>> c-span's "washington journal" live every day with news and policy issues that impact you. coming up this morning, former "cq roll call" editor david hawkings and francine keifer discuss potential leadership changes in congress. be sure to watch c span's "washington journal" live at 7:00 eastern this morning. join the discussion. >> montana's close senate race was not decided until the next morning when democratic incumbent jon tester claimed victory over matt rosendale. he discussed the election with reporters wednesday afternoon.

>> thank you all very much. i go upstairs to check a few number, these guys write speeches. we did it. [cheers and applause] for those of you that don't know, and i don't think anybody knows this, ap just called this race. cheers and applause] and would not, as you know, i wouldn't be here without my wife charla. [cheers and applause] my did kids, my brothers, my best friend from high school, steve stivers back here. but -- an the countless volunteers. everybody in this room. literally thousands of other people have spent incredible amounts of their free time to walk around this state and talk about how important this race was and i want to thank you for

that. and to my staffmark that are in this room, there wasn't a day that didn't go by for the last two years that these folks didn't think about what we needed to do to make sure that i was able to be able to be here for a third term. i want to thank them but most importantly i want to thank the people in montana. >> cheers and applause] >> this was an interesting race. and i will tell you that everywhere i went around the state people would say, jeeze, those ats. and i'm as happy for this race to be over as anybody. but the fact is, if we turn the clock back, right after i got -- right after i won my first race, got appointed to the veterans affairs committee, i had a listening session, this was early in 2007, i'm not a veteran.

but i felt it important since one in every 10 montanans is a veteran, that we hear as quickly as i possibly could from the veterans in the state. i'll never forget the first meeting. the first meeting i had a vietnam vet stand up and say, your not going to treat this group of veteran like we got treated. and i took that to heart. -- very day >> hey, jon! >> every day for the past 12 years, i have thought of that man. we've done everything we can do. we've got a lot more to do to live up to the promises we made our brothers in this country. the fight is not over yet. so the man that's retired u.s. army in the doorway, we've got more work to do and we'll do it. because that's what's made this country great is people working together.

not just democrats. but republicans and independents, libertarians, working together the same way my grandparents did when they built that red barn you see on the sign right there, working with their neighbors to build it. same way my parents did when they built the community hospital in big sandy and the community came together. that's what make this is country great. and i would love to tell you that this country is on the cusp of coming together but it isn't. it may be more divided today than it was yesterday. i don't know. but i can tell you that we need to work together in this country. we need to hold people accountable for their actions. and that will be done. and we need to make sure that we move forward in a way that we have the strongest middle class ever. that's been the envy of the world and will continue to be the envy of the world if we have

policies coming out of washington, d.c. that make sense for our middle class and small businesses. and that includes things like making sure that we have public lands and access to them. that includes things like social security and medicare, making sure they're there for our kids an grandkids. that includes things like taking care of our veterans. it includes things like making sure that health insurance is affordable. and making sure that folks with pre-existing conditions can stay on the policy. these are issues we all need to come together on and fight for. and work to make this country a better place. i want to congratulate matt rosendale on a hard-fought race. this was a tough race. it was a race that broke records both i believe when it's all said and done in the number of people who have voted in our great state and the amount of must be that was spent, an unprecedented amount of money

was spent in this race. it was a race that saw the president of the united states come here four times. it was a race that saw his son come here probably that many times. vice president came here three times. but -- >> you beat them all. [cheers and applause] >> montanans spoke loud and clear about the direction they want montana to go and the direction of our state. because montanans know the challenges we face. montanans know what we need in this state as a rural state to make sure we can compete in the 1st century. quite frankly, i hope the president comes back. many times. i do. but not for political rallies. in all seriousness, not for political rallies, but to see che the challenge we was in our state. to take a look at that v.a. clinic in missoula, montana, see

how undersized it is. to take a look at the v.a. clinic here in great falls to see how undermanned it is, how uncheds womanned it is, need manager docs an nurses. to take a look at the broadband service not only in indian country but throughout our rural areas. it needs to be there if we're going to be able to compete in this 21st century. oso hopefully that will happen -- so hopefully that will happen. in the meantime i can assure you of this, and everybody that's watch, we need to get some things done in washington, d.c. we need to work together. we need to put aside the political pettiness. and work together to get things done. and i will tell you why. because as i transverse this state, north, south, east, and west, the people i talk to, the biggest issue they bring up is, why can't you guys work together? well, we can. ened we will.

