PBSWISCONSIN.ORG/NEWS.
SO THE RED TSUNAMI DID NOT
MATERIALIZE.
TONY EVERS WON AND SO DID RON
JOHNSON.
HOW TO PARTISANS FEEL ABOUT THE
RESULTS?
WE TURN TO THE POLITICAL
PANELIST, BILL McCOSHEN, A
CONSULTANT, AND DEMOCRAT, SCOT
ROSS.
THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
>> THANKS FOR HAVING US.
>> THANK YOU.
>> Frederica: WHAT'S YOUR
REACTION,, AND SKOT, TO THE
ELECTION?
>> EVERS' MANDATE NOW MEANS WE
MOVE FORWARD.
DEMOCRACY WAS ON THE THE BALLOT,
ABORTION, AND FREEDOM ON THE
BALLOT, AND THE PEOPLE RESPONDED
AND SAID THEY WANTED THE
DEMOCRATIC WAY.
THEY WANTED EVERS IN THERE TO
MAKE SURE FREEDOMS ARE
PROTECTED.
WE'LL HAVE FREE AND FAIR
ELECTIONS FROM NOW ON.
LET'S SEE IF THE REPUBLICANS CAN
JOIN US IN THE MANDATE AND MOVE
THE STATE FORWARD.
>> Frederica: BILL, WHAT WAS
YOUR ANSWER?
>> LIKE A YOUTH SOCCER
TOURNAMENT, EVERYONE GOT A
TROPHY, REPUBLICANS WON THE
SENATE RACE, TREASURER'S RACE,
3rd CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT,
AND GOT SEATS IN THE ASSEMBLY
AND SENATE.
THERE ARE BIG WINS ON THE
REPUBLICAN SIDE ON TUESDAY NIGHT
AS WELL.
GRANTED, THERE WERE SOME
SIGNIFICANT DEMOCRATIC WINS.
LOSING THE GOVERNORSHIP AND AG'S
RACE, AND THIS POLITICAL CLIMATE
IS A MASSIVE MISSED OPPORTUNITY
FOR REPUBLICANS.
THERE'S NO DOUBT ABOUT THAT.
>> Frederica: YOU SPOKE, BILL,
TO LESSONS LEARNED AFTER THE
DEFEAT OF YOUR CANDIDATE, TIM
MICHAELS, LIKE WHAT?
>> WELL, I THINK, NUMBER ONE, IS
MONEY, RIGHT?
YOU NEED MONEY, ORGANIZATION,
AND MESSAGE TO WIN STATEWIDE,
AND, YOU KNOW, TIM WAS MASSIVELY
OUTSPENT, AND AT THE END OF THE
DAY, MONEY MATTERS.
YOU CAN'T GET OUTSPENT
$12 MILLION TO $20 MILLION AND
HOPE TO COMPETE IN THE STATE OF
WISCONSIN.
I THINK THAT WAS ONE THING.
ON THE GROUND, I GIVE DEMOCRATS
THE CREDIT.
THEY ACTUALLY HAD A VERY
STRATEGIC GROUND,
MICROTARGETTING EFFORT ON CAMPUS
ACROSS THE STATE, WHICH,
FRANKLY, MADE THE 3rd
CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT CLOSER
THAN MOST THOUGHT IT WOULD BE
AND TARGET THE YOUNG PEOPLE ON
ABORTION.
GEN-Z IS THE ONLY DEMOGRAPHIC
THAT VOTE FOR DEMOCRATS IN
OVERWHELMING NUMBERS TUESDAY
NIGHT.
EVERYONE ELSE VOTED REPUBLICAN.
DEMOCRATS UNDERSTAND WHERE THEY
WERE AND HOW TO IDENTIFY THEM
AND GET THEM OUT.
>> Frederica: YOU SPOKE TO THE
IDEAS OF DANE COUNTY AS THE
POWER HOUSE, WHICH, PERHAPS,
THAT CAME PAIN, THE TIM
MICHAELS' CAMPAIGN, DID NOT PAY
ATTENTION TO.
>> I'M A BROKEN RECORD ON THIS
AND SAID IT FOR 20 YEARS.
WHEN MARK NEWMAN LOSS IN 1998 BY
90,000 VOTES, BELLS SHOULD HAVE
BEEN GOING OFF FOR EVERY
REPUBLICAN.
THEY WERE NOT.
EVERS BEAT MICHAELS BY 173,000
VOTES TUESDAY NIGHT, ABOUT
INSURMOUNTABLE.
RON JOHNSON WAS ABLE TO OVERCOME
IT IN LARGE MEASURE DEFINING
BARNES ON THE TERMS HE WANTED
HIM DEFINED.
WE'LL COME BACK TO THAT, BUT
DANE COUNTY NEEDS TO BE A HIGHER
PRIORITY FOR REPUBLICANS IF THEY
EVER WANT TO WIN THE
GOVERNORSHIP AGAIN.
>> Frederica: SCOT, YOUR TAKE
AWAY FOR THE CLOSE LOSS?
>> REASON DANE COUNTY VOTES
DEMOCRAT DEMOCRATIC IS THEY
REFLECT THE VALUES, AND
REPUBLICANS ARE GOING TO HAVE TO
CHANGE STRIPES TO MAKE END ROADS
IN DANE COUNTY.
STARTING THERE.
VERY DISAPPOINTING.
YOU KNOW, BARNES KEPT HANGING
WITH WISCONSIN, AND IT IS
UNFORTUNATE WHAT HAPPENED,
WHICH, YOU KNOW, TALKING ABOUT
THE MONEY, BARNES OUTSPENT BY
$29 MILLION.
I DON'T THINK WE CAN, YOU KNOW,
UNDERSTATE THE SIGNIFICANCE OF
DIANE AND THE LINES.
