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And Governor Tony Evers to use

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surplus dollars to produce property

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tax. I know.

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I could tell.

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Sorry. They didn't have my

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mic up.

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The deal between Republican

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legislative leaders and Governor

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Tony Evers to use surplus

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dollars to reduce property taxes,

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increase school funding, and give

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out tax rebates failed in

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colossal fashion when most

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Democrats voted against it and

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Republican candidate for governor

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Tom Tiffany blasted

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the bill ahead of the vote.

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But when asked,

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most people across the state said

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they were for it.

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A new Marquette Law School poll

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found 80% of Wisconsin

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adults say the legislature

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should have passed the measure.

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Poll Director Charles Franklin is

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here with more and thanks very much

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for being here.

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Thanks for having me.

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So have you ever conducted a poll

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with across the board bipartisan

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results on any issue like this?

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There are a few, but they're really

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rare. And on this one with the

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80% in favor,

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that was 77% of

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Republicans, 81% of independents,

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82% of Democrats.

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That is really an incredibly

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narrow range across party.

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And it's also the same across

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ideology, 78%

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of liberals, 78%

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percent of conservatives.

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And statewide, in every media

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market in the state, It's in

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the high 70s or 80s in

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support of the bill

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What do you think was most resonant

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about why people wanted this?

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Well, I think the fundamental thing

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is that it gives

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something that everybody

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wants at least a piece of.

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In our other polling this year,

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we've seen concern about reducing

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property taxes is high,

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with funding for special education

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is a 70% in favor

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of that.

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And who doesn't wanna check for

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$300 or $600 to

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a couple?

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So there are popular elements there.

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I think, the other thing that's less

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obvious is But this is

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a kind of old fashioned compromise

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where everybody got something and

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it's all about the good things

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you're getting rather than the bad

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things.

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The conflict in politics and in

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the Capitol may have made it hard

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for that compromise to carry over

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in the actual votes where you saw

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both some Republicans and

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all Democrats in the Senate voting

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know that that

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inability to reach a compromise

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and stick to it.

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Is much easier for the public to

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see this as a reasonable outcome,

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maybe harder for legislators.

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So in your polling, you referenced

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the potential fiscal impact,

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but you surveyed people before the

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Legislative Fiscal Bureau actually

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put a specific $2.9

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billion number on a

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potential projected deficit

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as a result of this.

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Do you think if you had that

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specific number it would have

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changed the results?

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It might have changed it a little

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bit. That report came out after

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we were already in the field, so it

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was too late to incorporate it.

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But we did ask a separate

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question that said some opponents

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have said this is fiscally

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irresponsible.

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Do you think it would be better to

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wait until we have a better picture

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of next year's budget or pass

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it now, even if that means

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a potential future budget deficit?

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It was still 69%

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saying it should be passed now.

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Just 21% say wait

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until later.

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So having that information,

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those real doubts about the fiscal

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situation did lower

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support by 11 points,

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but it still left more than two

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thirds in favor.

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And again, across the board,

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Republican, independent and

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Democrats still wanted it to happen

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now.

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Back to your results,

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how surprising is it that usual

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party politics kind of don't

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apply here?

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It's very surprising because so

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little that we see

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in state politics is

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bipartisan this way.

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I think part of what's going on is

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you had an odd combination of

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bipartisan support for the

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bill, Governor Evers and

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Republican leadership,

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but you also had bipartisan

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opposition, Tom Tiffany's

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opposition.

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Most of the Democratic candidates

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either were outright opposed

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or were very lukewarm about the

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bill.

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And as we saw in the vote

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split, there were three

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Republicans in the Senate, enough to

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sink the bill without Democratic

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support and all Democrats opposed.

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So you had both bipartisan support

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and bipartisan opposition.

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So what's a partisan to do when

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they're sent such conflicting

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messages?

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And the result was just almost

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no difference in how the parties

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felt about the bill.

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Now, there is the piece about

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Governor Evers not working with his

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Democratic caucus on this, and

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then they mostly vote against it.

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What do you make of Evers' play in

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this legislation?

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I think that's a politically

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stunning result,

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not one that most voters pay

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that much attention to day in and

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day out.

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But it surfaces the fact

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that for seven and a half

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years, Evers has really

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had to deal with the Republican

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majorities in the legislature.

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The Democratic minority could do

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very little to help him,

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though it was vital for passing the

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most recent budget, for example.

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But he just hasn't been forced

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politically to work with the

176
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Democrats in the legislature.

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But this was really surprising

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that his party would desert

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him so completely

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on, you

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know, the sort of capstone bill of

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his term as governor.

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You asked the question in your poll

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whether positions on this bill will

185
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affect the November elections, will

186
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it?

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25% said it would be

188
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very important for their fall vote.

189
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I take that with a grain of salt.

190
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Fall is still a good ways away.

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But what I think we can be certain

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of is that the issues

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of property tax, funding

194
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for schools, those

195
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things are going to be at

196
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the center of our fall campaigns,

197
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even if voters have completely

198
00:07:01,680 --> 00:07:03,399
forgotten about this bill.

199
00:07:03,400 --> 00:07:04,739
And I'm not sure that they will

200
00:07:04,740 --> 00:07:06,769
forget about the bill, but...

201
00:07:06,770 --> 00:07:08,749
How do you sell that your four

202
00:07:08,750 --> 00:07:10,349
property tax relief, your four

203
00:07:10,350 --> 00:07:12,229
school funding,

204
00:07:12,230 --> 00:07:14,709
if both parties took such ambiguous

205
00:07:14,710 --> 00:07:16,989
stands on this

206
00:07:16,990 --> 00:07:18,359
budget bill?

207
00:07:18,360 --> 00:07:19,699
All right, Charles Franklin, thanks

208
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very much. Thank you.

209
00:07:24,430 --> 00:07:26,489
It's got all the elements of

210
00:07:26,490 --> 00:07:28,369
under the dome all we need

211
00:07:28,370 --> 00:07:28,370
is

212
00:07:28,371 --> 00:07:29,649
All we need is somebody with a knife

213
00:07:29,650 --> 00:07:31,329
in their back, though at least

214
00:07:31,330 --> 00:07:32,750
metaphorically Evers has that.

215
00:07:32,751 --> 00:07:34,859
Oh, man.

216
00:07:34,860 --> 00:07:37,139
He was so angry.

217
00:07:37,140 --> 00:07:38,419
Yeah, yeah.

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Yeah,

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that interview with Matt.