ANOTHER STATEWIDE RACE ON THE
DOCKET IN 2022 IS FOR WISCONSIN
ATTORNEY GENERAL.
TWO REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES WILL
FACE OFF IN THE PRIMARY SET IN
THE SPRING OF NEXT YEAR,
INCLUDING UW-MADISON POLITICAL
SCIENCE PROFESSOR RYAN OWENS.
AFTER COMPLETING HIS UNDERGRAD
AND LAW DEGREE AT UW-MADISON,
OWENS GOT HIS PH.D. IN POLITICAL
SCIENCE AT WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
IN ST. LOUIS.
HE WENT ON TO BE A ASSISTANT
PROFESSOR AT HARVARD UNIVERSITY.
HE THEN WENT ON TO WORK IN THE
LEGAL OFFICE OF FORMER GOVERNOR
TOMMY THOMPSON.
LAST WEEK WE HEARD FROM THE
DEMOCRATIC INCUMBENT.
WE WILL HEAR FROM BOTH
REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES ON OUR
PROGRAM.
TONIGHT IT'S RYAN OWENS AND HE
JOINS US FROM WASHINGTON AND,
PROFESSOR, THANKS VERY MUCH FOR
BEING HERE.
>> HAPPY TO BE HERE.
THANKS.
>> SO OUR FIRST QUESTION IS WHY
SHOULD VOTERS ELECT YOU AS
WISCONSIN ATTORNEY GENERAL?
>> WELL, FOR ME, AS I TAKE A
LOOK AT WHAT'S GOING ON IN
WASHINGTON AND WISCONSIN RIGHT
NOW, EXCUSE ME.
I'M IN WASHINGTON.
BUT AS I LOOK AT WHAT'S GOING ON
IN WISCONSIN RIGHT NOW I SEE A
TREMENDOUS LEADERSHIP DEFICIT.
OUR LEADERS OVER THE LAST YEAR
AND A HALF HAVE SHOWED US
BASICALLY FAILURES ON NUMEROUS
LEVELS.
SO WHAT I'M DOING IS GOING
AROUND ASKING PEOPLE IN THE
STATE OF WISCONSIN ARE YOU FREER
TODAY THAN YOU WERE TWO YEARS
AGO?
ARE YOU SAFER THAN YOU WERE TWO
YEARS AGO?
AND ARE YOU MORE PROSPEROUS
TODAY THAN YOU WERE TWO YEARS
AGO?
I THINK THE VAST MAJORITY OF
PEOPLE THAT I'VE SPOKEN TO,
ALMOST ALL OF THEM, HAVE SAID
THAT THEY'RE NOT.
I THINK WE CAN TIE THE ANSWERS
THAT THEY GIVE TO BAD POLICIES
BY THIS ADMINISTRATION.
>> I WANT TO GET TO SOME OF THAT
IN MORE DETAIL, BUT IF YOU COULD
JUST GIVE US A THUMBNAIL OF YOUR
PLATFORM.
>> TAKE A LOOK AT SAFETY, FOR
EXAMPLE.
IN MADISON, WISCONSIN, CRIME IS
UP, HOMICIDES ARE UP 100% THAN
THEY WERE A YEAR AGO.
IN MILWAUKEE WE'RE UP 85% HIGHER
THAN THEY WERE.
AND IN GREEN BAY THEY ARE
DOUBLED FROM WHAT THEY WERE TWO
YEARS AGO.
THIS IS A TREMENDOUS PROBLEM AND
I THINK IT'S TIED DIRECTLY TO
THE ATTORNEY GENERAL'S
LEADERSHIP.
>> ALSO YOU BELIEVE THE SITTING
AG DID NOT DO ENOUGH DURING LAST
SUMMER'S PROTESTS.
WHAT SHOULD HE HAVE DONE?
>> WELL, HONESTLY, THAT'S ONE OF
THE MAJOR REASONS WHY I GOT INTO
THIS, WAS JUST TO SEE THE
LEADERSHIP DEFICIT THERE, WHEN
WE HAD PROTESTORS TEARING DOWN
STATUES IN MADISON.
KENOSHA, WHEN IT WAS BURNING,
LITERALLY ON FIRE, AND OUR
SHERIFFS WERE ASKING THE
ATTORNEY GENERAL FOR ASSISTANCE,
YOU KNOW, HE TOLD THEM I CAN'T
DO THAT BECAUSE IT WILL LOOK
LIKE I'M TAKING SIDES.
>> WHERE DO YOU STAND ON POLICE
REFORM?
>> I THINK THE VAST MAJORITY OF
OUR LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS IN
THIS STATE WAKE UP EVERY MORNING
THINKING HOW THEY CAN HELP OUT
AND BE GOOD STEWARDS OF THE
PUBLIC TRUST.
