urgently and as quickly as we can.
>> All right, Francesca Hong, thanks for your time.
>> Thank you so much. >> Zach's next interview is
with the most recent entrant to the race, former
Wisconsin Department of Administration Secretary
Joel Brennan Joel Brennan. >> Thanks for coming in
today. >> Thanks for having me.
>> So for the voters who don't know you, introduce
yourself and say why you're running for governor.
who's had a 30 year career here in Wisconsin. Mine's a
Wisconsin story, and I'm somebody who's of and from
here. And I can tell you the conversations I have
with people here, that there is a a palpable sense
of frustration, anger. I think people are truly
concerned about just making ends meet. And then, you
know, you add on to that that you've got Donald
Trump in the white House who is chaotic, he's
dysfunctional, who's cruel, and it's enough to make
everybody angry. And I'm angry too, but I'm also
somebody who, over the course of a career, I've
demonstrated for some people, when you get angry,
you want to get even. When I get angry, I want to roll
up my sleeves and get something done. And so
that's what I've tried to demonstrate. And so we have
in Wisconsin, a situation where there are 200,000
people who are about to lose their health care
benefits, tens of thousands more who are going to see
their premiums double or triple. And so that's a
reason for people to be angry. And in some ways, we
need to ensure that Wisconsin values are
protected. But thankfully we have fair maps now. And
with fair maps and a Democratic governor, we
have an opportunity to make real, lasting change for
Wisconsin, protect those values, and do things that
can put us right by Wisconsin families. That's
why I'm running. >> Is there a single issue
that drives you, or maybe a lane within the Democratic
Party that helps define who you are?
>> Well, I think if anybody's looking around
right now, the main issue that anybody is dealing
with here in Wisconsin is affordability. You know,
we're in a situation where just in the last week, it
was revealed that the first time homebuyers now are 40
years old. Five years ago, they were average of 33
years old. And we've got we spent $10,000 a year on
health care per person in Wisconsin. Yet there are
people who go without people who can't afford
their prescription drugs. All of those are challenges.
And then at the same time, you have Donald Trump
running around the country saying affordability is a
Democratic hoax. It's not a hoax. It's an issue that's
real for every Wisconsin resident.
>> How much money do you need to raise in order to
be competitive and win this primary and then survive
into the general election? >> Yeah, well, I think.
>> Elections are expensive, and what I'm going to do in
this race is I'm going to lean into the relationships
that I've developed and cultivated over the course
of the last 30 years. You know, I grew up as the
second youngest of 11 kids. I had to work my way
through college, have 4 or 5 jobs to do that
everything I've ever had, I have earned. And so what
I'm going to do is go out and communicate with people
about the work that I've done over the last 30 years,
the executive experience, the breadth that I have.
And I'm confident that I can generate resources as I
listen to and talk to people around the state.
>> This is a very large Democratic primary, very
competitive one. How do you define the difference
between negative campaigning versus showing
up differences between candidates?
like I said, I'm the second youngest of 11 kids. I know
what it's like to have to go to a crowded table and
elbow your way in, whether it's for attention or even
to get a meal. And so, you know, I'm comfortable with
that. But but what I am going to do in this
campaign is really talk to people about me and about
my background. 30 years of progressive executive
experience, things like, you know, running the
largest science museum in the state of Wisconsin at
Discovery World, three years as the top appointed
official in Governor Evers cabinet and the work that
we did there. So the way that I'm going to try to
distinguish myself from others is to just
communicate with them about the depth of relationships
and what we have done. >> So as voters start to
get to know these candidates, should they be
looking for who's closest to them on the issues, or
should they be thinking about electability?
>> You know, I don't think those two things are
mutually exclusive. I think the issues are hugely
important to everybody here in the state. And and I
think that when voters look, they have options and
primaries are good for establishing options. And
so they'll have opportunities to look at
all the candidates and what we stand for.
>> Most of the Democratic candidates have connections
to Milwaukee or Madison. How do you introduce
yourself to rural Wisconsin? The rest of the state?
>> Yeah, well, mine's a Wisconsin story. My dad was
born in 1927 to a single mom in Manitowoc, Wisconsin.
My mom was born in 1928, in Milwaukee, grew up in
Milwaukee and East Troy. And so, you know, ours is a
a Wisconsin story, just like lots of other peoples
here. president a number of times.
So what impact do you think Donald Trump will have on
this election? looms large over everything
that we do right now. You know, and at this point,
the most likely candidate on the Republican side is
Tom Tiffany. And the apple doesn't fall far from the
tree when it comes to Tom, Tiffany and Donald Trump.
And so I think we need people. We need candidates
who are able to stand up to that, but not only stand up,
but be able to demonstrate that they've been effective
about doing things and getting things done. And,
you know, in my view of this, you know, yes, Donald
Trump is going to play a role in the campaign. But
ultimately, the campaign can't be just about Donald
Trump has to be about Wisconsin families,
Wisconsin values. That's who I am. And that's what
I'm looking forward to I'm looking forward to