CBS Salivates Over Bottoms' Win in GA, Celebrates Talarico as Unifier

Nicholas Spinnato
November 4th, 2026 2:44 PM

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Wednesday’s CBS Mornings, on the supposedly ‘MAGA-coded’ CBS under Bari Weiss, salivated over the victories of newly elected Democrats in Georgia, with Governor-elect Keisha Lance Bottoms, and in Texas, with Senator-elect James Talarico. The network praised Bottoms’s victory in the “heart of the old Confederacy,” while praising Talarico’s victory and likening it to “Choosin’ Texas.”

The praise for Bottoms began in the special 6 AM hour of the broadcast morning show, and Norah O’Donnell constantly noted Bottoms’s victory in the “heart of the old Confederacy and the soul of the Civil Rights Movement.”

Later, the praise for Bottoms came directly in an interview on the network. Host and Obama donor Gayle King introduced Bottoms with glee, liking the sound of her being Governor-elect:

 

 

That is Keisha Lance Bottoms, who became the first black woman ever elected governor of a state, with her win in Georgia last night. It is one of at least four states, by the way, along with Texas, Ohio, and Iowa, where Democrats flipped the governorship. She joins us now. Governor-elect, good morning to you. It has a nice ring to it, Governor-elect Bottoms.

King then painted Bottoms as relatable because she does TikTok videos with her kids: “Many people were touched that your daughter introduced you last night and she says, you know, you still make time to do TikTok dances with me no matter how full your plate is. You still make it clear that your children are your first priority. Many people were touched by that. But I'm curious about what this night means to you, what this means to you personally, Governor-elect Bottoms.

After Bottoms noted she visited the gravesite of her great-great-grandmother, who was a slave, Nate Burleson asked the first governing question, and asked after her win, “What is the first tangible change that the people of Georgia can expect to feel in their everyday lives?”

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O'Donnell then joined in on the celebration and invoked Martin Luther King:  “Governor-elect, Norah O'Donnell here. I love how you visited the grave of your great-great-grandmother, as Martin Luther King would say, “The arc of the universe is long but bends towards justice.”

After asking a question on data centers, O’Donnell added, “Governor, you are now one of 17 new female governors in America. How do you think women will govern differently?”

Burleson closed the interview with more congratulations: “Congrats once again. Siri, play Ray Charles’ "Georgia on My Mind."

 

 

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The gushy interviews did not end with Bottoms, as the network turned to Talarico after his Texas win. O’Donnell’s opening questions took pride in Talarico’s win despite Elon Musk’s donations for Republicans in the state in two back-to-back questions:

Elon Musk spent more than $150 million reportedly to make sure that you didn't make it to the United States Senate. Do you have a message for him this morning?

(...)

Well, let me ask you, Senator-elect, why do you think Elon Musk wanted to make sure and try to prevent you from going to the United States Senate?

King, as the Democrat donor she is, gleefully related Ella Langley’s song “Choosin’ Texas,” to Talarico’s romp:

 

 

Senator-Elect Talarico, your voice sounds a little hoarse this morning. Were you singing Ella Langley's "Choosin' Texas?" Is that your new favorite song? Cause they certainly chose you, sir.

King later portrayed Talarico as the person who could lessen political divides in the country:

You said in your speech last night we have to take our power back for ourselves. We're done being divided. We're done being played. We're done being pitted against each other, and you cannot defeat the politics of division with more division. How do you intend to accomplish that when everybody seems to be so fractured in this moment?

To close, Burleson, in an interesting development, asked a decent question to Talarico on his views on energy: 

Senator-elect, speaking of the people of Texas, when it comes to energy it is synonymous with the way of living there. You've described all of the above energy approach. How do you protect Texas oil and gas jobs while expanding renewable energy and keeping the grid reliable for the people of Texas?

However, after Talarico answered and said he wanted an "all-of-the-above energy strategy," Burleson closed the interview and told the senator-elect to have “a little tea with some lemon and honey,” for his coarse voice, as King exclaimed, “Congratulations!”

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The transcript is below. Click "expand":

CBS Mornings

November 4, 2026

6:03:53 AM Eastern

(...)

NORAH O’DONNELL: I mean, these are long-time Republican bastions. Texas, South Carolina, Kansas, and now a black woman is going to lead Georgia, which was both the heart of the old Confederacy and the soul of the Civil Rights Movement. This is a big.This is, in fact, shocking to so many people. Just how big the Democrats won.

(...)

6:47:40 AM Eastern

O’DONNELL: Up next, we'll head to Georgia, where Democrats won big across the board, including the first black woman ever elected, elected governor of the United States in a state, Georgia, that used to be the heart of the old Confederacy. Also, of course, from many of the civil rights movements and moments happened. We'll be right back.

(...)

7:40:48 AM Eastern

GAYLE KING: That is Keisha Lance Bottoms, who became the first black woman ever elected governor of a state, with her win in Georgia last night. It is one of at least four states, by the way, along with Texas, Ohio, and Iowa, where Democrats flipped the governorship. She joins us now. Governor-elect, good morning to you. It has a nice ring to it, Governor-elect Bottoms.

GOV-ELECT KEISHA LANCE BOTTOMS (D-GA): Good morning!

KING: Many people were touched that your daughter introduced you last night and she says, you know, you still make time to do TikTok dances with me no matter how full your plate is. You still make it clear that your children are your first priority. Many people were touched by that. But I'm curious about what this night means to you, what this means to you personally, Governor-elect Bottoms.