I DON'T LIKE A NARRATIVE THAT
THEY ARE ALL RACIST.
>> JOSH KAUL STATED HIS TOP
PRIORITY HAS BEEN PUBLIC SAFETY.
HE HAS EXPERIENCED PROSECUTING
VIOLENT CRIMINALS.
HOW DO YOU SEE YOUR WORK AS A
LEGAL SCHOLAR TRANSLATING TO THE
JOB OF BEING THE STATE'S TOP
COP?
>> SURE.
THIS IS ABOUT PRINCIPLES, NOT
POSITION.
I THINK WE NEED TO HAVE PEOPLE
WITH THE RIGHT PRINCIPLES IN
THIS OFFICE.
THE ATTORNEY GENERAL IN HIS PAST
WAS A PROSECUTOR AND I DON'T
THINK THAT'S GOTTEN US VERY FAR.
HE HAS FAILED TO DO THE HARD
WORK, TO WORK WITH LAW
ENFORCEMENT ON THE GROUND.
THE OTHER THING THAT PEOPLE NEED
TO KNOW ABOUT THIS POSITION IS
IT IS SUBSTANTIALLY CRIMINAL,
BUT THERE IS ALSO A SUBSTANTIAL
AMOUNT OF CIVIL WORK.
WHO IS GOING TO DEFEND
WISCONSIN'S INTEREST AT THE
FEDERAL LEVEL RIGHT NOW?
I WILL.
WE NEED SOMEONE WHO WILL RIDE
HERD OVER THE ADMINISTRATIVE
BRANCH IN WISCONSIN.
THAT IS AN IMPORTANT POSITION
FOR THE ATTORNEY GENERAL.
>> YOU BELIEVE PUBLIC HEALTH'S
RESPONSE TO THE PANDEMIC
REPRESENTS, QUOTE, GOVERNOR
OVERREACH AND UNDUE
RESTRICTIONS.
BUT AS THE NATION NOW GRAPPLES
WITH THE DELTA VARIANT, DO YOU
BELIEVE THAT INDIVIDUAL FREEDOMS
EXTEND TO THE RIGHT TO
POTENTIALLY INFECT OTHER PEOPLE
WITH A POTENTIALLY DEADLY VIRUS?
>> WELL, I THINK THAT WHAT WE
SAW OVER THE LAST YEAR AND A
HALF WAS TREMENDOUS OVERREACH AT
MULTIPLE DIMENSIONS.
AND I THINK THAT'S A PROBLEM.
CERTAINLY HERE IN WISCONSIN IF
YOU TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT THIS
ATTORNEY GENERAL DID NOT DO, HE
DID NOT CHECK THE GOVERNOR'S
OFFICE WHEN THE GOVERNOR WAS
SEEKING UNCONSTITUTIONAL
RESTRICTIONS ON PEOPLE.
OUR STATE SUPREME STRUCK THAT
DOWN.
HE OUGHT TO HAVE STOOD UP FOR
OUR RIGHTS AND LIBERTIES.
HE FAILED TO DO THAT.
WE NEED AN ATTORNEY GENERAL WHO
WILL SAY IF YOU BELIEVE IN THE
SCIENCE, PUT THE MONEY WHERE
YOUR MOUTH IS, AN ATTORNEY
GENERAL WHO WILL TELL THE
GOVERNOR YOU HAVE TO SHOW US
WHERE YOU HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO
DO THAT AND IT HAS TO PASS THE
TEST.
THIS ATTORNEY GENERAL ALLOWED
THE GOVERNOR TO PROCEED WITH
POWERS THAT WERE
UNCONSTITUTIONAL AND DID NOTHING
TO CHECK THEM.
>> WHAT ABOUT THAT QUESTION,
THOUGH?
DO YOU BELIEVE THAT INDIVIDUAL
FREEDOMS EXTEND TO THE RIGHT TO
POTENTIALLY INFECT OTHER PEOPLE
WITH A POTENTIALLY DEADLY VIRUS
BY NOT BEING VACCINATED OR NOT
MASKING?
>> I THINK WE'VE GOT TO HAVE AN
ATTORNEY GENERAL INVOLVED IN
THOSE COMMUNICATIONS TO FIGURE
OUT WHAT'S LEGAL AND WHAT'S NOT
AND MAKE SURE THAT WE PROCEED IN
AN ADULT VERSION HERE THAT
RECOGNIZES OUR FREEDOMS, OR OUR
SAFETY AND OUR PROSPERITY
WITHOUT GOING KNEE-JERK LOCKING
EVERYTHING DOWN.
>> WE LEAVE IT THERE.
RYAN OWENS