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David Crowley pulls off a political

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comeback for the ages.

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How did he do it and what does it

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mean for November?

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This is Inside Wisconsin Politics.

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I'm Sean Johnson, here with my

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colleagues Zach Schultz and Rich

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Kramer in Eau Claire.

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Hey guys. Hello.

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Let's go back just one month

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here.

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David Crowley was not a

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candidate for governor.

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He had ended his campaign, told

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us that it was because he knew he

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was not gonna be the nominee.

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Yesterday, he received 315,000

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plus votes.

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Sorry, Tuesday, he receive 315

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thousand votes.

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Around 40% of

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the Democratic voting electorate.

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Zach, I wanna hear how

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he did this.

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How did he pull off this one month?

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Come back.

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Well think most importantly is he

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didn't do it alone.

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He did this with all of

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the team players and I know he

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doesn't like the idea of being the

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establishment but the Democratic

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establishment is what pushed him

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over the line and pulled him all the

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way to this nomination.

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He certainly worked for it but

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Tony Evers coming back with his

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endorsement and we talked before in

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this podcast about how endorsements

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aren't everything but then he

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followed up by doing the work with

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him. Tony Ever's campaigning

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bringing the media attention to

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every One of David Crowley's stops

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along the way was critical because

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it got him on more television sets,

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more newscasts, and got people aware

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that there were contrasts in

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this race, that it wasn't a runaway,

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and that if Crowley had a chance,

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voters needed to be thinking about

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it. I can't tell you how many

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people I ran into in just the last

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week who said they had not made

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up their minds. They truly were

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still undecided going

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into the final few days where they

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had a change to decide this

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election, and it's clear a lot

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of them went to David Crowley.

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Rich, what's your take on

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this dramatic comeback

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here by Crowley?

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Well it was remarkable it was

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not expected i mean i

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was i was fully on board with

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these polls that we were seeing

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uh...

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Showing francesca hung way ahead

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but i do remember you

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know what's that just mentioned

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reminded me of talking

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with charles franklin and he

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essentially said well there are a

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lot of uh...

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Undecided people out there but

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you know with pop hung at the

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know, 20, 30 points ahead that we'd

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seen in some polls.

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It would take essentially every

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undecided person rallying

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behind one candidate.

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When he told me that, it wasn't,

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we still had other candidates like

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Barnes in the race.

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So it does appear that

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the undecide voters

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did make a decision and went out.

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So it was just something else.

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And being at a Republican event

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on Tuesday night was interesting

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because of the reactions that I

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saw from people.

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Let's talk about those polls just a

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little bit more, because I can

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imagine somebody sitting at home and

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thinking, hey,

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the news presented this to me as

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Francesca Hong's victory

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weeks ago, essentially,

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that there were these repeated polls

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that showed her leading, and that

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gave the clear impression that

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she was gonna win this thing.

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Zach, I mean, what would you say

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to someone with

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those qualms about the information

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they were?

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They are right to have qualms about

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polling. Everyone should always take

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polling with a grain of salt.

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Even the pollsters say that.

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But the thing that most people I

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think get wrong about what polls are

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is even Charles Franklin will say

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it, they are a snapshot of that

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moment. So the mistake I think

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some people make is they think

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polling is like the score

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of a game in the third quarter.

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They say, oh, well, Hong's up 21

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points. It's like the Packers being

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up 21 points, they should have this

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in the bag. If they lose, it's a

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complete colossal failure.

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But you have to think of those polls

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that came out a few weeks ago as

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more of like a pre-season game.

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They were a snapshot of where the

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race looked at that time.

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The real game was on election night.

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And at that point, it was

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a toss-up because so many more

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people had been changing their minds

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and moving to Crowley and the polls

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weren't updated to be able to

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reflect that.

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So if you think of the polls as a

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snapshot and not reality and not

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a score on the board.

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They are a little better guide

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path to what the situation may

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be. And I think everyone should note

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Francesca Hong's polling said she

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was going to get 40%.

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She got 40%.

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And that was considering

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that primary polling has an even

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larger margin of error.

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The polls really got her support

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correct. And they did reflect the

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amount of undecideds.

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It is rare to see all the undecideds

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go to the second place candidate.

