Sen. Mark Kelly on midterm election and Hegseth firing military personnel

(CBS, KYMA) - Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) spoke with Margaret Brennan on Face the Nation Sunday about the upcoming midterm election.

A CBS News poll said Democrats have a reason to be optimistic about taking the House, but Brennan asked Sen. Kelly how much harder it will be to take the Senate, and he said:

"There is a lot of energy in the states I've been to recently. Whether it's Ohio or Iowa, Kansas, Georgia, now here in South Carolina, I think we have real opportunities in a lot of places. But also, I mean, this could be, you know, close elections in many of these states. But I'll tell you this: people are frustrated and they're fed up with Washington D.C. right now, and they know that this president is not addressing, you know, any of the needs that affect them and their families. I mean, the cost of living is way too high. The price of everything just keeps going up, and people can't afford their lives."

During the interview, Brennan and Kelly talked about Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth firing several military personnel, which Brennan said had caused some Senate Republicans to express their concerns.

Brennan also said Secretary Hegseth announced he's going to cut the number of generals and admirals by 20%, leading her to ask if Kelly had insight into who Hegseth will be targeting in the cuts, and if he has any ability to stop it, if Democrats take some control, and the senator said:

"He often fires people because of the color of their skin or because they're women. He also seems to be looking for loyalists...he would deny that. I think anybody would deny that. But it's pretty obvious when you have a list of seven people who don't promote from one-star to two-star, and five of them are either black or women. It's pretty obvious. Also, right off the bat, firing CQ Brown without giving any reason, without any particular reason why one of the most qualified professional aviators, but a four-star general, chief of staff of the Air Force, fired. Lisa Francetti, the chief of naval operations, fired. The commandant of the Coast Guard, also a woman, was fired. The list goes on...This is a pattern with this Secretary of Defense, and it's damaging our readiness. And when you hurt readiness, it means that all of us, everybody watching the show, you and your family, are less safe because we have the most unqualified Secretary of Defense we've ever had in this country's history."

To watch more of Brennan's interview with Kelly, click here.