The following program is a PBS Wisconsin Original
production Menasha. >> I know that things are
incredibly difficult right now. There's so much loss
in this moment. >> Tornadoes and severe
weather devastate communities in eastern
Wisconsin. >> Now, while they be
suspending this campaign, I'll never give up my fight
for Wisconsin. >> And the hits keep coming
in the Democratic primary race for governor as a
leading candidate suddenly drops out. I'm Frederica
Freyberg. Tonight on here. And now we dig into the
latest with the Democratic candidates for governor and
the abrupt departure from a leading candidate. The
mayor of Menasha is with us on how his area is coping
after devastating storms. [MUSIC]
Murv Seymour reports from ground Zero, where Corey
Ruiz was killed by a police officer, and the community
is building support and election officials go head
to head with prediction market giants.
[MUSIC] It's "Here& Now" for July
31st. >> Funding for Here and Now
is provided by the Focus Fund for Journalism and
Friends of PBS Wisconsin. >> Bombshell news in the
Democratic primary for governor. Former Lieutenant
Governor Mandela Barnes dropped out of the race
yesterday. Here to unpack the news. U.A.W. La Crosse
Professor of Political Science Anthony Chergosky.
And thanks very much for being here. Thank you. So
first of all, what's your reaction?
>> Just another plot twist in this campaign. I mean,
for months and months, Fred, there wasn't much happening
in the Democratic primary. Not a lot of activity, not
a lot of voter attention. And now in the month of
July, everything has happened all at once. And
so it's just been a flurry of fast moving political
developments all leading up to that key primary
election. Barnes was polling second
to Francesca Hong and had solid name recognition from
his run for Senate against Ron Johnson. What is afoot
here? >> Yeah. I mean, he did
have excellent name recognition coming into the
campaign. He had a national donor base that he could
draw on. But ultimately, it seemed like he just wasn't
able to catch up to Hong. It's worth noting, Fred,
that during the debate this week, he did not directly
go after Hong. He did not go negative on Hong. If
anything, Barnes was more focused on David Crowley
than he was the front runner. To me, it
symbolized how Barnes just couldn't quite get going in
this campaign. I think he started the campaign in
general election mode, really focusing on Tom
Tiffany more than his Democratic opponents. But
that might have been a misstep because while he
was trying to portray a sense of inevitability
around his nomination, Francesca Hong was quietly
building a lead. >> But if Barnes dropping
out had anything to do with the Journal Sentinel
reporting about him using his political influence to
basically get dates, though nothing criminal reported
there, he would have known that that was out there,
but he must have considered it not to be disqualifying.
>> Yeah, it's one of the mysteries of this campaign.
Like, why did this come out now? Not to mention, Fred,
why did this not come out during the 2022 U.S. Senate
race? I mean, Barnes's whole argument behind why
he could be electable this time around was that all
the bad stuff was out on the table. The 2022 U.S.
Senate campaign was a brutal, negative campaign
that had revealed all of the bad stuff, and so there
would be nothing new this time around. Turns out that
wasn't true. And so it just undermines one of the
justifications for his candidacy and one of the
arguments he made in favor of his electability.
>> And yet. And yet what's being reported and was
reportedly kind of investigated by the state
Democratic Party, it seems thin.
>> You know, it really raises the question to me
what his future might hold in the Wisconsin Democratic
Party, like how people within the party are going
to view this report, what came out in the Journal
Sentinel, the investigation that was conducted by the
party, what his future might hold in light of this
report, plus his two unsuccessful runs for
office. >> So Barnes dropping out,
where does it leave the remaining candidates,
including Evers, endorsed Milwaukee County Executive
David Crowley. >> Yeah, I mean, for David
Crowley, the question is, if he can get some of those
Barnes supporters and if he can quickly catch up to
Francesca Hong because the clock is ticking and poll
after poll shows that Hong is the front runner now. I
can see signs that Hong is already subtly pivoting to
the general election. She got through the debate just
fine. I was stunned that she did not have any of her
opponents go after her during the debate. I'm sure
her team was elated that she got through the debate
unscathed, because I thought that was the last
and best opportunity for her opponents to shake up
the campaign. So I was expecting all these
fireworks and all these negative attacks on Hong,
and that just didn't happen. So she's comfortably the
frontrunner. But like you said, Evers is now getting
behind Crowley. He had the endorsement earlier. He's
raising money for Crowley. He's getting out on the
trail. So it remains to be seen if Crowley can make a
last ditch effort to catch up with Hong.