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But I think that goes more to what

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we were just talking about of the

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establishment telling everyone This

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has to happen in the context

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of what had happened in the Michigan

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Senate race and all these national

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figureheads coming to Wisconsin, it

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really got a lot of people thinking,

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all right, this is not just about

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who I like the most or who's

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leading, this about electability.

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Yeah, I think that the point you

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made there is something

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I want to impress upon myself and

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all reporters for future

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elections, that

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the undecided number is pretty

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significant.

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I think even looking back, and we're

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going to talk about today, but in

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2016, there was a lot of talk about

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where the polls got it wrong.

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I think we didn't talk about the

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undefided voters or the people who

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wouldn't commit in the presidential

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race that year.

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It's another one that sticks out in

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our mind.

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And this just underscores that.

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A candidate can win all those,

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as David Crowley did.

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But for him to do that,

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Rich, you just do not see

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that level of

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a surge at the end by one candidate.

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How big do you think was Governor

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Tony Evers in this instance?

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Well, obviously, it was a big deal,

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which is interesting because

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looking back to a poll that we had

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before the primary,

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you know, the Marquette University

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Law School asked people, how much

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does Governor Evers endorsement

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of David Crowley impact your

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decision?

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And majority said it didn't,

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but clearly it did.

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But what also might

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have impacted and probably did

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impact those undecided voters

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decision to get behind Crowley

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was a big surge

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of campaign TV advertising.

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So Ad Impact, which is a great

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service, and they

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put out a tweet, and it

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showed a line graph of all the

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different candidates and what they

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were spending on ads right up

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to the election.

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And there's just one blue line that

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goes straight up like Mount Everest

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and then crashes back down.

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Well, that is David Crowley.

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So it looked like something maybe

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upwards of a million dollars in that

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last those final days.

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And I was talking with friend of the

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podcast, Anthony Tragoski today

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and he said TV

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ad TV advertising

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does matter.

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It still matters because there were

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discussions about whether or not,

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you know, Hong's success in the

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polls without spending any

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money on TV ads.

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I was seeing people saying, well,

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maybe this is the new way.

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Maybe the old model is dead.

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Tragowski doesn't see it that way.

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And he said that ad impact graph.

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Proves it and

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I think that those ads come

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at a time or they came at a time

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when all these people who were not

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paying attention to this race

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started paying attention they came

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hit the right time for David Crowley

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essentially

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So Sean, I want to get your feedback

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here. So we've talked on this

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podcast about Francesca

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Hong's Thanksgiving tweets and some

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of the things that were coming up

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out of her past.

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Give me your impression of Crowley's

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assent with everyone rallying behind

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him, including the money, and then

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the way Francesca Hung handled

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the amount of national attention

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she was getting, questions about her

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past that really hadn't been pushed

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on her early in the campaign,

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and certainly not by the other

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campaigns, as we saw a very friendly

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only debate.

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So how much of an impact do you

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think that played with those

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undecided voters in the last week or

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two?

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Well, I mean, the national window

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for our race was just so

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brief.

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The national media was paying

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attention to Michigan before us.

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And then all of a sudden, we were

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the next big thing.

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I think it's fair to argue about

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whether or not people should focus

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on a tweet from 2020, but

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they did.

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I was visiting my dad the weekend

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before the election. He lives in

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Illinois. He watches all the Sunday

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shows religiously.

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And every one of them talked about

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that Thanksgiving tweet.

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My dad doesn't know who Francesca

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Hong is or David Crowley or much

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00:09:01,330 --> 00:09:02,309
about their governor's race in

287
00:09:02,310 --> 00:09:04,349
Wisconsin, but he got an earful

288
00:09:04,350 --> 00:09:06,649
about that tweet that weekend.

289
00:09:06,650 --> 00:09:07,789
And if he'd been watching those

290
00:09:07,790 --> 00:09:09,509
shows in Wisconsin he would have

291
00:09:09,510 --> 00:09:11,949
been seeing ads in between saying

292
00:09:11,950 --> 00:09:13,529
to vote for David Crowly.

