>> THANK YOU.
I'M GLAD TO TALK TO YOU.
HAVE A GOOD DAY.
>> ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE
AISLE, DEMOCRATIC SENATOR MARK
SPREITZER CALLS IT DISINGENUOUS
FOR REPUBLICANS TO OPPOSE THE
PLAN AFTER YEARS OF FIGHTING
NON-PARTISAN REDISTRICTING.
HE JOINS US FROM BELOIT.
SENATOR, THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
>> SO IS IT NOT DISINGENUOUS FOR
DEMOCRATS TO NOW OPPOSE THIS
AFTER CALLING FOR NON-PARTISAN
REDISTRICTING OVER THE YEARS
YOURSELVES?
>> NO.
WE STILL SUPPORT NON-PARTISAN
REDISTRICTING.
IN FACT, NON-PARTISAN
REDISTRICTING WAS THE VERY FIRST
BILL THAT I AUTHORED AS A STATE
REPRESENTATIVE IN 2015 AND I
STILL SUPPORT IT, BUT THERE'S
SOME CRITICAL DIFFERENCES
BETWEEN WHAT YOU SUPPORTED AND
THE BILL THAT ROBIN VOS IS
PROPOSING AND ALSO THE BILL WAS
NEVER INTENDED TO FIX AN
UNDERLYING REPUBLICAN
GERRYMANDER.
IT WAS FOR THE REDRAW OF MAPS
AFTER THE CENSUS AND THE BILL
FIRE MARSHINFRONT OF US DOESN'TG
TO GET RID OF THE CURRENT
GERRYMANDER THAT WE'RE STUCK
WITH.
IF THERE WAS A STALEMATE, WE
WOULD DEFAULT TO THE MAP WE HAVE
NOW.
AFTER THE CENSUS, YOU GO TO
COURT BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO REDRAW
THE MAPS.
RIGHT NOW, WE HAVE A GERRYMANDER
WE HAVE TO GET RID OF AND THIS
BILL DOESN'T DO THAT.
>> WOULD YOU BE AT ALL IN FAVOR
OF ANY BILL THAT WOULD BE COMING
OUT OF THE ASSEMBLY RIGHT NOW
THAT DEALT WITH SOME OF THESE
ISSUES AS THIS BILL DOES?
>> I DON'T THINK THIS IS A
SERIOUS EFFORT BY REPUBLICANS.
I DON'T THINK ROBIN VOS WOKE UP
TUESDAY MORNING AND DECIDED THAT
AFTER MORE THAN A DECADE, HE
SUDDENLY SUPPORTS GETTING RID OF
GERRYMANDERING.
I THINK THIS IS A PLOY TO TRY TO
KEEP HIS CURRENT GERRYMANDER.
BUT IF WE WERE LOOKING AT
SOMETHING SERIOUS, IT WOULD HAVE
TO START BY MAKING SURE THAT THE
CURRENT MAP CANNOT BE USED IN
ANY FUTURE ELECTIONS, THAT THE
ODD NUMBER OF SENATORS LIKE
MYSELF WOULD HAVE TO RUN ON THE
NEW MAP IN 2024 AND NOT WAIT
UNTIL 2026, AND YOU HAVE TO HAVE
SOME SORT OF GUARANTEE THAT YOU
ACTUALLY HAVE LIKE A
THREE-FOURTHS SUPERMAJORITY THAT
WOULD BE ENACTING ANY MAPS THAT
DEVIATE FROM WHAT IS PROPOSED ON
THE FIRST TWO ATTEMPTS AND
REQUIRING THE BIPARTISANSHIP,
THAT COULD BE ONE LEGISLATOR WHO
EITHER DECIDES TO SWITCH PARTIES
OR ONE DEMOCRAT WHO WANTS TO
DEFECT BECAUSE THEY WANT TO SAVE
DISTRICT.
THAT'S NOT WHAT VOTERS WANT.
VOTERS DON'T HAVE THEM VOTING
DISTRICTS AND VOTING FOR MAPS
THAT WILL BENEFIT THEM.
THEY WANT FAIR MAPS THAT ARE
NON-PARTISAN AND THAT SEARCH ART
DRAWN BY POLITICIANS, AND THIS
DOESN'T GIVE US THAT.
>> DO YOU THINK IF THE
THREE-QUARTERS APPROVAL OF
MEMBERS WOULD BE REQUIRED TO
PASS THEM?
>> YOU NEED THE THREE-QUARTERS,
BUT AS I SAID, YOU'D VO NEED A
GUARANTEE THAT THE CURRENT MAP
BE THROWN OUT AND THAT THE
ENTIRE SENATE WOULD HAVE TO RUN
NEXT YEAR, AND I DON'T THINK
THAT'S SOMETHING REPUBLICANS ARE
GOING TO BE WILLING TO DO
BECAUSE I THINK THOUGH JUST WANT
TO QUIROGA THEIR JERRY -- THEY
WANT TO KEEP THEIR GERRYMANDERED
MAPS.
>> SO POSSIBLY A RHETORICAL
QUESTION, HOW LIKELY IS IT THAT
THE GOVERNOR WOULD SIGN THIS?
>> I DON'T THINK THE GOVERNOR
WILL SIGN THIS.