>> Meanwhile, Republicans and their candidate in Tom
Tiffany have got to be loving this because even
Democrats say this is full on chaos.
>> Oh, it absolutely is. And Tom Tiffany has been
running a very positive biographical style campaign
trying to develop his political brand outside of
his congressional district. I think Republicans in
Tiffany are now also starting to shift into
general election mode, gearing up for a race
against Francesca Hong. >> And what a race it will
be. Anthony Chergosky, thanks very much.
>> Thank you. >> This week's Inside
Wisconsin politics took up Barnes, dropping out this
week's candidate debate and also new poll results that
helped inform Mandela Barnes decision to suspend
his campaign. Here's NPR's Shawn Johnson, Anya van
Wagtendonk, and "Here& Now" reporter Zac Schultz.
>> His departure kind of leaves the race in some
ways, where it was, where there seems to be this
growing consensus out there that this is Francesca Hong
race to lose. She is a democratic socialist, which
is sort of defined this campaign. Anya, you've
covered her campaign. You profiled her for Wisconsin
Public Radio. How is she presenting her brand of
politics to primary voters and also potentially
critics as this primary closes out?
>> Yeah, I think she's been really consistent, not just
throughout this campaign, but throughout her
political career. I think a little bit what we saw on
the debate stage was her trying to nuance some of
that, perhaps for a more general election, again, as
she is this kind of runaway favorite at the moment. I
saw some criticism actually from national DSA members
on social media who were saying essentially, oh,
she's not socialist enough, but I think she understands
that there is going to be a pretty ready made line of
attack from Republicans based on some of her past
statements based on calling for defunding the police,
based on aligning with certain, you know, sort of
far left, more like agitated sort of online
figures that that gives them easy things to kind of
clip, which can really kind of be hard to oppose from a
more kind of nuanced position. And so I think we
saw her on the debate stage, kind of trying out some of
these more bitable, clippable ways of
approaching her politics. >> Zac, we had a couple
polls out this week. They both showed Francesca Hong
with at least a 20 point lead. You know, one of them
showed Mandela Barnes. Marquette showed Mandela
Barnes in second, David Crowley down at about 7%.
But in the Marquette poll, we're looking at a third of
voters still undecided. Now Mandela Barnes is out of
the race. You got all those undecided voters. David
Crowley is still there. Could this race shake up
and change in the closing days?
>> Well, every time we say no, we're proven wrong. It
does get shaken up by larger events than what we
probably could have the question is, is there
enough room for anyone to gain enough ground to catch
the lead that Francesca Hong looks like she has?
Just talking about those absentee ballots that have
been cast, they're not getting counted. Bakke the
question will be, once this race is all over, will the
margin of votes that Mandela Barnes and
Rodriguez received add up to the amount that the
second place person took? Or will they have made a
difference in some spoiling manner? That will be
interesting math to see, but by then we'll have a
winner. >> The full episode of
Inside Wisconsin Politics is available wherever you
get your podcasts. A devastating EF3 tornado
with winds up to 140mph hit the Appleton area on Monday.
It leaves people without power under boil water
advisories, curfews and pleas to shelter in place
to keep roads clear. People are in shelters as
donations pour in. All as communities try to pick up
the pieces of their homes and lives. This week,
Governor Tony Evers declared a state of
emergency and activated the National Guard to ensure
every available resource is deployed in response. The
city of Menasha took a direct hit from the tornado
as it moved south from Appleton. Menasha Mayor
Austin Hammond joins us now. Mayor, thanks very much for
being here. >> Thank you for having me.
