Steven Potter:
Democratic U.S. Senate candidate, Alex Lasry. Thank you for joining us.

Alex Lasry:
Thanks so much for having me.

Steven Potter:
Currently an executive for the Milwaukee Bucks. Why do you want to be a U.S. senator?

Alex Lasry:
I'm running because I want to make sure that we're able to get things done. You know, I think one of the biggest frustrations that I've had with Washington, and I think all of us have had with Washington over the last number of years, is the fact that we've got a lot of people in office who just aren't getting things done. And I think that's where a lot of voters’ frustration are and that's something I've been able to do my entire career. Whether it's raising wages, creating thousands of good paying union jobs, bringing investment to this state.

Steven Potter:
If elected, what would your legislative priorities be?

Alex Lasry:
Well, I think the top legislative priority is more of a process issue. We have to make sure that we get rid of the filibuster, because that's how we're going to make sure that we can actually get things done, like codifying Roe V. Wade. Like making sure that we ban assault weapons. Like making sure that we pass things like the PRO Act so that we can raise wages and give workers their rights back. You know, I think one of the things we've seen many economists say is that one of the best things we can do to make sure that we're mitigating inflation is getting rid of the Trump tax cuts. And so I want to make sure that we're able to do that so that we aren't creating these tax breaks that make it easier to ship jobs overseas, but actually working for investments on education, job training, bring those jobs back here to Wisconsin so that we can actually invest in our workforce and bring higher wages and more jobs to this state.

Steven Potter:
You mentioned inflation. It's at a 40-year high. How should federal lawmakers address inflation?

Alex Lasry:
Well, I think there's a number of things that we can do in the short term and the long term to help mitigate it. If you look at the plans that we've put out, it's all about how we're going to put more money back into people's pockets, making sure that people are able to take home more of what they earn. And that's going to mean that we've got to make sure that we're passing things like the PRO Act so that we can have greater union rights. I think that's one way that we're going to be able to raise wages. Another thing we can do is make sure that we're making more things in America, right? That's going to ease supply chain issues. That's going to make sure that people, we've got good paying jobs here in Wisconsin, that'll ease the effects of inflation. So these are all things that we can do in the short term that'll help mitigate some of the effects while ensuring that we've got strong economic output in the long term.

Steven Potter:
There have been a number of major mass shootings even recently. How should the U.S. Senate address gun violence?

Alex Lasry:
No parent should have to worry about sending their kid to school. We shouldn't have to worry about walking down the street or anything like that. And so one of the things that we've done, I think I'm the only candidate to have done so, is put out actually a public safety plan. We have a three-pronged approach. So the first is making sure that police have the resources they need to do their jobs. Not just preventing crime, but also solving crime. Making sure that they've got the training and the resources that they need. Investing also in our infrastructure. Things like education and job training. We only look at public safety from the view of the police department. We need to also look at it from a community building perspective. And then I think making sure that we're banning assault weapons. Universal background checks, right? These are all things that other developed countries have and they don't have the same issues with gun violence that we have. No one's trying to take away guns from law abiding citizens. But what we want to make sure that we do is make sure that the bad guys aren't getting them. And there's no reason, when you look at the polling, 70, 80% of the public support universal background checks. These are some of the simple things we can do that would drastically decrease the amount of gun violence in this country.

Steven Potter:
The Supreme Court has overruled Roe versus Wade, which returns the decision on allowing abortions to the states. What should U.S. senators do on the matter of abortion?

Alex Lasry:
You know, my wife is the chief of staff at Planned Parenthood. And I'm seeing all the work that her and her colleagues are doing on the front lines, right? They're doing their job. It's now up to us to do our job. And we've got to make sure that we codify a woman's right to choose. A woman's healthcare decision shouldn't be left up to some politician in Washington or some Trump handpicked Supreme Court justice. This should be up between the woman and her doctor. And that should be her medical decision, right? And unfortunately what the Supreme Court did was not just hurt the integrity of the court but made sure that women have less rights than men in this country. And so what I want to make sure that we're able to do is send democratic senators to the Senate so that we can get rid of the filibuster and ensure that by law we protect and guarantee a woman's right to make their own healthcare decisions.

Steven Potter:
There have been claims of voter fraud across the country and here in Wisconsin. How would you reassure Wisconsin residents to have confidence in their electoral system?

Alex Lasry:
First off we should point out most of these claims were unfounded. And I think you look at any investigation into voting across the country. There's been no basis for anything, right? You might find one here and there, but there's been no mass voter fraud like Republicans insist or anything like that. And Republicans are systematically hurting the integrity of our elections with their false claims and the big lie. We put out a plan on how to protect and strengthen our democracy. And so that's making sure that we pass things like the John Lewis Voting Right Act and the Freedom to Vote Act, ensuring that we're investing in elections and making sure that we're investing in our poll workers to make sure that we are restoring trust in the electoral system. But it also depends on who we've got in office, right? If we're going to have someone like Ron Johnson, an office who is going to cast doubt on an election that he knows was fair. And he knew that Joe Biden won the election. We've got to make sure that someone like that doesn't have the podium and doesn't have the ability to cast that kind of doubt on an election that we know was fair. And so these are some of the things that we can do, but we've put out a plan on how to protect and restore and strengthen our democracy. And it starts with passing the John Lewis and the Freedom to Vote Act.

Steven Potter:
Ron Johnson has won this election twice. Why are you the candidate who can beat him in the general election in November?

Alex Lasry:
When you look at the last 12 years, Ron Johnson's done nothing for the state of Wisconsin. The only thing he's done is pass a tax cut to enrich himself and his friends and make it easier to ship jobs overseas. Do you want someone who's done nothing for the last 12 years and is actively hurting the state or someone who has brought jobs, raised wages and created investment here so that we know that when they get to Washington they're going to be able to do that same thing. I think when we make that choice clear the choice is going to be really simple.

Steven Potter:
Alex Lasry, thank you again for joining us.

Alex Lasry:
Thanks so much for having me.