Here & Now

Elected State Democrats Prefer 'Party-Builder' Clinton

ZAC SCHULTZ:

NOW WE TURN TO THE DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY, WHERE MANY PEOPLE ARE SAYING WISCONSIN IS SENATOR BERNIE SANDERS’S LAST CHANCE TO SWING THE RACE IN HIS FAVOR. JOINING US NOW IS DEMOCRATIC REPRESENTATIVE CHRIS DANOU. THANKS FOR BEING HERE.

CHRIS DANOU:

THANK YOU.

ZAC SCHULTZ:

FIRST OFF, WE SHOULD BE CLEAR THAT YOU’RE SUPPORTING HILLARY CLINTON IN THIS RACE, BUT YOU REPRESENT A DISTRICT IN WESTERN WISCONSIN ALONG THE MISSISSIPPI. WHAT ARE YOU HEARING FROM VOTERS IN YOUR DISTRICT?

CHRIS DANOU:

I THINK OVERALL IT’S GOING TO BE A CLOSE RACE. I THINK THERE’S PRETTY STRONG SUPPORT FOR BOTH CANDIDATES OUT THERE. I THINK IT’S GOING TO BE A SPIRITED CAMPAIGN IN THE SENSE THAT THERE’S A LOT OF FOLKS THAT ARE VERY EXCITED ABOUT BOTH CANDIDATES. AND I THINK IF I WERE TO VENTURE A GUESS, I’D SAY PROBABLY HILLARY WILL COME OUT ON TOP. BUT I THINK IT WILL BE IN MY NECK OF THE WOODS PROBABLY A RELATIVELY CLOSE MARGIN. THAT’S ABOUT WHAT HAPPENEDBACK IN 2008.

ZAC SCHULTZ:

BERNIE SANDERS HAS BEEN TIED IN THE POLLS WITH HILLARY IN THE LAST MARQUETTE POLL, HEAD TO HEAD. HE ACTUALLY BEATS REPUBLICANS BY A LARGER MARGIN. WHY ARE THERE NO ELECTED DEMOCRATS IN THE STATE THAT HAVE ENDORSED BERNIE SANDERS?

CHRIS DANOU:

WELL HE’S NOT A DEMOCRAT IN THE SENSE THAT HE’S NOT BEEN IDENTIFIED WITH THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY. ALWAYS CONSIDERED HIMSELF AN INDEPENDENT. I THINK ONE AREA THAT WE HAVE REAL CONCERNS ABOUT IS I THINK THE UNDERSTANDING SENATOR CLINTON REALLY IS GOING TO BE INTERESTED IN HELPING BUILD THE PARTY. AND THE CONCERN WITH SOMEBODY LIKE BERNIE SANDERS IS THE PARTY-BUILDING APPARATUS REALLY DOESN’T SEEM LIKE IT’S GOING TO BE THERE. I KNOW IN DISCUSSIONS THAT STATE PARTY OFFICIALS HAVE HAD WITH CLINTON, THEY’RE GOING TO BE REALLY INTERESTED IN HELPING TO BUILD AND STRENGTHEN THE WISCONSIN DEMOCRATIC PARTY, WHICH IS SOMETHING THAT REALLY NEEDS TO BE DONE.

ZAC SCHULTZ:

WE’VE SEEN ELSEWHERE IN OTHER STATES A GENERATIONAL GAP BETWEEN THOSE WHO SUPPORT BERNIE SANDERS AND THOSE WHO SUPPORT HILLARY CLINTON. ARE YOU SEEING THE SAME THING?

CHRIS DANOU:

I THINK AS A GENERAL RULE, YES. AGAIN, THERE ARE SUPPORTERS THAT RUN THE ENTIRE GAMUT. I THINK MY DISTRICT PROBABLY SKEWS PROBABLY A LITTLE OLDER THAN OTHER PARTS OF THE STATE AND THAT MAY BE PART OF THE REASON THAT SENATOR CLINTON’S STRENGTHS ARE GOOD THERE. BUT I THINK THAT’S PROBABLY HOLDING GENERALLY TRUE IN MY PART OF THE STATE AS WELL. BUT AGAIN YOU’RE SEEING PLENTY OF OLDER FOLKS SUPPORTING BERNIE, YOUNGER FOLKS SUPPORTING HILLARY. I THINK IT REALLY KIND OF COMES DOWN TO INDIVIDUAL PREFERENCE IN THE END AND WHAT YOU’RE REALLY LOOKING FOR IN A CANDIDATE.

ZAC SCHULTZ:

NOW, DONALD TRUMP SAYS HE’S GROWING THE NUMBER OF REPUBLICAN VOTERS BY TAKING AWAY FORMER DEMOCRATIC VOTERS, A LOT OF FORMER REAGAN DEMOCRATS OR OTHER INDEPENDENTS. DO YOU SEE THAT IN YOUR DISTRICT?