>> How are you and your city doing right now?
>> We're doing all right. There is a huge influx of
helping hands over the last couple of days. We have a
great volunteer operation happening at, the former
U.A.W. Fox Cities campus. And volunteer Fox Cities is
running that. And yesterday alone, we had 1200
volunteers, which has been incredible. And we've been
blessed by neighboring municipalities coming to
help us neighboring utility companies. But, the damage
from the storm is remarkably significant.
People have lost their homes. People have lost
lost their businesses, public infrastructure,
power out. Our water plants were hit, and we're reliant
on the city of Neenah to help us do that. And as was
mentioned earlier, some of the areas of water service
are under a water boil advisory right now. So it's
been a difficult and challenging and trying week
for folks here in the city of Menasha are strong and
resilient and, are making the most of it. So even in
the most darkest and difficult moments, people
are choosing to look out for each other and find
ways to lift each other up. And it's also been
incredible to see the public sector, private
sector, faith communities all come together to uplift
our community. So it's really been truly
incredible to see people come together in this
really difficult moment. But it's incredibly sad how
much damage has happened due to this storm.
>> So despite this enormous property damage, how
surprising is it that no one was killed?
>> I mean, it's it's a miracle. It's truly
remarkable. I think some of it has to do with time of
day in the middle of the week. Thankfully, many
folks were at work. And then I think notifications
that were given to give people ample notice of the
storm to get into safe locations is another part
of it. But it really is a miracle that nobody to, to
this point in time. There's no fatalities, because of
the storm. >> What is the state at
week's end here of restoration of services and
cleanup? >> Yeah. So our in the city
of Menasha, we have Menasha Utilities, a local utility
company. And they have been restoring a great amount of
power throughout our community. So, near our
downtown and the furthest side of the city. And it's
going to take quite a while yet for restoration of
power to be done collectively throughout the
entire city. But they're making tremendous progress
working very quick. So, that has been very, very
encouraging to see. And then right now we're in
operation of clearing debris throughout the city
of Menasha. So we've contracted contractors to
come in and help our departments, remove some of
that debris. And National Guard are here today, and
they're going to start with traffic control and things
like that to help us go and more specific sections of
our community so those contractors can do that
important work, to remove the debris. So we're, we're
actively getting as much of the debris out as possible.
Utilities are working tirelessly to get power
back on. And in addition to our first responders, law
enforcement have just been doing an incredible job,
making sure people are taken care of and provided
for. And it's just been a ton of volunteer efforts to
make sure that we're providing people with
cooling shelters, places to recharge their phone, have
a meal, have water. And it's just all hands on deck
and really collectively making sure that our
community is provided for. >> What does your community
need most now? >> I think the community
right now needs most. I would probably say just to
be able to have the opportunity to have that
work done that is so needed of removing the debris. And
I would just put an ask out that people are not coming
to gawk while people are in some of the darkest moments
of their life trying to clean up their home, clean
up the debris, when people are coming and congesting
our streets, it's making it difficult for the work that
needs to be done to be done effectively. So if you're
coming to Menasha to be a helping hand, please go
visit volunteer Fox Cities website. And it has all of
the volunteer opportunities there. Based out of the old
UW Fox Cities campus off of midway. We would love to
have you come volunteer. But we need, we need
collaboration and partnership. And I would
news and look at pictures. That way of what has been
happening in our community. But right now, I would just
say we really need the ability to let the work be
done that needs to be done, whether it's our volunteers
doing incredible work, the National Guard, our
emergency management, first responders, Department of
Public Works utility company, the contracted
work, the sooner all of that can happen quickly and
efficiently without interruption, the quicker
this process. >> All right, Mayor Austin
Hammond, thanks very much and really good luck to you.
