Go first.
Just out of seniority
here.
You've been slimmer too.
Wow.
That's awesome.
I'm really proud.
I can't use this sound.
I mean, 836,
that was calm.
That has got to be pretty rough for
conservatives.
Why is it so difficult?
I don't know, although the timing,
you just said that, I think was
almost exactly the time they called
my recall election, for me, years
ago, so it's funny how things change
over time.
You know, in that case, we had a
pretty level playing field.
I think, really, since 2018,
you've seen a huge financial
advantage for a liberal candidate.
It's somewhat driven, obviously, but
nationwide, opposition to President
Trump very much drives donors
big and small, like on the left.
As conservatives going forward,
particularly in these spring
judicial elections, we've got to
figure out a way to look at the
playing field, so.
Any ideas how you do it?
I think it's going to be a
combination of things.
I think part of it is just making
the case why voters who turn out in
the fall, as they did last
year for the president, need to
understand that many of the things
that they care about in those
elections are as important, if not
more so, when it comes to judicial
issues.
Looking forward now, we're past the
Wisconsin State Supreme Court race,
what are your thoughts on the fall
for Republicans and
the potential to flip the
majority for Democrats in
the assembly?
Well I think it's certainly
a warning sign,
not insurmountable, but
historically, you know, when Barack
Obama was in, we had a whole wave
of Republicans elected here and
across the country.
You know, if a Republican in the
White House, you're just going to
see a similar trend for
Democrats. To counter that, it's
really two things. Level the playing
field so you get an equal echo
chamber, if you will, a chance to
get your message out just as much as
the opposition and focus
exclusively on the issues that
matter to people, which is
overwhelmingly affordability.
People want to know more
than just about anything else,
I'm not going to pay the bills.
I'm going to fill up the grocery
cart. I'm gonna fill up my gas.
I've got to pay for my housing,
whether it's rental or mortgage.
Those are the things if someone like
Tom Tiffany focuses on that and
whomever he ends up running against,
I think he'll do well.
What do you think about the chances
of the semifinals?
For a majority of Democrats.
Again, it'll be a challenge.
You've got of the three key races,
three to four key races.
You've had a couple of incumbents
that chose not to run.
That always makes it incredibly more
competitive.
But again, good cans. I just saw one
of them today.
I live here in Waukesha County.
That's part of his district.
And he was working, so I was
impressed to see him even before I
took my mother to the polls this
morning, even though his election is
until next November.
So a lot of hard work,
knocking on doors, raising
resources.
And honing in on a message that
connects to voters.
Governor, the majority,
if this holds, would go 5-2.
I've seen some conservatives at 9-0.
Maybe 7-0 someday.
What is the practical reality
of that? What does that mean for the
Wisconsin? We've seen maps.
We've see all the
JFC, the JCRAR.
That's what happened. Yeah, I
Yeah, I hope voters going forward
will say they want some balance,
particularly on the court.
They don't want things to just
become a partisan rubber stamp for
either party one way or the other.
At least in the past when it was
4-3, either way, at
least there was some opportunities
where it would go.
Justice might swing one way and the
other, when you start having these
kind of majorities, it becomes tough
to imagine.
I hope we've warned about this,
but I hope at least some.
Those justices, regardless of
what the political beliefs are,
ultimately say the role of a judge
or a justice is to uphold the
Constitution and the rule of law,
not to make the law, and that
the focus will be on the fall
elections for both the state
legislature and the government.
What are you expecting with the
governor's race this fall?
Well I think it'll be incredibly
competitive. I mean the last 36
years we've had an all but
one election.
The party in the White House has
been the opposite of the party who
wins the governorship.
So it's a tough battle for the
Republicans. That said, I think
Governor Evers not running,
opens up the field, certainly
in terms of the key issue.
I mentioned the Supreme Court cases,
which is money.
The only race in the last 36 years
where it went against those odds was
four years ago when Governor Ebers
defied the odds and won that
election.
I think that was because of the
financial advantage.
Now with that seat being opened,
the last big time it was opened like
that was when I won.
In a wide open race
15 years ago.
And I think Tom Tiffany
can do a good job making the
case that he's the right candidate,
the right message at the right time,
but it's not gonna be easy.
Do you have a favorite one?
No, you know, there are a lot of
people speculate and say, oh, you
want the most radical one.
I think in the end, if you look at
this primary, it's hard to
tell who the most radical is.
One keeps stepping further and
further away from the others.
I compare this primary and say
Jim Doyle wouldn't win in
the primary now because that party's
going so, so far to
the left.
And, you, know, some people have
said Mandela Barnes because he lost
before, but I don't
think there's anyone in particular.
Is it great now?
Tom Tiffany and Republicans need
to just focus on getting their
message out and pointing out that
the entire field of Democrats are
incredibly radical and out of touch
with where I think mainstream swing
independent voters are at, let alone
where Republicans might be,
and make that contrast now
before we get...
Get to the September and
post-primary.
A lot has changed since you've been
in office.
Technology, social media, all that
has really exploded.
What kind of impact does all of that
have on elections these days?
And do you see a problem with
artificial intelligence?
Well, yeah, I mean, I think one of
the problems beyond just elections
is just in general.
You guys see it in the media, we see
it society, is how many times
people believe things that
are fake, not just political
statements. I saw the other day some
image that claimed to be
the pilot that was rescued
when it wasn't.
And there were, like, credible
elected officials posting it.
And so I think it's a good reminder
that my kids are adults now, but I
told them for years, multiple
sources, everything you do, not just
in the medium.
But in life, I told them that when
they were in school.
I think for voters, for all of us,
when it comes to AI and social
media, that's even more important.
Even with things, sites that you
share the values with, don't just
pick one and stick with it.
Find multiple places to
verify your information.
That's gonna be more important than
ever before.
Now, having said that,
I think the idea, we saw
it years ago with Facebook and now
with other platforms, of having
free and open dialog, where
people... Are we relying on just
one source to get their information?
It's a good thing. It makes a
competitive world, but with more
competition means we've
got to be more careful consumers of
information.
Thank you. Thank you very much.