I DON'T THINK DEMOCRATS ARE
GOING TO SUPPORT THIS BECAUSE I
DON'T THINK THIS IS REAL.
I THINK THIS IS AN ATTEMPT TO
DISTRACT FROM ROBIN VOS'S
IMPEACHMENT THREATS AGAINST
JANET PROTASIEWICZ WHICH
ESSENTIALLY AMOUNT TO EXTORTION
BECAUSE HE'S TRYING TO INFLUENCE
HER ACTION IN A CASE THAT HE'S
ACTUALLY A PARTY TO THROUGH THE
LEGISLATURE, AND I THINK ALSO
THAT IT'S AN ATTEMPTS TO DELAY
THE LAWSUIT THAT IS ACTUALLY
SEEKING TO THROW OUT THE CURRENT
GERRYMANDER, GET FAIR MAPS IN
PLACE FOR NEXT YEAR, AND SET A
STANDARD CONSTITUTIONALLY
AGAINST PARTISAN GERRYMANDERING.
SO I HOPE THAT LAWSUIT PROCEEDS
AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.
ANYTHING THAT TRIES TO DISTRACT
FROM THAT OR DELAY IT IS A
MISTAKE AND IS NOT GOING TO LEAD
TO FAIR MAPS.
>> SO SPEAKER VOS SAYS THAT HE
REMAINS CONVINCED THAT THE
REASON REPUBLICANS WIN ELECTIONS
IS NOT BECAUSE OF THE DISTRICT
MAPS, BUT BECAUSE HE SAYS THEY
HAVE A BETTER MESSAGE, BETTER
CANDIDATES AND A BETTER
ORGANIZATION.
WHAT'S YOUR RESPONSE TO THAT?
>> THAT'S SIMPLY NOT TRUE, WHEN
YOU LOOK AT WHERE GOVERNOR EVERS
WON DISTRICTS WHERE TAMMY
BALDWIN HAS WON DISTRICTS, WHERE
JANET PROTASIEWICZ HAS WON
DISTRICTS, YOU KNOW, EVEN IN
LANDSLIDES LIKE TIM A TIMMY BALH
WIN HAS WON, THAT WOULD BARELY
GET TO A LEGISLATIVE SEATS AND
TONY EVERS WON ABOUT THE SAME AS
DEMOCRATS DID WHILE WINNING
STATEWIDE, SO THERE'S A CLEAR
DISCONNECT BETWEEN THE
LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT MAP AND HOW
DEMOCRATS PERFORM IN STATEWIDE
ELECTIONS.
THE FACT THAT WE'VE BEEN WINNING
MOST OF THE STATEWIDE ELECTIONS
FOR YEARS NOW MEANS THAT OUR
IDEAS ARE POPULAR AND IT'S THE
LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT MAPS THAT
ARE KEEPING US FROM GETTING NEAR
A MAJORITY IN THE STATE
LEGISLATURE.
>> WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF REPORTS
THAT SPEAKER VOS IS SEEKING
CONSULT FROM FORMER JUSTICES ON
WHAT IT KIND OF TAKES TO IMPEACH
A JUSTICE?
>> WELL, CLEARLY, SPEAKER VOS IS
TRYING TO STACK THE DECK WITH
CONSERVATIVE FORMER JUSTICES
THAT HE THINKS WILL TELL HIM
WHAT HE WANTS TO HEAR.
WE CERTAINLY NEED TO KNOW WHO
THOSE THREE JUSTICES ARE BESIDES
DAVID PROSSER, WHO HAS SAID HE
IS PART OF THAT GROUP, AND DAVID
IS SOMEBODY WHO HAS TAKEN
REPUBLICAN DONATIONS BACK WHEN
HE WAS ON THE COURT AND BE
DIDN'T RECUSE HIMSELF.
HE'S SOMEBODY WHO DONATED TO
JANET PROTASIEWICZ'S OPPONENTS
SO CERTAINLY IF HE WERE BEING
HONEST HERE, HE WOULD SAY SHE
DOESN'T NEED TO RECUSE AND THERE
ARE NO GROUNDS FOR IMPEACHMENT,
BUT THE FACT THAT HE JUST
SUPPORTED HER OPPONENT IN APRIL,
I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S GOING TO
INFLUENCE WHAT ADVICE HE GIVES
ROBIN VOS.
>> WE HAVE A HALF MINUTE LEFT.
WHAT'S YOUR OPINION ON ELECTIONS
TO FIRE SENATE FAIR MEAGAN
WOLFE.
>> IT HAS NO FORCE.
MEAGAN WOLFE IS STILL THE
ADMINISTRATOR OF THE WISCONSIN
ELECTIONS COMMISSION AND SHE
WILL BE AS LONG AS THE
BIPARTISAN COMMISSION WANTS HER
THERE.
>> ALL RIGHT.
SENATOR MARK SPREITZER, THANKS
VERY MUCH.
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
>> NEXT WEEK, WE BEGIN
PRESENTING STORIES FROM OUR
WISCONSIN IN BLACK AND WHITE
BROADCAST SPECIAL COMING IN
OCTOBER.
FOR A SNEAK PEEK, VISIT OUR