>> Thank you very much for having me.
>> It continues to be a tough week for a Madison
community and the city's police department. After a
deadly police shooting in a neighborhood where it has
happened before, some public events are on hold
and parts of one community remain shut down "Here&
Now". Reporter Murv Seymour takes us to the front line
with details. >> We are going to scream
his name, justice for, justice for.
>> For more than a week and counting, echoes of anger
and frustration continue to ring out in and around the
East Side neighborhood, where Corey Ruiz was shot
and killed during a scuffle with four Madison police
officers. >> This is not a time to be
uncouth. This is a time to come together and be
neighbors. >> The high profile
shooting is in the early phases of being
investigated by the state Department of Justice,
overseen by Attorney General Josh Kaul.
>> It started as just someone came and painted on
the road, and flowers and candles were placed there.
And then it eventually started to grow.
>> This 12 foot tall traveling monument
represents outrage and solidarity against police
brutality. First set up in Minneapolis after George
Floyd was murdered by Minneapolis police officer,
the raised fist now sits in the center of the street at
a popular intersection in Madison. It's the very spot
where Corey Ruiz deadly encounter with police was
caught on cell phone video, sparking national attention,
outrage and the nation's most known civil rights
attorney, Benjamin Crump, to come to Madison to
represent the family. >> I love this city and I
love these people. And this is this is awful.
>> Natalie Love Church lights, candles, others
bring cards, some place flowers. Most everyone
takes a moment to pause and process what's happening
here. Natalie tells me she's come to pay her
respects and to demand accountability.
>> Justice looks like there's a system that's in
place, a justice system in place. And this was not it.
Accountability needs to be taken and justice for this
poor person. I don't care if he was guilty as hell. I
don't care if this was not it. This was not justice.
>> What started out as a memorial has morphed into a
movement to help those who are a lot like Corey Ruiz,
unhoused and in need of mental health and social
services support, Jazzman Brown tells me. At last
count, nearly 50 tents have been provided, allowing
some to camp out on the streets. A temporary fix to
a complex housing problem, a touch of comfort and hope
to a community that needs it now more than ever.
>> We all know that he was homeless and that he had
his struggles. And how could we not, you know, in
the place where he was killed, in the neighborhood
where homelessness is so high, help those that, you
know, were in the exact same situation he was. So
we've built a space for everyone.
>> One of the lead organizers of this space,
Lorien Carter, says if there's one thing this
memorial represents, it's hope.
>> This is affecting all of us. This is something
that's in your backyard and a proximity to to whiteness
doesn't equal immunity. We've seen it in real time
now. And so I think that, I think that the country has
to acknowledge that there is a race problem.
>> She and others want the police officer to be
charged with murder, which will ultimately be the
decision of the Dane County District attorney once the
DOJ completes its investigation.
>> Please stop telling us to heal. When you keep
reopening the same wounds. >> The police shooting of
Corey Ruiz opens old wounds for Laurean and others.
Just over ten years ago, just a few blocks from here,
a Madison police officer shot and killed unarmed
nephew Tony Robinson. >> Yeah, but I have a right
to be here. Just like you do, man.
>> But you have a right to peacefully protest
somewhere else. Though this is not this place is not
for that. >> The sense of peace here
was briefly interrupted over Mike Weber's right to
support the Madison Police Department. Weber tells me
he also wants accountability.
way or the other. You know, if when the results of the
investigation come in, I might change my mind. I
don't know, but but I want to see people be cool until
that happens. >> What do we want? Justice.
When do we want it? Now. What do we want?
>> For the second time in just over a week,
protesters marched to the state Capitol, taking their
battle to the heart of Madison.
>> This is about how Black people have been treated by
this country and by this state.
>> Where they continue to interrupt daily routines
with a loud and clear message. Back at the Corey
Ruiz Memorial, this small section of community works
to get back to normal, what's normal, and just how
long it takes to get there is anybody's guess.