293
00:09:13,530 --> 00:09:15,189
So that stuff matters and the timing

294
00:09:15,190 --> 00:09:17,169
matters. And she did have an answer

295
00:09:17,170 --> 00:09:18,709
about that Tweet that came later

296
00:09:18,710 --> 00:09:19,949
that kind of shrugged it off and

297
00:09:19,950 --> 00:09:21,849
said, look, I'll be

298
00:09:21,850 --> 00:09:23,309
Frank, I'm a curmudgeon when it

299
00:09:23,310 --> 00:09:25,229
comes to the holidays,

300
00:09:25,230 --> 00:09:27,149
but I love Thanksgiving.

301
00:09:27,150 --> 00:09:28,699
It's not what she said at first.

302
00:09:28,700 --> 00:09:30,659
At first, she kind of stood by it.

303
00:09:32,060 --> 00:09:34,219
And I know this stuff is

304
00:09:34,220 --> 00:09:36,119
sort of dumb,

305
00:09:36,120 --> 00:09:37,979
arguably, but it's how elections

306
00:09:37,980 --> 00:09:39,220
are won and lost.

307
00:09:40,300 --> 00:09:42,339
And so in a race that was won,

308
00:09:42,340 --> 00:09:44,219
in this case by David Carli, by

309
00:09:44,220 --> 00:09:47,319
4,000 votes, a little less,

310
00:09:47,320 --> 00:09:48,679
stuff like that can matter, Rich.

311
00:09:50,340 --> 00:09:52,219
If I could chime in, I've

312
00:09:52,220 --> 00:09:54,359
seen some pundits online

313
00:09:54,360 --> 00:09:56,459
talking about, well, Hong's

314
00:09:56,460 --> 00:09:58,339
campaign collapsed at the very

315
00:09:58,340 --> 00:10:00,199
final moments because of the way she

316
00:10:00,200 --> 00:10:01,859
handled those media interviews at

317
00:10:01,860 --> 00:10:02,779
the national level.

318
00:10:02,780 --> 00:10:04,379
I want to ask both of you, Sean and

319
00:10:04,380 --> 00:10:06,659
Zach, did you see her campaign,

320
00:10:06,660 --> 00:10:08,979
you know, at the final stages as

321
00:10:08,980 --> 00:10:10,419
a collapse or an implosion?

322
00:10:12,610 --> 00:10:13,809
I think it's harder to say because

323
00:10:13,810 --> 00:10:15,509
she did hit the polling mark that

324
00:10:15,510 --> 00:10:16,529
she was at.

325
00:10:16,530 --> 00:10:19,829
If she came in significantly below

326
00:10:19,830 --> 00:10:21,589
what people were talking that she

327
00:10:21,590 --> 00:10:23,489
would receive, then you could wonder

328
00:10:23,490 --> 00:10:24,989
did some of those soft-hung

329
00:10:24,990 --> 00:10:26,469
supporters disappear and leave her

330
00:10:26,470 --> 00:10:28,089
at the end. But we didn't see that.

331
00:10:28,090 --> 00:10:29,729
She hit the marks that all the

332
00:10:29,730 --> 00:10:32,049
polling said she had along the way.

333
00:10:32,050 --> 00:10:33,209
The difference is the people that

334
00:10:33,210 --> 00:10:34,749
hadn't made up their minds chose

335
00:10:34,750 --> 00:10:35,589
elsewhere.

336
00:10:35,590 --> 00:10:36,669
I think those were about

337
00:10:36,670 --> 00:10:37,769
electability concerns.

338
00:10:37,770 --> 00:10:38,829
I think there are.

339
00:10:38,830 --> 00:10:40,449
Legitimate questions about how she

340
00:10:40,450 --> 00:10:42,009
answered those questions when the

341
00:10:42,010 --> 00:10:44,029
national spotlight was on her and

342
00:10:44,030 --> 00:10:45,989
whether the people in Wisconsin that

343
00:10:45,990 --> 00:10:47,129
had been paying attention were

344
00:10:47,130 --> 00:10:48,069
starting to think more about

345
00:10:48,070 --> 00:10:51,049
electability than about policy.

346
00:10:51,050 --> 00:10:52,769
But I don't know if collapse is the

347
00:10:52,770 --> 00:10:54,449
right word when she's still got 40%

348
00:10:54,450 --> 00:10:55,529
of the voter thereabouts.