-- and we will. and it will happen because the american people are demanding it. no more divisive politics. we've got an opportunity over the next six years in my case, over the next two years for sure, to do some really good work. i mentioned the issue, whether it's public lands or health care, veterans care, or making sure that we have government accountability in a transparent government and reducing the amount of money that gos into these races. it's crazy. these are bipartisan issues. let's get her done. ultimately, i just want to say this. thank each and every one of you. you should be sleeping. [laughter] but you're not. and i just want to say thank you, god bless you and god bless america. cheers and applause]

if you guy, now look. i would love to tell you i got a full 1 hours of sleep last night, but i didn't. if you have any questions i'd be more than happy to try to answer them. >> you talk about working together. this battle between trump and you became quite personal numerous times. how do you move forward to work together with a president who made it a personal thing? we elieve it or not the ads put up that said we put 20 bills on his desk, those were true. it was by us working together, johnny isakson, we worked together. or mike crapo, from our neighbor state of idaho, working with him, we get things done. leadership isn't about being an echo. leadership is about leading. and part of leading is working with people on issues of common good. and i will tell you as i walk

around, there's democrats, there's republicans, libertarian, we agree on a heck of a lot more than we disagree on. find the areas you agree on and work on them. let the areas that -- this is what johnny and i did. if we disagreed, we put it in the cls et. at the end of the day, there was nothing in the closet. we can do that in washington, d.c. >> some voters ea cross the country were considering this a referendum on president trump. do you think that's a fair statement, knowing that the republicans still have control of the senate? >> i am not a political analyst and i will tell you i've done this three times now, we've called each of these races at about 11:00 a.m. in the morning and that's all i know. >> how does that strengthen the -- strengthened senate majority affect your job? >> you know, look, i think the fact of the matter is, the people we have, and i lost some

good friends this cycle. claire mccaskill and heidi hite mp were two of my -- heidi heitkamp were two of my best friends. but i'm sure we'll have new people coming in that i'll be able to find common ground and work with. >> have you heard from matt rosendale? >> no, it's pretty early, though. it'll probably happen. t in the meantime -- >> is there a message you hope comes out of this race, given your victory, i'm not necessarily saying a negative e to your own opponent but a message in jeb? >> montana is a special state. montanans are people that speak loud. i don't think they society for political party, i think they vote for people.

>> one more. >> one more. >> the senate majority and now the house, there's been so much talk about the blue wave. what's your comment about that? >> i just think the people of the state -- i thank the people of the state of montana. i can't thank them enough. we've worked hard at this job. my daughter talked about that. my son talked about that. my other daughter talked about that. this is not a job that's a picnic. it's not a job where you're on paid vacation. this is a job where you strap it on every day and put your shoulder to the wheel and work as hard as you possibly can, and if you work really, really hard you can get some things done. we tried to work really hard. we've gotten some things done. >> thank you all! cheers and applause]

>> live thursday on the c-span networks we look at the results of the 2018 mid-term election. at noon on c-span a post-election analysis of 2018 from the american enterprise institute. at 6:45, smithsonian associates host a panel on mid-term leches and what the results reveal about america. over on c-span2 at 9:30 a.m., the brookings institution looks at the state of american politics and the factors that produce the mid-term election results. at 12:30 p.m., mesh university hosts journalists and analyst -- analysts for a breakdown of the election outcome. >> join us sunday, veterans day, at 11:00 a.m. eastern, live on c-span. the replay -- the wreath playing -- the wreath laying ceremony at

the tomb of the unknown at arlington national cemetery. and at -- and the presentation of the annual liberty medal to president george w. bush and laura bush. on mesh history tv, c-span3, all day coverage commemorating the 100th anniversary they have end of world war i. sunday, veterans day, on c-span and american history tv on c-span3. >> c-span, where history unfolds daily. in 1979, c-span was created as a public service by america's cable television companies. and today, we can't to bring you unfiltered coverage of congress, the white house, the supreme court, and public policy events in washington, d.c. and around the country. c-span is brought to you by your cable or satellite provider.

>> charlie cook, editor and publish herb of "the cook political report" recapped the mid-term results at an event in washington hosted by the national journal. before this analysis, the -- they highlighted some of the new congressmens. this is just under two hours. and thank you for coming. it was another exciting late night. and every licks cycle is going to be