FREDERICA FREYBERG:

AS WE MENTIONED, RECORD TURNOUTS WERE REPORTED IN PRECINCTS ACROSS WISCONSIN TUESDAY NIGHT. IN FACT, WISCONSIN HAS NOT SEEN A PRIMARY DAY TURNOUT LIKE THIS ONE SINCE 1972. THAT’S WHEN INCUMBENT PRESIDENT NIXON WON THE REPUBLICAN VOTE AND SOUTH DAKOTA SENATOR GEORGE MCGOVERN WON IN A CROWDED TEN-CANDIDATE DEMOCRATIC FIELD. OUR NEXT GUESTS WERE NOT OLD ENOUGH TO VOTE IN 1972, BUT THEY HAVE BEEN TWO OF THE STATE’S MOST POLITICALLY ACTIVE PROFESSIONALS IN MORE RECENT TIMES, SCOT ROSS OF ONE WISCONSIN NOW AND FORMER STATE COMMERCE SECRETARY UNDER GOVERNOR TOMMY THOMPSON AND CURRENT LOBBYIST BILL MCCOSHEN. THANKS VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE.

SCOT ROSS AND BILL MCCOSHEN:

THANKS FOR HAVING US.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

WE DIDN’T CONFIRM THAT. WE’RE PRETTY SURE YOU WEREN’T OLD ENOUGH TO VOTE.

BILL MCCOSHEN:

I WAS SEVEN.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

BILL, WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THE SUCCESS OF WISCONSIN’S “NEVER TRUMP” FACTION TUESDAY?

BILL MCCOSHEN:

IT WAS IMPRESSIVE BUT THEY HAD SOME BENEFITS RIGHT? WHEN MARCO RUBIO GOT OUT OF THE CASE, THE CONSERVATIVE INFRASTRUCTURE IN WISCONSIN WAS FRACTURED. THERE WAS JUST AS MUCH SUPPORT OR MORE FOR RUBIO ACCORDING TO THE MARQUETTE POLL FROM FEBRUARY. THERE WAS MORE THAN THERE WAS FOR CRUZ. WHEN RUBIO GOT OUT OF THE RACE, IT FREED PEOPLE UP TO GO TOWARD CRUZ. I WASN’T ONE OF THEM. I HAPPENED TO BE A KASICH SUPPORTER ON TUESDAY. THE NETWORK CAME TOGETHER IN RAPID FIRE ORDER AND TRUTHFULLY IT’S BATTLE TESTED, FREDERICA. WHETHER IT’S THREE ELECTIONS FOR SCOTT WALKER IN FOUR YEARS OR DAVID PROSSER VERSUS KLOPPENBURG IN 2011 FOR SUPREME COURT OR KLOPPENBURG VERSUS BRADLEY IN 2016. I MEAN THIS IS A BATTLE TESTED ORGANIZATION. PRETTY MUCH ALL THE PIECE PARTS CAME TOGETHER FOR CRUZ. THAT’S WHY HE WON BY SUCH A BIG MARGIN.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

SO NOT REALLY SURPRISING TO PEOPLE WHO KNOW THIS STUFF.

SCOT ROSS:

NO. I THINK WHAT WE SAW WAS AN EVENT FOR THE REPUBLICANS. IT BECAME AN EVENT. THIS WAS THE PLACE THEY WERE GOING TO TRY AND STOP TRUMP. TALK RADIO, WHICH DOESN’T JUST EXIST IN MILWAUKEE, BUT WAS A BIG DRIVING FORCE.

BILL MCCOSHEN:

NO QUESTION.

SCOT ROSS:

OVER AND OVER AGAIN. LOOKING BACK, SOME OF THE MILWAUKEE GUYS WERE GOING AFTER TRUMP BACK IN SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER. THEY WERE PUMMELING TRUMP. SO IT WAS JUST TAILOR-MADE. THEY HAD THE RING OF FIRE. WAUKESHA, OZAUKEE AND WASHINGTON COUNTIES CAME OUT IN HUGE NUMBERS. AGAIN SOMETHING WE’VE SEEN AROUND THE COUNTRY, TOO. WHEN BOTH PRIMARIES ARE ON THE BALLOT, THE REPUBLICANS ARE DRAWING MORE VOTES.