349
00:10:55,530 --> 00:10:56,869
And that's a really strong showing

350
00:10:56,870 --> 00:10:58,209
from any candidate, especially

351
00:10:58,210 --> 00:10:59,789
someone from her background who

352
00:10:59,790 --> 00:11:02,029
doesn't have a long track record of

353
00:11:02,030 --> 00:11:03,969
politics in Wisconsin and hasn't

354
00:11:03,970 --> 00:11:05,489
spent a long time developing those

355
00:11:05,490 --> 00:11:06,569
relations around the state.

356
00:11:06,570 --> 00:11:08,069
So. She had a very impressive

357
00:11:08,070 --> 00:11:09,749
showing from that context.

358
00:11:09,750 --> 00:11:11,649
And I think there

359
00:11:11,650 --> 00:11:13,409
are just choices in the way that she

360
00:11:13,410 --> 00:11:15,169
ran her race in the closing days.

361
00:11:15,170 --> 00:11:17,449
I mean, not going on television was

362
00:11:17,450 --> 00:11:19,349
a choice. I know TV's not free,

363
00:11:19,350 --> 00:11:20,489
and she didn't have a ton of money,

364
00:11:20,490 --> 00:11:22,109
and the money really flowed to David

365
00:11:22,110 --> 00:11:23,029
Crowley there at the end.

366
00:11:23,030 --> 00:11:24,409
So it's not like she could just snap

367
00:11:24,410 --> 00:11:26,749
her fingers and run TV ads.

368
00:11:26,750 --> 00:11:28,509
But she did run a campaign in

369
00:11:28,510 --> 00:11:30,169
different ways.

370
00:11:30,170 --> 00:11:31,529
When you're trying to reach these

371
00:11:31,530 --> 00:11:33,329
kind of casual primary voters, maybe

372
00:11:33,330 --> 00:11:35,509
older voters in the Closing Days,

373
00:11:35,510 --> 00:11:36,889
she didn't have a strategy for that,

374
00:11:36,890 --> 00:11:38,769
or the resources for that in the way

375
00:11:38,770 --> 00:11:40,269
that Crowley did. It's also a

376
00:11:40,270 --> 00:11:41,129
choice.

377
00:11:41,130 --> 00:11:42,929
I know it's her community and she

378
00:11:42,930 --> 00:11:44,469
felt passionate about it, but it is

379
00:11:44,470 --> 00:11:46,369
a choice to go to the site of a

380
00:11:46,370 --> 00:11:48,129
shooting and call it an execution

381
00:11:48,130 --> 00:11:50,009
over a bullhorn, as she

382
00:11:50,010 --> 00:11:51,369
did in the closing days of the race,

383
00:11:51,370 --> 00:11:52,649
that gets attention.

384
00:11:52,650 --> 00:11:54,069
And she said in a debate, she

385
00:11:54,070 --> 00:11:55,269
wouldn't do that as governor.

386
00:11:56,450 --> 00:11:57,669
She did it as a candidate for

387
00:11:57,670 --> 00:11:59,449
governor though. So those are

388
00:11:59,450 --> 00:12:00,509
choices.

389
00:12:00,510 --> 00:12:02,389
I think another debatable thing

390
00:12:02,390 --> 00:12:04,069
in this campaign is the role that

391
00:12:04,070 --> 00:12:06,289
these Republican ads attacking

392
00:12:06,290 --> 00:12:08,239
Hong played.

393
00:12:08,240 --> 00:12:10,099
These were run backed by the

394
00:12:10,100 --> 00:12:12,399
Republican Governors Association,

395
00:12:12,400 --> 00:12:14,359
and the going theory

396
00:12:14,360 --> 00:12:15,520
among Democrats,

397
00:12:16,820 --> 00:12:18,659
Democrats who didn't want Hong to

398
00:12:18,660 --> 00:12:20,079
be the nominee, was that these were

399
00:12:20,080 --> 00:12:22,319
there to prop her up,

400
00:12:22,320 --> 00:12:23,379
that they were going to run these

401
00:12:23,380 --> 00:12:25,419
ads in these Milwaukee and Madison

402
00:12:25,420 --> 00:12:26,839
media markets where all these

403
00:12:26,840 --> 00:12:28,719
Democratic voters are, and

404
00:12:28,720 --> 00:12:30,919
say she's too liberal for Wisconsin,

405
00:12:30,920 --> 00:12:32,319
and that Democratic voters would see

406
00:12:32,320 --> 00:12:34,759
that and say, liberal, that's my

407
00:12:34,760 --> 00:12:35,879
choice.