CHRIS DANOU:

NO, I DON’T. IF YOU LOOK AT THE ANALYSIS, I THINK QUITE FRANKLY IT’S ANOTHER ONE OF DONALD TRUMP’S STORIES. BUT I DO NOT SEE DONALD TRUMP DRAWING ANY SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF PEOPLE, PEOPLE THAT WERE GOING TO VOTE FOR DONALD TRUMP ARE LIKELY REPUBLICANS. I DON’T SEE — I DO NOT SEE ANY SUBSTANTIAL NUMBER OF DEMOCRATS, IF ANY, THAT ARE GOING TO BE CROSSING OVER TO VOTE FOR DONALD TRUMP IN A GENERAL ELECTION. I DON’T SEE IT. I FIND IT HARD TO BELIEVE THAT PEOPLE WHO ARE WILLING TO VOTE FOR PRESIDENT OBAMA IN 2012 FOUR YEARS LATER ARE GOING TO CROSS OVER AND VOTE FOR DONALD TRUMP. THAT’S A PRETTY HARD ONE TO SWALLOW.

ZAC SCHULTZ:

HE’S DEFINITELY DOMINATING THE REPUBLICAN CONVERSATION, BUT IS HE GOING OVER INTO THE DEMOCRATIC CONVERSATION? ARE YOU HEARING DEMOCRATS TALKING TO YOU ABOUT DONALD TRUMP?

CHRIS DANOU:

OH, YEAH. I THINK THERE’S A LOT OF CONCERN, A LOT OF REAL CONCERN, LEGITIMATE CONCERNS ABOUT WHAT A TRUMP PRESIDENCY WOULD ACTUALLY MEAN. AND THAT IS WHY I THINK A LOT OF DEMOCRATS ARE CLEAR THAT NO MATTER WHO EMERGES FROM THIS PRIMARY, BE IT HILLARY, WHICH I FULLY EXPECT IT TO BE, BUT FOR SOME REASON SHOULD IT BE SANDERS, I THINK THERE WOULD BE VERY STRONG SUPPORT FOR THE DEMOCRATIC NOMINEE. I QUITE FRANKLY THINK YOU’RE FAR MORE LIKELY TO SEE MODERATE FOLKS WHO MAY HAVE VOTED REPUBLICAN IN THE PAST SAYING THERE’S NO WAY WE WANT TO SEE THIS GUY AS PRESIDENT. WE’RE GOING TO GO WITH THE DEMOCRATIC NOMINEE. I THINK THAT’S A FAR MORE LIKELY SCENARIO THAN SEEING DEMOCRATS GOING TO TRUMP. I DON’T SEE THAT AT ALL.

ZAC SCHULTZ:

APRIL FIFTH IS ALSO THE SUPREME COURT ELECTION IN WISCONSIN. DO YOU SEE THE INCREASED TURNOUT OF THE CLOSE RACES HELPING ONE CANDIDATE OVER THE OTHER?

CHRIS DANOU:

THAT I THINK IS REALLY INTERESTING BECAUSE I THINK THERE’S ENOUGH INTEREST IN BOTH SIDES, BOTH RACES THAT IT REALLY IS HARD TO SAY FOR SURE. I THINK THAT’S GOING TO BE A CLOSE RACE AS WELL. I THINK I’M MORE INCLINED TO THINK JUST WITH EVERYTHING THAT YOU’VE SEEN IN THE NEWS MEDIA ABOUT THE WEAKNESSES OF JUSTICE REBECCA BRADLEY AND SOME OF THE RATHER AWFUL STATEMENTS SHE’S MADE, I THINK YOU’RE PROBABLY GOING TO SEE A KLOPPENBURG WIN. I DON’T THINK IT WILL BE A HUGE MARGIN, BUT I THINK YOU’RE GOING TO SEE JOANNE KLOPPENBURG WIN. I THINK PEOPLE ARE–I’M HOPING THERE’S GOING TO BE A SORT OF REJECTION OF THAT KIND OF IDEOLOGY, THAT SORT OF, YOU KNOW, VITRIOL. I THINK THERE’S GOING TO BE A REJECTION OF THAT ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU’RE LOOKING A SOMEBODY WHO’S GOING TO BE A SUPREME COURT JUSTICE.

ZAC SCHULTZ:

WE’VE GOT JUST A LITTLE BIT OF TIME YET, BUT THE GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY BOARD IS PROJECTING 40% TURNOUT. DO YOU THINK IT WILL BE HIGHER IN YOUR AREA?

CHRIS DANOU:

I THINK THAT’S PROBABLY– I’M GUESSING IT COULD BE ABOUT THAT. IT MAY BE A LITTLE HIGHER. A LOT IS GOING TO DEPEND ON WEATHER. I REPRESENT A RURAL AREA WHERE FOLKS HAVE TO TYPICALLY DRIVE A LITTLE WAYS TO GET TO THE POLLING STATION. IF WE HAVE GOOD WEATHER, IF EVERYTHING SHAKES OUT RIGHT, I THINK YOU COULD SEE A LITTLE HIGHER TURNOUT. SHOULD WE HAVE ANOTHER SPRING SNOWSTORM, SOMETHING LIKE THAT, SOMETHING TO COME UP TO SLOW THINGS DOWN, I THINK YOU’LL SEE A LITTLE LOWER TURNOUT. I THINK THAT’LL PROBABLY BE ABOUT RIGHT. THEY’RE USUALLY PRETTY GOOD ON THAT.

ZAC SCHULTZ:

ALL RIGHT.

CHRIS DANOU:

WE TEND TO MIRROR STATE TRENDS.

ZAC SCHULTZ:

REPRESENTATIVE DANOU, THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME TODAY.

CHRIS DANOU:

THANK YOU.