Reporting from Madison. I'm Murv Seymour for here and
Now. >> Prediction betting
markets draw billions in wagers on everything from
World Cup outcomes to now elections. Kalshi, which
describes itself as the next generation financial
exchange, this month launched a midterms hub
designed, they say, as the one stop shop for state and
federal election forecasting and betting.
Not so fast, says the Wisconsin Elections
Commission. Commissioner Ann Jacobs is here, and
thanks for being here. >> Happy to be here.
>> So the commission recently put out some
guidance to voters about betting on the outcomes of
elections. What did that say?
>> The guidance we sent out to voters basically
summarized what has been Wisconsin law since about
1849, which is you cannot bet on an election and vote
in that election. >> So what are the
penalties for putting a wager on an election?
>> There's two sort of penalties for it. Number
one is someone could challenge your ballot and
have it not count. And the second one, which is far
more draconian, is it is actually a class I felony
to bet and vote in the same election.
>> How would anyone find out whether you had done
that or not? >> I get asked that
question quite a bit, and the answer is the same way
crimes are reported to authorities, of all types a,
a spurned spouse or boyfriend girlfriend, a
disgruntled employee, an agitated neighbor, someone
who you promised to share the money with and then
didn't share the bet results with. That's how
these sort of things are reported.
>> How could betting on the outcome warp the process,
even tip the outcome? >> There's a few ways it
could. I mean, one of which is sort of on the very
personal level, you are no longer voting for the
person you think would be best in the position you're
now voting for someone who can line your pockets. And
that's a corruption of, of the process on a very
individual level. In theory, you could have people
within a, a campaign go out to place bets to try to
tilt the prediction markets to create, a false sense of
momentum or antipathy towards a given candidate.
So it could be an attempt to manipulate it at a much
larger level. >> What about the argument
that wagering on an election actually gets
people who wouldn't ordinarily be interested in
voting involved in the process?
>> I find that so odd. We want them to come into the
process to vote, not for the person that they think
is going to be best, but to try to make money. That's
sort of a warped view of elections. We want people
to vote. I want people to vote. I hope everyone goes
out and votes on August 11th, but I want you to go
out and vote because you believe that is going to be
the best person for the job at hand.
>> What is your reaction to Kalshi new midterms hub?
>> I, you know, apparently there is great enthusiasm
for this, as I accidentally learned by posting on
social media about this law and people take it quite
seriously. I don't have any opinion one way or another
about prediction markets, whether they're good or bad,
legal or not. All I care about is I don't want
people to accidentally commit a felony by voting
and betting. You can vote. You can bet you just can't
do both. >> Does this put the
Wisconsin Elections Commission squarely into a
fight with a very, very moneyed interest?
>> I hope not, because we're one of something like
35 states that have this same law. The policy behind
the law is sound and has been that case for 100 and
however many years it's been. So we really need to
think about whether or not we want our elections to be
governed by money making or by efficacy in government.
>> On another matter, what is your reaction to this
week's court ruling that upholds WECA guidance that
you opposed, saying early absentee voters can't get a
do over even if their candidate dropped out? Now,
that's with nearly 130,000 early ballots cast and
another candidate this week dropping out.
>> I was obviously very disappointed in the outcome.
I have been on the commission since 2016. It
was our guidance, at all times until a court put it
on hold. And now we've issued this new guidance
for the very first time without alerting voters. It
was coming. And I was very disappointed in that
outcome. >> All right. We leave it
there. Commissioner Ann Jacobs, thanks so much.
>> Pleasure. >> For more on this and
other issues facing Wisconsin, visit our
website at PBS wisconsin.org and then
click on the news tab. That's our program for
tonight. I'm Frederica Freyberg. Have a good
weekend. [MUSIC]
>> Funding for "Here& Now" is provided by the Focus
Fund for Journalism and friends of PBS Wisconsin.