LANCE BOTTOMS: Oh, Gayle, I mean, it was just such a historic night in so many ways and for me it was especially personal. I just had the opportunity to visit Crawfordville, Georgia, the day before the election. It was where my grandmother was born in 1916. I found the grave of my great-great-grandmother –

KING; Yes

LANCE BOTTOMS: -- Who was enslaved. She was born in 1845. So, to come from people who once tilled the soil in this state and to be the Governor-elect speaks to the best of who we are in America.

KING: We just showed a picture of it. What were you thinking at the gravesite and when did you know, Governor-elect Bottoms, that you had this before it was called? When did you know that you had this?

(...)

7:42:58 AM Eastern

NATE BURLESON: Governor-elect Bottoms, thank you for joining us. Nate Burleson here, its a pleasure to talk with you. Making history gets you in the governor's office, but delivering results is what defines your time there. What is the first tangible change that the people of Georgia can expect to feel in their everyday lives?

LANCE BOTTOMS: Well, the budget comes from the governor's office, so my priority will be to address these cost-of-living issues that I've heard around the state. I want to allow local governments to suspend or end our grocery tax and also expanding medicaid and fully funding pre-k in Georgia and fully funding education will be a priority in that first budget.

O’DONNELL: Governor-elect, Norah O'Donnell here. I love how you visited the grave of your great-great-grandmother, as Martin Luther King would say, “The arc of the universe is long but bends towards justice.”

I want to ask you about some of the promises you made while campaigning. You said you would pause construction on new data centers, that would be one of the first things you pursue. How are you going to do that?

LANCE BOTTOMS: Well, I will sign an executive order for that pause, and then we will determine what else we need to do administratively to take that pause into effect. A lot of data centers are being built in Georgia because of the incentives that have been attached to those data centers. So, of course, we are going to have to take a look at what those agreements entail and determine what our remedies are to enact that pause, but I don't think we're going to get a lot of pushback across the state. Many local governments have already taken that first step.

O’DONNELL: Governor, you are now one of 17 new female governors in America. How do you think women will govern differently?

LANCE BOTTOMS: That is an amazing number to hear. I didn't realize that it was 17. And, there is such an incredible group women governors right now. I think I've heard Governor Whitmer say there have been more governors named hn than women, so I don't know if that record still stands, but they are an incredibly strong group of leaders, and I'm grateful to now be counted in the number.BURLESON: Congrats once again. Siri, play Ray Charles’ "Georgia on My Mind." Governor-elect Keisha Lance Bottoms, thank you.

(...)

8:17:52 AM Eastern

O’DONNELL: Elon Musk spent more than $150 million reportedly to make sure that you didn't make it to the United States Senate. Do you have a message for him this morning?

SEN-ELECT JAMES TALARICO (D-TX): Well, I think last night the people of Texas delivered a crystal-clear message to the world's first trillionaire. Texas is not for sale. The power in this state, in this country belongs to the people and we have to make sure it stays that way. It's why this is a mandate to clean up government, to overhaul our campaign finance system, to get this big money out of our politics so a trillionaire like Elon Musk can't buy puppet politicians to do his bidding. And so, I'm thankful that the people of Texas stood up to that corrupt influence, but I hope it's an opportunity for us as a nation to get it out of our politics for good.

O’DONNELL: Well, ket me ask you, senator-elect, why do you think Elon Musk wanted to make sure and try to prevent you from going to the United States Senate?

TALARICO: Well, I think he wanted his very own personal senator. He wanted a senator who was going to do his bidding. Who was going to sell off Texas land to his data centers. Who was going to give our Texas water, who was going to give our taxpayer dollars, and I think he knows that I have a history of standing up to billionaires in state government, I have a history of tackling corruption and cleaning up government and that's exactly what I'm going to do in the U.S. Senate, and I think that's what the people of Texas expect me to do on their behalf.

KING: Senator-elect Talarico, your voice sounds a little hoarse this morning. Were you singing Ella Langley's "Choosin' Texas?" Is that your new favorite song? Cause they certainly chose you, sir.

TALARICO: It was a great night for the state. This was bigger than the Democratic or Republican party, this was about Texans across the political spectrum demanding change in our government. And so, I think it was a victory for all Texans last night, and even the Texans who didn't vote for me, I want to be their senator, too. I want to serve them. I want to fight for them and make their lives easier and better and less stressful.

KING: No, you made that clear. You said in your speech last night we have to take our power back for ourselves. We're done being divided. We're done being played. We're done being pitted against each other, and you cannot defeat the politics of division with more division. How do you intend to accomplish that when everybody seems to be so fractured in this moment?

(...)

8:22:03 AM Eastern

BURLESON: Senator-elect, speaking of the people of Texas, when it comes to energy it is synonymous with the way of living there. You've described all of the above energy approach. How do you protect Texas oil and gas jobs while expanding renewable energy and keeping the grid reliable for the people of Texas?

TALARICO: Yeah, we can and must do both of those things. Texas, of course, is number one in oil and gas and we want to protect those good-paying oil and gas jobs. My family members used to work in the oil and gas industry in Texas. I went to public schools funded by the oil and gas industry in our state. We want to protect those good-paying jobs. Texas is also number one in wind and solar, and I want us to be number one in geothermal, hydrogen, and batteries. I want us to be an energy leader in the 21st century like we were in the 20th. And I want us to be an energy leader in the 22nd century, and that means an all-of-the-above energy strategy.

BURLESON: Senator-elect, thank you so much. A little tea with some lemon and honey will work just perfect. Thanks for joining us.

TALARICO: Thank you all!

KING: Congratulations!

(...)

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