decades. Have you heard from or what have you heard from constituents in the wake of the confirmation?

SEN. VAN HOLLEN: Well I heard from more than 50 of my constituents. Women who had experienced sexual assault, sexual trauma years ago and had never told their own parents at the time. In many cases had not told- told members of their families today. And it was a powerful reminder of the progress we need to make in this country when it comes to sexual assault. So when you have the President of the United States at big rallies belittling Dr. Ford, he is belittling all those survivors of sexual assault. And I don't think people like what they see.

JOHN DICKERSON: Majority Leader Mitch McConnell made the case that the behavior of Democrats with respect to this confirmation was a shot in the arm for Republicans and that the president was essentially playing on that idea that Democrats overreached and that's what's energized a lot of these Republican voters.

SEN. VAN HOLLEN: Well I don't think Democrats overreached. Democrats wanted a thorough FBI investigation. In the end it was Mitch McConnell - Senator McConnell who really cut that short and did not allow a full investigation, but what I've seen actually is that the Kavanaugh hearings have actually energized a lot of Democrats especially younger voters and women voters. Yes they've energized some Republicans. It just goes to show that turnout is really important in these midterm elections.

JOHN DICKERSON: Let me ask you about this- this question of temperament because there- there seems to be an argument going on in the Democratic Party about how to respond to Donald Trump. First of all he wants this to be a referendum on Donald Trump, is that OK with Democrats this election?

SEN. VAN HOLLEN: Look you know the- the president is energizing a lot of Democratic voters to get out because he's been so polarizing and so divisive. I would say in a lot of our red states, what we have are senators who are standing up first and foremost for the people of their states and people even in red states want someone who will hold the president accountable.

JOHN DICKERSON: Let me ask you about a red state Tennessee. I know of a voter there who is- who voted for Donald Trump but was going to vote for Phil Bredesen the- the Democrat because he had experience with Bredesen in the state and then Hillary Clinton came out and- and quoted- was quoted this week saying you cannot be civil with a political party that wants to destroy what you stand for, what you care about. This voter, of course, it's an example of one and let's not go too far John. But there were a lot of people who felt like that was not helpful to Democrats to have Hillary Clinton say that.

SEN. VAN HOLLEN: Look what I think Hillary Clinton was saying is that Democrats are in a pitched battle on very important issues in our country and we need to fight hard. Look nobody goes lower than Donald Trump. I mean that's a bottomless pit. No one's competing with that. He gets up at his rallies, he says go beat the crap out of them, he says lock 'em up. I actually don't think voters, especially independent voters, like that. But we are going to put up a tough fight. Phil Bredesen, two term governor, nonpartisan, bipartisan. He is doing very well in Tennessee.

JOHN DICKERSON: But you say nobody's trying to compete with them, but- but Eric Holder, the former attorney general who was in charge of executing the laws said when, and this is a play on-on Michelle Obama who said when they go low, we go high. Eric Holder said when they go low, we kick them. That's the new Democratic Party is all about. That is directly competing with Donald Trump.

SEN. VAN HOLLEN: Look, no-no Donald- Donald Trump when he goes say go beat the crap out of them at a rally and then he says I'm going to pick up your legal bill. I mean look, the guy-the guy knows no bottom, but the reality is what Democrats are saying is that we are locked in a pitched political battle and we are going to engage fully. I mean this is political trench warfare and we're going to engage in that battle. And that's why Democrats in the Senate are doing a lot better than people expected us to do more than a year ago when Republicans said they were going to win a net of eight seats.

JOHN DICKERSON: All right Senator Van Hollen, 23 days. Thank you so much for being here.

SEN. VAN HOLLEN: Good to be here.

JOHN DICKERSON: And we'll be right back in one minute with Senator and author Ben Sasse. Don't go away.