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Well, I guess let's start with your

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reaction to the news out of the

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Rodriguez campaign about the

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campaign finance.

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Well this is why we have primaries,

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to make sure that the strongest

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candidate can compete in the general

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election. From day one I've been

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very focused on running the

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strongest campaign to be able to

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take on and defeat Tom Tiffany this

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November.

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Is this a disqualifying thing?

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How should voters weigh it when

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they're looking at this pool of

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campers?

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Well, look, I think that's up to her

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campaign to figure out, and I think

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it's up to voters to

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decide if that campaign will

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ultimately be the strongest or not,

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if they're able to communicate or

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not.

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But that's a decision that should be

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left up to them.

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So, as we're coming down the stretch

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of this primary, how are you doing

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in terms of finances to be able to

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communicate your vessel?

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We are feeling really good, we are

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going on TV, I think this week if

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I'm not mistaken.

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So happy to be on the air and we're

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communicating over TV, we're

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communicating over digital as well.

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And I'm proud to have the broad

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support that we continue to have,

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that we've had since day one.

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I'm looking forward to the

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opportunity to continue to build off

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of that for the next four weeks.

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These are critical and for the folks

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that are watching, there's still

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time to get involved, get engaged

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and get on board.

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The number of voters out there that

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maybe were undecided, maybe not

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paying as much attention,

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what's going to lead them down this

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stretch here? What are these

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critical closing moments for the

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people that are just now tuning in?

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Yeah, I'm really glad you brought

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that up, because in the moment like

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this, where things are so incredibly

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difficult, people want a

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leader who's going to stand up and

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fight for them and not take no for

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an answer. And I'm proud to have the

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longest track record of standing up

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and fighting for people all across

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the state of Wisconsin, not any

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specific district, but the entire

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state.

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That's why people come to know me.

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That's what people trust me, because

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when those tough fights came up, I

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never backed away.

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And I've always shown up to make

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sure that we are doing everything to

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improve quality of life for every

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single person, regardless of their

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zip code.

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There's been a tendency to try and

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group the candidates into centrist

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or progressive lanes.

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What do you think of that
distinction?

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I reject all distinctions.

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I'm out here showing up for people.

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And that's what it comes down to.

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And we're leading with a bold

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message. We are leading with urgency

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because things need to change right

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away. Our schools need to be funded.

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People need healthcare.

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We need good paying jobs.

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We need to protect the environment.

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We need stand up to these industries

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that are making life difficult for

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people, hold data centers

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accountable and do everything

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possible to make sure that

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everybody has a shot at the American

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dream. Because it's been denied

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for far too long, and we can't

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sit here and waste another

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moment. We can't waste another

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election cycle, and we need to look

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at this campaign for governor

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as one that's not just gonna change

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the course of Wisconsin, but change

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the cause of this country.

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The work we put in this November is

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gonna make for a much more clear

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path to the White House for a

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Democrat to be elected president.

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The last few months, Tom Tiffany's

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kind of had the feel to himself on

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the Republican side, portraying

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himself to voters as this friendly,

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affable guy at the bar.

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What's going to change between the

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message that he's giving versus what

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the public's going to hear after the

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primaries?

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Well, I think people have a chance

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to see his actual record of failing

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Wisconsinites.

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I think that people will get a

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chance to see this rhetoric that

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championed tariffs, that has

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destabilized family farms and

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has completely destabilized small

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businesses in Wisconsin.

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His idea that if you are

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at risk of losing your job to

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artificial intelligence, you should

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just find a new job.

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The fact that he voted to

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make health insurance more expensive

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for people across this country.

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Shows the abject failure that he's

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been as a member of Congress.

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He's already left the district he

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represents behind, and that's

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exactly what he'll do to Wisconsin.

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He'll cave to special interests as

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he has done as a state legislator,

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as he's done as a Member of

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Congress, and thats what's most

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disqualifying when it comes to this

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race for governor.

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Do you have any concern that he

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might have had too much time to

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change his public image

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before Democrats have a chance to

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weigh in?

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Well, the votes are the votes, and

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he's gonna have to answer for those

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votes. He can position himself

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or try to

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change his

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political appearance.

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But the reality is, he's taking

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votes that's made life harder for

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people. And not only is he taking

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votes, he's championing policy that

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has made life difficult for people,

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his denial of the 2020 election

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means that if you didn't vote for

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him or someone he supports, that he

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doesn't take your vote seriously.

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And ultimately, he doesn't think you

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should have a

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right to vote based on that.

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I have a question.

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Your theme here today was a

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lot about campaign finance.

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I've been a reporter for a very long

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time, and for at least two thirds of

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my career, going back at least 30

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years, people have talked about

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campaign and finance.

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People have tried to push

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campaign finance reform.

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What is your very specific game plan

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for moving the conversation,

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from just being a conversation to

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actually some specific action?

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Yeah, absolutely. So it's going to

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take the legislature to make sure we

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get it done.

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I want to build on, if I become

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governor, I would love to have a

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bill on my desk that brings down,

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brings campaign contribution limits

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back down.

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There have been a

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lot of federal decisions that have

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sort of blocked those kinds of

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changes.

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For sure.

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And we do need, obviously, you know,

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we need Congress to

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act and at some point,

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we have to overturn Citizens United.

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This has made our politics so

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corrupt. It has kept people out of

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the process.

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The reason why people's lives have

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not materially changed for the

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better is because of the corrupting

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influence of money and politics that

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has given favor to

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large corporations and the

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institutions that contribute the

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most money campaigns rather than the

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people. That they were elected to

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serve.

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And at the beginning of the race, I

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think you said something like $50

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million was your target,

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how's that different?

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Well, that's the thing, we can't

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fight one arm tied behind our back.

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And my campaigns have always been

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grassroots funded.

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I raise more money in this state

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than anybody without taking a dime

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of corporate PAC money.

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And we're gonna continue our

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grassroots fundraising and get to

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the point of having the resources

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we need to not just be competitive

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but to take on and defeat Tom

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Tiffany. I was the target of the

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largest super PAC in this country,

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targeting any one Democratic

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candidate four years ago.

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So I know exactly what the impact of

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big money in politics means,

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but I also know that with grassroots

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support we can get the job done.

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On the undecided voters that you

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were talking about earlier,

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I think like in the next couple

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weeks we're going to see how many

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people really are undecide.

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What's your approach to

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reaching those people for

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these final weeks, especially when

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it kind of feels like things are

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very fluid in this race?

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So we are gonna continue showing up

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and delivering our message about

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improving quality of life for folks.

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And for undecided voters,

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it will be a reminder about

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what the resolve continues

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to be.

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This isn't, you know, the things I'm

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talking about in this campaign, they

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are new. And as I mentioned, people

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around the state know that I have

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shown up and I've taken on the tough

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fights. And these next few weeks

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will be a reminder that we're gonna

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show up and not just talk

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about what we are planning to

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do throughout the course of the

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campaign. We're talking about.

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How we are gonna get to work

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governing right away because I am

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the candidate who is uniquely

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prepared for this moment based on my

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experience in legislature, based on

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experience as Lieutenant Governor,

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fighting right alongside Governor

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Evers in 2018, taking on

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and defeating the former

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Governor Scott Walker.

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Nobody else has that

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level of experience in campaigning

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and that's what will be on

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full display for these next four

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weeks.

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Hey, thank you appreciate you.

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Oh, yeah.

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Thank you