A STRONG ECONOMY. >> IN ADDITION TO THE TAX CUT
PROPOSAL AND A BILL BANNING ABORTIONS AFTER 14 WEEKS,
LEGISLATIVE REPUBLICANS PASSED A NEW REDISTRICTING PLAN, MAPS
THAT MIRROR THE ONE SUBMITTED BY GOVERNOR EVERS WITH CHANGES TO
PROTECT INCUMBENTS. UNDER THE EVERS MAP, REPUBLICAN
WOULD HAVE A MAJORITY IN THE ASSEMBLY AND A 17-16 EDGE IN THE
SENATE BUT VOS SAID UNDER THOSE MAPS, 30 REPUBLICANS WOULD BE
PAIRED AGAINST ONE ANOTHER COMPARED WITH JUST TWO
DEMOCRATS. >> UNDER THE MAP THAT WE'RE VOTING ON TODAY, WITH THE SMALL
TWEAKS FOR FIVE MEMBERS, THE GOVERNOR IS GETTING 99% OF WHAT
HE ASKED FOR. 99%. AND ACTUALLY THE MAP THAT WE'RE
VOTING ON TODAY DISENFRANCHISES FEWER PEOPLE THAN THE GOVERNOR'S
MAP BECAUSE WE REUNITE A COUPLE OF THE LEGISLATORS WITH THEIR
COMMUNITIES AND UNDO THE MOST EGREGIOUS POLITICAL GERRYMANDERS
IN THIS MAP. >> LACROSSE POLITICAL SCIENCE
PROFESSOR ANTHONY CHERGOSKY WAS AT THE CAPITOL AS ALL OF THIS
WAS UNFOLDING. HE JOINS US NOW FOR HIS TAKE.
PROFESSOR, THANK YOU FOR BEING WITH US. >> THANK YOU.
>> SO AS WE'VE SAID, SINCE WE LAST TALKED, BOTH THE SENATE AND
THE ASSEMBLY PASSED THIS NEW REDISTRICTING PROPOSAL THAT
MIRRORS GOVERNOR EVERS' MAPS WITH WHAT THEY CALL MINUSCULE
CHANGES TO PROTECT SOME OF THE INCUMBENTS IN THE STATEMENT
DISTRICTS. WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THE
REPUBLICANS' MOVE HERE? >> WELL, I THINK IT'S PRETTY
SIGNIFICANT CHANGES WHEN THE MAPS ARE BEING ADJUSTED TO
PRACTICALLY INCUMBENTS. PART OF THIS IS ABOUT
SELF-PRESERVATION. IF TWO INCUMBENTS ARE RUNNING AGAINST ONE ANOTHER, THEN ONLY
ONE INCUMBENT CAN WIN AND THAT MEANS THAT A SUBSTANTIAL NUMBER
OF INCUMBENTS COULD BE LEFT OUT OF A JOB AFTER THE 2024 ELECTION
CYCLE IS COMPLETED. SO I THINK THE ABILITY TO REMAIN
IN OFFICE IS CERTAINLY TOP OF MIND FOR LEGISLATORS.
IN ADDITION, THE INCUMBENCY ADVANTAGE STILL MATTERS.
THE INCUMBENCY IS NOT WHAT IT USED TO BE, BUT STILL,
INCUMBENTS DO HAVE CERTAIN ADVANTAGES IN TERMS OF
FUNDRAISING, IN TERMS OF NAME RECOGNITION, IN TERMS OF THE
CONNECTIONS AND THE INCREDIBILITY THEY'VE BUILT WITH
VOTERS. SO THE MORE INCUMBENTS ARE ON THE BALLOT FOR REPUBLICANS, THE
BETTER THE PARTY AS A WHOLE COULD DO.
I'M NOT SURPRISED THAT REPUBLICAN LEADERS WANT TO
PROTECT THEIR INCUMBENTS AND ENSURE THAT AS MANY OF THEIR
INCUMBENTS AS POSSIBLE CAN BE ON THE NOVEMBER BALLOT.
>> BUT MEANWHILE, EVERS SAYS HE WILL ALMOST CERTAINLY VETO THE
LATEST REPUBLICAN PROPOSAL AND THAT HAD TO BE EXPECTED ON THE
PART OF THE LEGISLATIVE REPUBLICAN LEADERS.
SO KIND OF WHY GO THROUGH THAT EXERCISE?
>> I THINK FOR EVERS, HE UNDERSTANDS THAT THESE CHANGES
ARE INDEED SUBSTANTIAL. ALLOWING MORE INCUMBENTS TO RUN
FOR OFFICE IN 2024 COULD HAVE SIGNIFICANT EFFECTS ON THE
ELECTION OUTCOMES. MEANWHILE, REPUBLICANS UNDERSTAND THAT AS WELL.
