Speaking of Keith Ellison, the first Muslim to be elected to Congress, Chris Matthews said, "We’re getting diversity, finally, religious diversity in the United States Congress."

But Andrea Mitchell toned down his optimism, saying the Senate was still racist if Harold Ford loses.

"Before we get too heady about diversity in Congress, if you look at historically what has been going on, if Harold Ford does not win in Tennessee, we will still have one African American in the Senate. There has never been more than one African American at a time in the Senate. It’s quite remarkable. We talk about Ed Brooke, we talk about some of the other senators in past history, but never more than one. It is still the All-White Club, the most exclusive club."