THEY GOT $500 MILLION FROM RON
JOHNSON IN A PERSONAL TAX BREAK
EXTORTED PUBLICLY FOR THEM AND
WENT ON TO BASICALLY FINANCE
HALF OF THE EFFORT, YOU KNOW,
AGAINST BARNES FOR RON JOHNSON.
I THINK THAT'S JUST SHOCKING.
>> Frederica: IN MILWAUKEE
COUNTY, TURNOUT WAS DOWN FROM
2018.
WHAT'S THAT ABOUT?
>> I MEAN, I THINK, YOU KNOW,
YOU HAVE TO MAKE SURE YOU GET
VOTERS OUT TO THE POLLS.
MILWAUKEE DOES A GOOD JOB OF IT.
YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES YOU ARE
SHORT, THOUGH, AND I THINK, YOU
KNOW, DEPENDING ON THE BREEZE,
YOU KNOW, THIS WAS THE CLOSEST
SENATE RACE I CAN REMEMBER OR --
>> FIRST TIME IN HISTORY BOTH
STATEWIDE RACES WITHIN 3%.
FIRST TIME IN HISTORY.
>> AND WE HAVE TO GO BACK TO
1998 FOR A U.S. SENATE RACE THAT
CLOSE, AND SO, YOU KNOW, I THINK
IF THE BREEZE BLOWS DIFFERENT ON
ELECTION DAY, BARNES IS U.S.
SENATOR ELECT.
>> THREE OF US ARE OLD ENOUGH TO
REPUBLICAN WHEN WISCONSIN SPLIT
THE TICKET A LOT.
IN THE 1990s A LOT, 1998,
GOVERNOR WON WITH 60%, AND
FINEGOLD BEAT NEWMAN.
>> ONLY BY 37,000 VOTES.
>> THAT WAS THE LAST TIME, 24
YEARS AGO SPLITTING THE TICKET
AT THE TOP.
>> Frederica: YOU TALKED ABOUT
REPUBLICANS, BILL, FINDING A
DIFFERENT CANDIDATE TO APPEAL TO
SUBURBAN VOTERS.
IS IT THE ALLURE OF DONALD TRUMP
OVER?
>> I THINK IT'S OVER.
I THINK THE PARTY'S READY TO
LOOK FORWARD, NOT BACKWARDS,
AND, YOU KNOW, HOPEFUL PRESIDENT
TRUMP DOES NOT ANNOUNCE FOR THE
WHITE HOUSE NEXT WEEK BECAUSE I
THINK THAT DISRUPTS WHAT'S GOING
ON IN THE STATE OF GEORGIA, AND
I THINK GEORGIA SHOULD BE
REPUBLICAN'S SOLE FOCUS FOR NEXT
30 DAYS, AND ANYTHING IN THE WAY
OF THAT SHOULD BE SHUNNED BY
VOTERS, AND I THINK YOU SEE HIS
RECENT ATTACK ON RON DeSANTIS
THIS WEEK THAT REPUBLICANS ARE
PUSHING BACK IN A BIG WAY.
I -- DONALD TRUMP MAY, IN FACT,
GET IN THE RACE, BUT IT'S NOT A
GIVEN HE'S THE NOMINEE.
>> Frederica: SCOT, HOW DO
DEMOCRATS RECLAIM SUPPORT OF
RURAL VOTERS?
>> THEY HAD IT IN LA CROSSE AND
O'CLAIRE, CARRYING A LOT OF THE
COUNTIES, YOU KNOW, THAT HE
CARRIED LAST TIME.
I DON'T THINK DEMOCRATS HAVE A
RURAL REPUBLICAN, BUT
REPUBLICANS HAVE A SUBURBAN
PROBLEM, THE DARK RED WOW
COUNTIES ARE MOVING TOWARDS
DEMOCRATS, AND, YOU KNOW, THAT'S
WHERE WE ARE AT.
>> Frederica: I JUST WANT TO
SPIN NOW TO THE NEXT BIG RACE IN
WISCONSIN, STATE SUPREME COURT
RACE.
WHAT'S THE STAKES, BILL?
>> HUGE.
4-3 CONSERVATIVE MAJORITY, BRIAN
SWINGS BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN
THE TWO BLOCKS OF THREE, AND SO
IT'S NOT DECIDEDLY CONSERVATIVE.
THIS IS A CONSERVATIVE SEAT
THAT'S UP, AND I THINK THE
STAKES ARE VERY, VERY HIGH, AND
THERE'S AT LEAST ONE
CONSERVATIVE CANDIDATE IN
ALREADY, FORMER SUPREME COURT
JUSTICE DAN KELLY, FAIRLY
CONFIDENT THERE'S GOING TO BE
ANOTHER POSSIBLY JUDGE DORREL
BEFORE THE END OF NOVEMBER.
>> Frederica: SCOT?
>> COUPLE THINGS, ONE, BRIAN'S
DONE WITH HIS SWING DANCE PARTY,
LIKE, IT'S OVER, HE'S WITH THE
REPUBLICANS FROM HERE ON NOW.
SECOND THING IS, PROGRESSIVES
HAVE AN INCREDIBLE OPPORTUNITY,
EVER SINCE MIKE GABLEMAN WON IN
2008, THE SUPREME COURT'S BEEN
CONTROLLED BY REPUBLICANS.
YOU KNOW, DEMOCRATS HAVE A
FANTASTIC OPPORTUNITY.
I THINK THEY'LL SEIZE IT.
I DON'T THINK ANY OTHER ROM
REPUBLICANS GET IN.
>> Frederica: WE LEAVE IT
THERE, BILL McCOSHEN, SCOT
ROSS, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
>> THANK YOU.
>> Frederica: FOR MORE ON THIS
AND OTHER ISSUES, GO TO