FOR JOINING US.
>> THANK YOU.
>> WHAT DOES THE WISCONSIN
SPRING ELECTION PORTEND FOR THE
FALL ELECTION?
HOW TO MEASURE THAT WITH SUCH
LOW TURNOUT?
WE TALK NOW WITH UW-MILWAUKEE
POLITICAL SCIENTIST MORDECAI
LEE.
THANKS FOR BEING HERE.
NICE TO SEE YOU.
>> THE A PLEASURE.
THANK YOU.
>> WHAT DOES THIS PAST TUESDAY'S
SPRING ELECTION PORTEND FOR THE
FALL?
>> I'M NOT SURE IT PORTENDS VERY
MUCH STATEWIDE.
THIS WAS THE FIRST ELECTION
SINCE 2014 WHERE THERE WAS
NOTHING ON THE STATEWIDE BALLOT.
THERE WAS NO SUPREME COURT, NO
CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT.
AND WHEN IT HAPPENED, WHEN THAT
HAPPENED IN 2014, ONLY ABOUT
HALF A MILLION PEOPLE VOTED.
SO IT'S HARD TO DRAW ANY
STATEWIDE CONCLUSIONS.
BUT IN TERMS OF SOUTHEAST
WISCONSIN, I THINK THERE'S SOME
PRETTY STRONG NUMBERS SAYING
GOOD NEWS FOR DEMOCRATS AND GOOD
NEWS FOR REPUBLICANS BASED ON
GEOGRAPHY, WHICH IS SORT OF WHAT
WISCONSIN POLITICS IS TURNING
INTO.
>> COULD YOU UNPACK THAT A
LITTLE BIT, PLEASE?
>> WELL, THE RACE FOR MAYOR HERE
IN THE CITY OF MILWAUKEE WAS
JUST A BLOWOUT FOR THE DE FACTO
DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE, CAVALIER
JOHNSON, AND HIS OPPONENT, BOB
DONOVAN, WAS AFFILIATED WITH THE
REPUBLICAN PARTY.
THIS IS ALMOST LIKE WHAT'S
HAPPENED TO STATE SUPREME COURT
RACES.
THERE'S A DEMOCRAT AND A
REPUBLICAN.
IT'S ALMOST LIKE THERE'S A D AND
AN R AFTER THEIR NAMES.
WHEN YOU'VE GOT SUCH A BLOWOUT,
MORE THAN TWO TO ONE, THAT'S
JUST REALLY A LANDSLIDE.
SO FOR DEMOCRATS IN MILWAUKEE
IT'S AN INDICATION THAT THE CITY
IS BECOMING MORE DEMOCRATIC.
I THINK THE MOST IMPORTANT
TRIVIA AT TH TIDBIT IS THAT THED
WHITE SOUTH SIDE, BLUE COLLAR,
REAGAN DEMOCRATS, WHICH ANCHORED
HENRY MAYOR MAIER, THAT THIS WAS
THE LAST HURRAH FOR THE OLD
SOUTH SIDE.
THEY'VE RETIRED.
THEY MOVED TO THE SUBURBS.
THE OLD SIDE SIDE IS NO LONGER
THAT WHITE CONSERVATIVE
STRONGHOLD THAT OPPOSED OPEN
HOUSING WITH FATHER GROPPI.
HISPANICS ARE AS IMPORTANT AND
WHITES ARE FADING.
WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE SUBURBS --
>> GO AHEAD.
>> WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE SUBURBS,
I THINK IT WAS GREAT NEWS FOR
REPUBLICANS.
THERE WAS A COURT OF APPEALS
RACE FOR SORT OF THE COLLAR
COUNTCOUNTIES THAT SURROUND MILE
COUNTY.
REPUBLICANS DID VERY WELL.
AGAIN, THERE WAS A RACE THAT WAS
THINLY DISGUISED AS A PARTISAN
RACE.
AND THE REPUBLICAN WON, BUT DE
FACTO DEMOCRAT LOST.
AFTER TRUMP SHOWED WEAKNESS IN
WAUKESHA COUNTY AND OZAUKEE
COUNTY, THAT SORT OF
DISAPPEARED.
EVERYBODY WENT BACK HOME.
AGAIN, IT WAS A DECISIVE WIN FOR
REPUBLICANS ALONG WITH THE
COUNTY EXEC DOWN IN KENOSHA
COUNTY.
SO THEY DID VERY WELL.
>> I'M GLAD YOU PICKED UP WITH
THAT BECAUSE THAT ACTUALLY IS
WHAT I WAS GOING TO ASK YOU
ABOUT, THAT COURT OF APPEALS
RACE.
BUT NOW, AFTER THIS ELECTION IS
DONE, ALL EYES TURN TO PRIMARY
RACES FOR U.S. SENATE AND
GOVERNOR IN WISCONSIN.
I JUST WANTED TO GET YOUR TAKE
ON THIS, WHAT YOU MAKE OF TOMMY
THOMPSON POTENTIALLY GETTING
INTO THE RACE AND RUNNING DOWN
TO MAR-A-LAGO TO MEET WITH
DONALD TRUMP.
>> THIS WILL SHAKE UP THE RACE.
HE LOVED BEING GOVERNOR AND HE
WAS SUCCESSFUL, GETTING ELECTED
TO FOUR, FOUR-YEAR TERMS,
ALTHOUGH HE DIDN'T FINISH THE
LAST ONE.
BUT HE JUST LOVED BEING IN
CHARGE.
I THINK BASED ON HIS EXPERIENCE
AS THE INTERIM PRESIDENT OF THE
UW SYSTEM, IT SHOWS THAT HE'S
STILL GOT ALL THE JUICES GOING
AND IT STILL REALLY LIKES TO
SOLVE PROBLEMS.
IN THAT RESPECT, NOT A
PERFORMATIVE REPUBLICAN, BUT A
PROBLEM-SOLVING REPUBLICAN.
AND SO I THINK HE'S DYING TO
RUN.
BEING 80 YEARS OLD IS NO LONGER
AN ISSUE GIVEN THE AGE OF FORMER
PRESIDENT TRUMP AND THE AGE OF
PRESIDENT BIDEN.
SO I THINK HE'S LIKELY TO RUN.
THE QUESTION IS IF THE
DEMOCRATIC PARTY HAS CHANGED OUT
FROM UNDER HIS FEET IN THE
PERIOD SINCE HE LEFT TO GO TO
GEORGE W. BUSH'S CABINET.
SO GOING TO SEE TRUMP --
>> AS FOR THE U.S. SENATE
PRIMARY, WHAT BREAKS THROUGH FOR
MANY OF THOSE CANDIDATES?
>> I THINK WHAT'S GOING ON IN
THE MILWAUKEE TV MARKET, WHICH
IS PROBABLY SOMETHING SOME OF
YOUR VIEWERS DON'T GET AS MUCH
ACCESS TO, IS THAT WE'VE BEEN
HAVING ADS AGAINST RON JOHNSON
SINCE LAST YEAR.
AND RON JOHNSON HAS BEEN UP ON
THE AIR IN MILWAUKEE TV STATIONS
SINCE HE DECLARED AT THE TURP OF
TURN OFTHE YEAR AND NOW VERY
CONSISTENTLY.
SO WE'RE SEEING IS HEAVY TV
ADVERTISING IN THE MILWAUKEE
AREA.
THEY'RE FIGHTING IT TOOTH AND
NAIL.
>> MORDECAI, MORE TO COME ON ALL
OF THIS AS WE HEAD INTO
AUGUST AND THEN NOVEMBER.
THANKS FOR JOINING US NOW.
WE WILL TALK WITH YOU SOON.