408
00:12:35,880 --> 00:12:37,739
Zach would you say That's the

409
00:12:37,740 --> 00:12:39,439
effect that it had or did they

410
00:12:39,440 --> 00:12:41,209
backfire in Republicans?

411
00:12:41,210 --> 00:12:42,889
I think what Republicans saw those

412
00:12:42,890 --> 00:12:44,189
ads as a twofer.

413
00:12:44,190 --> 00:12:46,129
One, they did boost her

414
00:12:46,130 --> 00:12:48,049
with liberals by letting, by

415
00:12:48,050 --> 00:12:49,229
giving her more name recognition

416
00:12:49,230 --> 00:12:50,969
than she would have otherwise had.

417
00:12:50,970 --> 00:12:52,789
And two, even in

418
00:12:52,790 --> 00:12:54,509
the Madison and Milwaukee television

419
00:12:54,510 --> 00:12:56,029
viewing areas, there are a lot of

420
00:12:56,030 --> 00:12:57,289
Republican voters out there.

421
00:12:57,290 --> 00:12:59,469
So it was working towards the

422
00:12:59,470 --> 00:13:00,549
election that's still to come.

423
00:13:00,550 --> 00:13:02,209
If she was the nominee, it was

424
00:13:02,210 --> 00:13:04,029
weakening her and tarnishing her

425
00:13:04,030 --> 00:13:05,489
name, attaching her to these issues

426
00:13:05,490 --> 00:13:06,849
with Republicans that would vote

427
00:13:06,850 --> 00:13:09,169
getting them aware of who she was.

428
00:13:09,170 --> 00:13:10,889
So they definitely saw that as a

429
00:13:10,890 --> 00:13:12,709
great double by doing two things

430
00:13:12,710 --> 00:13:13,769
at once.

431
00:13:13,770 --> 00:13:15,469
It backfired in the sense that it

432
00:13:15,470 --> 00:13:17,469
really did alarm a lot

433
00:13:17,470 --> 00:13:19,449
of Democrats and it made it

434
00:13:19,450 --> 00:13:21,149
easier for Crowley to say this is

435
00:13:21,150 --> 00:13:22,889
who Republicans want to face and we

436
00:13:22,890 --> 00:13:24,709
should talk more about why

437
00:13:24,710 --> 00:13:26,389
and the vulnerabilities that lie

438
00:13:26,390 --> 00:13:28,089
within there, boosting his

439
00:13:28,090 --> 00:13:29,249
credibility when it came to

440
00:13:29,250 --> 00:13:30,349
electability.

441
00:13:30,350 --> 00:13:31,749
It was kind of his opening.

442
00:13:31,750 --> 00:13:33,449
I mean, it let him attack her

443
00:13:33,450 --> 00:13:35,269
without really attacking her because

444
00:13:35,270 --> 00:13:36,809
Democrats had been hands-off at that

445
00:13:36,810 --> 00:13:37,689
point.

446
00:13:37,690 --> 00:13:38,549
And David Crowley is going to want

447
00:13:38,550 --> 00:13:40,289
her voters in November.

448
00:13:40,290 --> 00:13:41,489
So he doesn't want to attack her too

449
00:13:41,490 --> 00:13:43,189
aggressively and say, Democratic

450
00:13:43,190 --> 00:13:45,129
socialists have no place in our

451
00:13:45,130 --> 00:13:45,929
party.

452
00:13:45,930 --> 00:13:47,449
Of course, he's not going to say

453
00:13:47,450 --> 00:13:48,969
that. He's going to those Francesco

454
00:13:48,970 --> 00:13:50,349
Hong supporters to support him.

455
00:13:50,350 --> 00:13:52,249
But the ads were definitely

456
00:13:52,250 --> 00:13:54,690
the opening for him.

457
00:13:55,890 --> 00:13:57,349
Rich, I know a lot of political

458
00:13:57,350 --> 00:13:58,909
observers Nationally, we're looking

459
00:13:58,910 --> 00:14:00,419
to Wisconsin.