BILL MCCOSHEN:

TRUMP AIDED THEM. REMEMBER TRUMP WENT ON ALL THE BIG TALK RADIO SHOWS THE MONDAY BEFORE THE PRIMARY. SO A WEEK BEFORE THE PRIMARY AND GOT EATEN ALIVE BY ALL OF THEM.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

RIGHT. WELL, DO YOU THINK THIS CAN BE REPLICATED OR IS THIS SPECIAL TO WISCONSIN, THIS KIND OF BATTLE-TESTED THING?

BILL MCCOSHEN:

HARD TO SAY. IT WON’T BE REPLICATED IN NEW YORK. TRUMP WILL WIN THERE HANDILY. I’LL BE SURPRISED IF HE DOESN’T GET ALL THE DELEGATES OUT OF NEW YORK. IT’S POSSIBLE IT COULD BE REPLICATED IN OTHER STATES BUT IT’S ABSOLUTELY UNIQUE TO WISCONSIN.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF BERNIE SANDERS’ SWEEP HERE?

SCOT ROSS:

WISCONSIN WAS TAILOR-MADE FOR BERNIE SANDERS. HE’S BEEN A MOVEMENT GUY FOR DECADES. HE’S BEEN COMING TO THE FIGHTING BOB FEST FOR YEARS AND YEARS AND YEARS TO DELIVER HIS STEMWINDERS. I THINK HE PLAYED TO HIS STRENGTHS. HE’D GO TO COLLEGE CAMPUSES, GET REALLY BIG TURNOUTS. YOU SAW IT IN THE NUMBERS IN THE END. WHAT WAS EXPECTED TO HAPPEN DEFINITELY WAS CLINTON WOULD WIN MILWAUKEE COUNTY. SHE DID. BUT I DON’T KNOW THAT THEY ANTICIPATED LOSING EVERY OTHER SINGLE COUNTY.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

CRUZ’S WIN HERE COULD MEAN THE WHOLE REPUBLICAN CONVENTION KIND OF BLOWS UP. WHAT’S THAT GOING TO LOOK LIKE?

BILL MCCOSHEN:

I THINK IT PROBABLY WILL BE AN OPEN CONVENTION. I DON’T THINK EITHER CANDIDATE CAN GET TO 1237 BETWEEN NOW AND JULY. AS IT RELATES TO TRUMP, IF HE DOES NOT GO INTO CLEVELAND WITH 1237, HE WILL NOT COME OUT THE NOMINEE.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

YOU JUST TOLD US YOU’RE A KASICH GUY. WHY IS HE STILL IN?

BILL MCCOSHEN:

HE THINKS IN AN OPEN CONVENTION ON THE THIRD OR FOURTH BALLOT THERE’S A CHANCE HE COULD WIN. THAT THEY’LL GO WITH SOMEBODY ELSE. HE’S BANKING ON THE FACT THAT THEY’LL PICK SOMEBODY WHO STAYED IN THE RACE TILL THE END. THEY DON’T BRING IN A FRESH FACE.

SCOT ROSS:

AND IT’S IN HIS HOME STATE. AND AS A GUY THAT GREW UP IN PITTSBURGH WE KNOW SOMETHING IS GOING TO GET SCREWED UP IN CLEVELAND FOR SURE.

BILL MCCOSHEN:

I LIKE THE GUY ‘CAUSE HE’S GOT A PROVEN RECORD AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL. HE BALANCED THE FEDERAL BUDGET TWICE. HE’S BEEN GREAT FOR OHIO AND HELPED CREATE OVER 400,000 JOBS AND ALL THE NATIONAL POLLS SHOW HE’S THE MOST ELECTABLE.

