You
Looking ahead to the 2026 midterm elections Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Call announced this week
He's running for re-election to that office not for governor
Where does this put the crowded race on the Democrat side and the not-so-crowded field of Republican candidates?
We check in with our political analysts Republican Bill McCation and Democrat Scott Ross and thanks for being here
Thanks for having us
So Scott first to you, would it be fair to say that Josh Call would have been considered the front-runner?
Oh, absolutely. He's a statewide elected, you know statewide elected official who's who's won twice in tough environments
So yeah, he would have been a he would have been a great candidate
He'll be a great attorney general candidate again
And I believe that if some changes are made in terms of the environment that he'll win again
But you know Democrats have an embarrassment of riches. They have some really really good candidates
They have some candidates who are still talking and thinking about it
But the you know to run against, you know, what I would argue is the front-runner in Tom Tiffany who is you know
Basically an extension of Donald Trump and everything that you dislike and fear about Donald Trump is embodying Tom Tiffany
So but again, it's about the it's about the environment
And I think Democrats have to do some things to change that environment
Well, what is the reaction on the Republicans part to Josh Call not running? I agree with Scott
I think he would have been the front-runner the day he got in. He's running one statewide twice before
He's got a record. He's got a base a statewide base
So it's big news for us that one of the top-tier candidates got out of the way
So that leaves Democrats
I think their bench is a little bit short right now the top tiers David Crowley, Milwaukee County executives Sarah Rodriguez
Lieutenant Governor
And they're waiting to see whether or not formerly lieutenant governor Mandela Barnes gets in that would be their top tier
And I feel pretty good about our chances against that
So
This leaves Tom Tiffany. You think who has announced his run in in good shape?
Yeah, there's no question Tom Tiffany is the front-runner
I mean, he's a sitting congressman congressmen all have districts with
760,000 people he's got a base and it's a very red base
Where he's less known is southeastern, Wisconsin
And as I pointed out the last time just got Iraners show the deficit for Tom has always been fundraising
He wasn't very good at he's already raised more than a million dollars in the first two weeks in the race including
250,000 at a single event last week, so
He's gonna be our front-runner, but I think Josh Omen's gonna stay in the race
Josh is a you know, he's got a couple advantages. Josh is a younger man
He's 24 years younger than Tiffany and he's got geography on his side
All of the votes in a GOP primary come within a hundred miles of where Josh lives
I just want to stay with you a minute bill and ask you your reaction to your former boss governor
Tommy Thompson once again saying he's seriously considering a run
I think he's misunderstood on that. I love Tommy Thompson. I wouldn't be where I am without him
I think what he really was saying was if these guys don't get out of the blocks
I'll be available. I'll be in the bullpen warming up and that would be next spring
I don't expect that to happen
But I love I hope I have half the energy he has when I get to be 83 years old and I don't expect him to be a candidate
He'll be ready there to wish youngster Joe Biden a happy birthday, right?
I think they know that they're born on this basically on the same day right? Yeah, but the former governor is a year older
I mean
I think the great news about Tom Tiffany being the front runner and he is the front runner and I expect that he will be there
Nominee is that that nationalizes this race because he is so tied to Trump and you know the the definition of fascism is an
authoritarian political ideology
defined by a
Dictatorial leader centralized governor and suppression of opposition that is part and parcel of everything that has happened in these
You know what seems like 10 years, but is really nine months of Trump being in office
They have control of everything they've controlled the Supreme Court. They've control of Congress
They have controlled the executive and they are running the fascist playbook up into and including I watched something on Friday
Where they were they were calling the March planned for October 18th a peaceful March saying no Kings as a terrorist
Outfit this is this is not what America's about and I would say to my democratic friends
If you don't start treating fascism like fascism and calling it out
You can't expect people to see that America is in crisis and that we need to step up and and do something about this
So that we can stop it restore the Constitution restore civil liberties and stop things like maranning ice Gestapo
Disappearing kids in the middle of the night. Nobody on the dem side has Tiffany's record
He was elected to local office to state office state assembly and state Senate and now Congress
So he's eminently qualified. He is a strong consistent conservative. So is josh showman
I think we have an embarrassment of riches on our side and it's gonna play out pretty well
Scott the one candidate that we've mentioned that has not yet entered the race on the democratic side is
Former lieutenant governor Mandela Barnes. What's your take on his entry into the race?
Well, his supporters tell me that he would be the most experienced best campaigner to get in the race if he got in the race
And that he spent since he left office
working to restore democracy protect democracy and lift the lives of others, you know
And I think that you know all of the candidates in this race have some claim to that whether it's David Crowley or Sarah Rodriguez or Kelda Royce
You know they all have that claim that they have stood up for democratic values again
The question for me is who is going to tell it like it is and step up to this threat that America faces because I don't think
We can win the race if we're defined by the feckless politics of Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries
You know what is going on is it's unprecedented in American history
And we have to look at it that way and we have to treat it that way because the people want nothing less than to
Then to make sure that they're up the Constitution's being upheld
Swinging swinging back to the race. Well, what do you think about how formidable Barnes might be?
You got to remember
2022 is one of the best midterms for Democrats since Bill Clinton was in the White House in 1998 and Mandela Barnes lost
This was the first election statewide election post Dobbs. He's one of the few statewide Democrats to lose that night
So we're not afraid of Mandela Barnes being their candidate and to you if you think Tom Tiffany's too conservative
Is he more conservative than Ron Johnson who beat Mandela Barnes? I don't think so
I mean the thing is is that Schumer left Mandela Barnes high and dry for three and a half weeks after the primary where there were no TV ads
From DC coming for Barnes, you know, you know
I don't want to relitigate that campaign
But if you if you allow your opponent to if you allow your opponent to define you you're in a lot of trouble
No, that's what happened in that race
I think it was you know again
It was a it was a tough loss for sure
But it was one that's explainable beyond Mandela's last statewide candidate in Wisconsin that came back from a statewide loss
And one statewide is Bob Caston in 1980. It's been a long long time. Indeed. That's a deep cut nice
I want I wanted to ask you both about the government shutdown and which party you think goes down is being blamed for it
And whether or not that has any kind of political legs
It will I mean next week is payday for a lot of federal employees and it needs to get solved
If Republicans think they're not gonna get blamed for this ultimately they're in charge and I understand the filibuster rule frankly
I would do away with the filibuster if I were John Thune and I would pass the CR today
I think that's their best move and I would be ready with a health care reform bill in the next two weeks
I mean, yeah, yeah, I think I bills right, you know the Republicans are in charge of things and the Republicans own this
But again, let's see what's you know again back to my point two
Centralization of government on Friday
We started to see illegal firings of union and non-union employees in federal government
Those employees will be replaced by Trump partisans again
Remember all this a part of this is about it's taken the it's taken the
Ability of the house to vote to release the Epstein files. They're one vote short
You know Johnson won't appoint
You know won't sit a congressperson who won a special election so that that deciding vote will make this happen
So again, it's all about this is about protecting dear leader and it's about consolidating power
We need to leave it there Scott Ross bill my caution. Thank you very much
You
Know I know I know I was I know I was work
But but dear Bill you you do that and then Bill says well, I think town Tiffany
I know I know I know I'm glad we didn't have to trash the poll because I had to say I was ready. I was ready to say
I mean, you know, I didn't reference it. I don't like so my my thing was just gonna be kissing
You know, I don't want to
Right