460
00:14:00,420 --> 00:14:02,639
As for a lesson in

461
00:14:02,640 --> 00:14:04,799
terms of whether democratic

462
00:14:04,800 --> 00:14:06,679
socialism that has played well

463
00:14:06,680 --> 00:14:09,179
in other states can play in

464
00:14:09,180 --> 00:14:10,719
a Midwest swing state,

465
00:14:11,900 --> 00:14:13,279
what lesson can they take away from

466
00:14:13,280 --> 00:14:14,280
our race?

467
00:14:15,590 --> 00:14:17,689
Oh, boy, that's such a big question.

468
00:14:17,690 --> 00:14:20,049
I feel a little unqualified

469
00:14:20,050 --> 00:14:20,849
in answering.

470
00:14:20,850 --> 00:14:22,929
But the obvious takeaway

471
00:14:22,930 --> 00:14:24,829
is it didn't work

472
00:14:24,830 --> 00:14:26,429
this time.

473
00:14:26,430 --> 00:14:28,389
But all the caveats being

474
00:14:28,390 --> 00:14:30,609
the coordinated effort

475
00:14:30,610 --> 00:14:32,649
by establishment Democrats,

476
00:14:32,650 --> 00:14:35,169
moderate Democrats, to make sure

477
00:14:35,170 --> 00:14:36,469
that it doesn't happen.

478
00:14:36,470 --> 00:14:38,409
So I would say at face value, yeah,

479
00:14:38,410 --> 00:14:40,149
I guess it didn't workout.

480
00:14:40,150 --> 00:14:42,369
And it came pretty close in the

481
00:14:42,370 --> 00:14:43,979
effort to stop.

482
00:14:43,980 --> 00:14:45,579
Um... The far left you know

483
00:14:45,580 --> 00:14:47,079
progressive candidate in the senate

484
00:14:47,080 --> 00:14:49,039
race in michigan the

485
00:14:49,040 --> 00:14:50,919
closeness of that plus this maybe

486
00:14:50,920 --> 00:14:52,559
it changed the conversation

487
00:14:52,560 --> 00:14:54,539
It And I guess the

488
00:14:54,540 --> 00:14:56,359
counterpoint to that would be if

489
00:14:56,360 --> 00:14:59,059
she picks up 5,000 more votes,

490
00:14:59,060 --> 00:15:00,619
then we're having a different

491
00:15:00,620 --> 00:15:01,700
discussion here today.

492
00:15:02,880 --> 00:15:04,899
What does this mean for November?

493
00:15:04,900 --> 00:15:06,739
I mean, I think that

494
00:15:06,740 --> 00:15:08,859
Republicans were starting to expect

495
00:15:08,860 --> 00:15:10,079
it was going to be Tom Tiffany

496
00:15:10,080 --> 00:15:12,439
versus Francesca Hong.

497
00:15:12,440 --> 00:15:14,259
What does it mean that

498
00:15:14,260 --> 00:15:16,279
it is Tom Tiffany versus

499
00:15:16,280 --> 00:15:17,799
David Crowley? You were at the

500
00:15:17,800 --> 00:15:19,698
Tiffany campaign headquarters

501
00:15:19,699 --> 00:15:20,940
on election night, Rich.

502
00:15:20,941 --> 00:15:22,419
What's your impression?

503
00:15:24,410 --> 00:15:26,409
Oh man, this is what I was

504
00:15:26,410 --> 00:15:28,489
alluding to in the beginning.

505
00:15:28,490 --> 00:15:29,809
It was really interesting.

506
00:15:29,810 --> 00:15:31,149
So the spirits were high the whole

507
00:15:31,150 --> 00:15:33,149
night because there was

508
00:15:33,150 --> 00:15:34,709
no doubt that Tiffany was going to

509
00:15:34,710 --> 00:15:35,710
be the nominee.