SCOT ROSS:

I THINK THE REAL CHALLENGE THE REPUBLICANS ARE GOING TO HAVE IS THEY’VE BEEN HAVING BASICALLY THIS FOOD FIGHT. I MEAN THINK WHAT WENT ON IN WISCONSIN. THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT WHO TWEETED ABOUT WHOSE WIFE AND THESE OTHER THINGS THAT I DARE NOT SAY ON PUBLIC TELEVISION. BUT THE DEMOCRATS ARE THE ONES WHO WERE HAVING A REAL ADULT CONVERSATION ABOUT THE ISSUES FACING THE STATE. WHETHER IT’S THE STUDENT DEBT CRISIS, INCOME INEQUALITY, WHO HAS ACCESS TO THE BALLOT BOX. ALL THOSE THINGS THAT PEOPLE ACTUALLY CARE ABOUT. I THINK COME NOVEMBER, IT’S GOING TO BODE WELL NO MATTER WHO THE NOMINEE YOU GUYS COME UP WITH. IT’S GOING TO BODE WELL FOR THE DEMOCRATS IN NOVEMBER.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

LET ME PIVOT TO THE STATE SUPREME COURT RACE. SCOT, WHAT HAPPENED TO JOANNE KLOPPENBURG?

SCOT ROSS:

THE EVENT OF THE CENTURY FOR REPUBLICANS, THE STOP TRUMP DROVE OUT MORE REPUBLICAN VOTES. THERE WERE 95,000 FOR VOTES CAST FOR REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES FOR PRESIDENT THAN DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES FOR PRESIDENT. AND REBECCA BRADLEY WON BY 91,000 VOTES. IT’S PRETTY SIMPLE. TALK RADIO WAS SO IN THE TANK FOR HER. WHEN YOU READ THE STORIES, WHEN YOU SEE THE STORIES ABOUT THEM USING TALK RADIO FOR INSTANCE IN THE NEW YORK TIMES TO SAY THIS IS HOW THEY STOPPED TRUMP, THOSE SAME PEOPLE WERE CHAMPIONING REBECCA BRADLEY AND TRASHING JOANNE KLOPPENBURG DAY AFTER DAY AFTER DAY. YOU CAN’T PUT A PRICE TAG ON THE AMOUNT OF ADVERTISING THAT TALK RADIO PROVIDED.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

LAST QUESTION BILL. WERE YOU SURPRISED AT ALL THAT VOTERS DID NOT SEEM TURNED OFF BY REBECCA BRADLEY’S PUBLISHED COMMENTS?

BILL MCCOSHEN:

NO. I THINK I MIGHT HAVE PREDICTED IT THE LAST TIME SCOT AND I WERE HERE THAT IT WOULDN’T MATTER TO THEM. I THINK AT THE END OF THE DAY SCOT’S RIGHT ABOUT THE TURNOUT. GOP TURN OUT WAS SUBSTANTIALLY HIGHER BY 95,000. I MEAN RECORD TURNOUT OVERALL. THAT’S SOMETHING THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY IS GOING TO HAVE TO GET THEIR ARMS AROUND GOING FORWARD PRIOR TO NOVEMBER IF THEY’RE GOING TO WIN HERE FOR RUSS FEINGOLD OR WHOMEVER.

SCOT ROSS:

I’LL SAY THIS, AS WE MOVE IN AND YOUNGER FOLKS ARE GETTING INVOLVED, THEY DON’T LIKE THAT KIND OF RHETORIC. THE REPUBLICANS MAY HAVE WON THE RACE, BECAUSE THEY HAD HUGE TURNOUT BUT THE FACT THAT REPUBLICANS ARE WILLING TO EMBRACE SOMEBODY LIKE REBECCA BRADLEY WHO SAID THOSE HORRENDOUS THINGS ABOUT CHOICE, ABOUT WOMEN HAVING A LEGITIMATE ROLE IN DATE RAPE AND LGBT STUFF, IT’S A PROBLEM FOR THEM.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

YOU’RE TALKING AS FAST AS YOU CAN BUT WE DO HAVE TO SHUT IT DOWN NOW. THANKS TO BOTH OF YOU.

SCOT ROSS AND BILL MCCOSHEN:

THANKS.