THEY WANT TO PROTECT THEIR INCUMBENTS.
THEY KNOW THAT THE MORE INCUMBENTS ON THE BALLOT, THE
BETTER THEIR PARTY IS TO DO. IF REPUBLICANS DON'T HAVE MANY
INCUMBENTS WHO ARE ABLE TO RUN IN NOVEMBER 2024 DUE TO NEW
MAPS, THEN IT'S GOING TO TAKE A LOT OF WORK FOR CANDIDATE
RECRUITMENT, IT'S GOING TO TAKE A LOT OF FUNDRAISING EFFORT,
IT'S GOING TO TAKE A LOT OF WORK TO BUILD NAME RECOGNITION FOR A
NEW BATCH OF CANDIDATES. REPUBLICANS UNDOUBTEDLY WANT
INCUMBENTS TO BE ABLE TO RUN IN NOVEMBER 2024.
OF COURSE, CERTAIN INCUMBENTS WILL NOT BE ABLE TO RUN, BUT THE
MORE INCUMBENTS REPUBLICANS CAN HAVE ON THE BALLOT, THE BETTER
FOR THEM. >> SO SPEAKER VOS DESCRIBED THIS
AS MINUSCULE CHANGES AND 99% OF WHAT THE GOVERNOR WANTED IN HIS
MAPS THINKING PERHAPS HE WOULD SIGN THEM.
IS THERE PROPOSAL A HEDGE AGAINST SUPREME COURT CHOOSING A
MAP THAT'S EVEN MORE ADVANTAGEOUS TO DEMOCRATS OR ONE
OF ITS OWN, WHICH IS KIND OF UNKNOWN AT THIS POINT?
>> YOU'RE RIGHT. RIGHT NOW, I THINK UNKNOWN IS
THE KEY WORD. WE'RE DEALING WITH A PERIOD OF
UNCERTAINTY REGARDING THE ONGOING COURT CHALLENGE TO THE
MAPS BECAUSE WE DON'T KNOW HOW THE CONSULTANTS HIRED BY THE
WISCONSIN STATE SUPREME COURT ARE GOING TO COME DOWN ON THE
MAPS THAT HAVE BEEN PROPOSED, THE CONSULTANTS COULD PICK ONE
OF THE MAPS, THEY COULD DRAW THEIR OWN MAPS.
RIGHT NOW THERE'S A LOT OF UNCERTAINTY HANGING OVER THE
CAPITOL WHEN WE THINK ABOUT THE LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT MAPS FOR
2024 AND UNCERTAINTY MAKES POLITICIANS NERVOUS BY DRAWING
THE MAPS THEMSELVES, THEY CAN BRING SOME CERTAINTY BACK INTO
THE EQUATION, BUT IF THIS CONTINUES TO WORK ITS WAY
THROUGH THE COURTS, THE NAME OF THE GAME IS GOING TO BE
UNCERTAINTY AT LEAST UNTIL THE WISCONSIN STATE SUPREME COURT
SETTLES ON A MAP AND UNTIL ALL LEGAL CHALLENGES HAVE BEEN
EXHAUSTED. >> BRIEFLY, ALL OF THIS WAS
HAPPENING KIND OF AT THE SAME TIME THAT GOVERNOR EVERS WAS IN
THE SPOTLIGHT FOR HIS STATE-OF-THE STATE ADDRESS.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT GOVERNOR EVERS DID NOT DISCUSS THERE WAS
TAX CUTS AT THE SAME TIME THAT THE REPUBLICANS CAME OUT WITH
THIS TAX CUT PROPOSAL THAT WOULD SEEM TO BE MORE AMENABLE TO WHAT
THE GOVERNOR MIGHT WANT. WHY TRY TO WORK WITH HIM ON THAT
NOW, OR IS THAT WHAT'S HAPPENING?
>> REPUBLICANS WANT THINGS TO RUN ON IN NOVEMBER OF 2024.
THEY NEED THINGS TO PUT ON THEIR CAMPAIGN BROCHURES, THEY NEED
THINGS TO MENTION WHEN THEY'RE KNOCKING ON DOORS.
SO REPUBLICANS ARE LOOKING TO RACK UP SOME ACHIEVEMENTS AND
THEY MIGHT BE ABLE TO MEET THE GOVERNOR HALFWAY ON TAXES.
WE'LL HAVE TO SEE HOW THAT PANS OUT. THE GOVERNOR DID NOT MENTION
TAXES IN HIS STATE OF THE STATE BUT I THINK COMPROMISE ON THAT
ISSUE IS POSSIBLE. COMPROMISES ON OTHER ISSUES LIKE
ABORTION, NOT SO POSSIBLE. >> THAT'S FOR SURE.