510
00:15:37,450 --> 00:15:39,629
And... The other thing was before

511
00:15:39,630 --> 00:15:41,549
the polls closed, I talked to a few

512
00:15:41,550 --> 00:15:43,209
people that were there and they

513
00:15:43,210 --> 00:15:45,429
said, well, Hong being

514
00:15:45,430 --> 00:15:47,149
the nominee obviously makes it

515
00:15:47,150 --> 00:15:48,829
easier for Tiffany and people were

516
00:15:48,830 --> 00:15:50,769
telling me that Hong scares

517
00:15:50,770 --> 00:15:52,069
them, etc.

518
00:15:52,070 --> 00:15:53,909
And then what I noticed was

519
00:15:53,910 --> 00:15:55,989
spirits were still high, but people

520
00:15:55,990 --> 00:15:57,889
became more and more glued to the

521
00:15:57,890 --> 00:16:00,189
big screen showing cable

522
00:16:00,190 --> 00:16:01,949
news and their phones.

523
00:16:01,950 --> 00:16:03,929
And I went outside a couple times

524
00:16:03,930 --> 00:16:06,049
and there was some young guys that

525
00:16:06,050 --> 00:16:07,529
are like, I could overhear them

526
00:16:07,530 --> 00:16:08,649
talking.

527
00:16:08,650 --> 00:16:10,349
Crowley's beating Hong in this

528
00:16:10,350 --> 00:16:12,129
county, but Crowley is, you know,

529
00:16:12,130 --> 00:16:13,649
they were not expecting that.

530
00:16:13,650 --> 00:16:15,729
And when Tiffany came

531
00:16:15,730 --> 00:16:17,609
and he gave his speech at

532
00:16:17,610 --> 00:16:19,949
right around 10 p.m.

533
00:16:19,950 --> 00:16:21,789
And he talked with reporters after

534
00:16:21,790 --> 00:16:23,669
and the first question was, if

535
00:16:23,670 --> 00:16:25,549
Crowley wins, does that change your

536
00:16:25,550 --> 00:16:27,449
strategy since you've been spending

537
00:16:27,450 --> 00:16:30,169
so much time attacking Hong?

538
00:16:30,170 --> 00:16:32,089
And he's been using a line

539
00:16:32,090 --> 00:16:34,029
where he says, there's not a

540
00:16:34,030 --> 00:16:35,409
dime's worth of difference between

541
00:16:35,410 --> 00:16:36,989
the Democrats, okay?

542
00:16:36,990 --> 00:16:38,289
And then the next line out of his

543
00:16:38,290 --> 00:16:40,149
mouth was, David Crowley

544
00:16:40,150 --> 00:16:42,049
never called out

545
00:16:42,050 --> 00:16:43,689
Francesca Hong for all those crazy

546
00:16:43,690 --> 00:16:46,249
things she said, which is,

547
00:16:46,250 --> 00:16:48,689
it's an answer, but it

548
00:16:48,690 --> 00:16:50,629
just seemed like he might not

549
00:16:50,630 --> 00:16:52,589
have had a whole list of

550
00:16:52,590 --> 00:16:54,189
talking points against Crowley ready

551
00:16:54,190 --> 00:16:56,149
to go because it was a surprise

552
00:16:56,150 --> 00:16:57,229
for a lot of people.

553
00:16:57,230 --> 00:16:58,510
That has happened.

554
00:17:00,600 --> 00:17:02,339
Tiffany's campaign put out a its

555
00:17:02,340 --> 00:17:04,299
first campaign attack at against

556
00:17:04,300 --> 00:17:06,199
Crowley trying to uh...

557
00:17:06,200 --> 00:17:08,019
You know identify him to the rest

558
00:17:08,020 --> 00:17:09,979
of the state but still then on

559
00:17:09,980 --> 00:17:11,578
a campaign or election night

560
00:17:11,579 --> 00:17:13,098
Unexpected.

561
00:17:13,099 --> 00:17:15,139
So what are you watching for, Zach,

562
00:17:15,140 --> 00:17:17,118
as the campaign gets going

563
00:17:17,119 --> 00:17:19,179
here, week one of the

564
00:17:19,180 --> 00:17:20,879
general election campaign between

565
00:17:20,880 --> 00:17:22,129
Tiffany and Crowley?

566
00:17:22,130 --> 00:17:23,969
Right now, it's about money.

567
00:17:23,970 --> 00:17:25,348
Tom Tiffany has got a lot of money

568
00:17:25,349 --> 00:17:26,249
in the bank, and he's already

569
00:17:26,250 --> 00:17:27,509
spending it. His first ad's going

570
00:17:27,510 --> 00:17:28,969
out already.

571
00:17:28,970 --> 00:17:30,329
He's got billionaires funneling

572
00:17:30,330 --> 00:17:31,889
money through the party to him, so

573
00:17:31,890 --> 00:17:32,909
he looks like he'll be

574
00:17:32,910 --> 00:17:34,869
well-financed, at least for now.

575
00:17:34,870 --> 00:17:36,109
Crowley did release a statement

576
00:17:36,110 --> 00:17:37,289
saying he raised a million and a

577
00:17:37,290 --> 00:17:38,609
half in the first 24 hours.

578
00:17:38,610 --> 00:17:39,929
The big question is, can he build on

579
00:17:39,930 --> 00:17:41,449
that? That might have been a lot of

580
00:17:41,450 --> 00:17:43,049
transfers from the Democratic

581
00:17:43,050 --> 00:17:45,009
Governors Association or the

582
00:17:45,010 --> 00:17:46,209
State Democratic Party waiting to

583
00:17:46,210 --> 00:17:47,589
give money to the nominee.

584
00:17:47,590 --> 00:17:49,129
So the question is how fast can he

585
00:17:49,130 --> 00:17:51,029
get out and start running his own

586
00:17:51,030 --> 00:17:53,089
ads before Tiffany is able to

587
00:17:53,090 --> 00:17:54,929
define him among the voters in the

588
00:17:54,930 --> 00:17:56,029
state that haven't heard much about

589
00:17:56,030 --> 00:17:56,929
him because they've heard so much

590
00:17:56,930 --> 00:17:58,139
about Francesca Hong.

591
00:17:58,140 --> 00:17:59,959
And you mentioned the billionaires,

592
00:17:59,960 --> 00:18:01,739
the U lines and Diane Hendricks,

593
00:18:01,740 --> 00:18:03,379
they're not always united around a

594
00:18:03,380 --> 00:18:04,779
Republican candidate or backing the

595
00:18:04,780 --> 00:18:05,579
state party.

596
00:18:05,580 --> 00:18:06,799
And they are this time.

597
00:18:06,800 --> 00:18:07,819
For now.

598
00:18:07,820 --> 00:18:09,119
I think one question you gotta have

599
00:18:09,120 --> 00:18:10,859
is that this is the first year we've

600
00:18:10,860 --> 00:18:12,779
had really, Rich, you

601
00:18:12,780 --> 00:18:14,259
alluded to this in a story you did,

602
00:18:14,260 --> 00:18:17,239
but the first years since 2010,

603
00:18:17,240 --> 00:18:19,119
when you could say the assembly

604
00:18:19,120 --> 00:18:21,319
and the Senate and the governor's

605
00:18:21,320 --> 00:18:23,419
office are all kind of up for grabs,

606
00:18:23,420 --> 00:18:25,879
either party could win, you

607
00:18:25,880 --> 00:18:27,249
know, all three.

608
00:18:27,250 --> 00:18:29,029
And so big donors are gonna have to

609
00:18:29,030 --> 00:18:30,369
decide, do we wanna spread this

610
00:18:30,370 --> 00:18:32,249
around or focus on where

611
00:18:32,250 --> 00:18:33,369
we think our money will go the

612
00:18:33,370 --> 00:18:34,609
farthest.

613
00:18:34,610 --> 00:18:35,629
That's all the time we have for

614
00:18:35,630 --> 00:18:37,069
today. Thanks for joining us.

615
00:18:37,070 --> 00:18:38,649
Our colleague Anya Ben-Wachtendonck

616
00:18:38,650 --> 00:18:40,609
will be back next week.

617
00:18:40,610 --> 00:18:41,989
This has been Inside Wisconsin

618
00:18:41,990 --> 00:18:42,809
Politics.

619
00:18:42,810 --> 00:18:44,089
Be sure to follow us on

620
00:18:44,090 --> 00:18:46,549
pbswisconsin.org, wpr.org

621
00:18:46,550 --> 00:18:48,509
YouTube or wherever you get your

622
00:18:48,510 --> 00:18:49,510
podcasts.