Announcer:
The following program is a PBS Wisconsin original production.
Frederica Freyberg:
Wisconsin’s midterm primary elections saw its highest turnout in 40 years. Some unexpected twists and turns may foreshadow what’s to come in the fall.
I’m Frederica Freyberg. Tonight on “Here & Now,” we bring down primary results with our political panelists Scot Ross and Bill McCoshen. Plus a closer look at the swing third congressional district with La Crosse Political Scientist Anthony Cherkasky, and the U.S. has declared monkeypox a public health emergency. Dr. Ryan Westergaard tells us what’s happening in Wisconsin. It’s “Here & Now” for August 12.
Announcer:
Funding for “Here & Now” is provided by the Focus Fund for Journalism and Friends of PBS Wisconsin.
Frederica Freyberg:
The midterm primaries set the stage for the battle to November 8. Winning candidates immediately pivoted to the 90-day campaign ahead of the general election. As Marisa Wojcik reports, this week’s results brought both the predicted and the unexpected.
Marisa Wojcik:
Wisconsin’s primary election left Republicans on the edge of their seat. As candidates Rebecca Kleefisch, the “establishment favorite with years of experience as Scott Walker’s lieutenant governor” and Tim Michels, the self-funded businessman vied to be the GOP nominee.
Tim Michels:
We feel like we are on a slippery slope toward socialism and it’s being cloaked behind all these other social issues. We’re going to get an outsider, a businessman and a veteran in the governor’s office.
Marisa Wojcik:
In the end, Michels prevailed, with the boost of Donald Trump support just days before the election, proving that a Republican can win the state without the full backing of the Milwaukee suburbs.
Rebecca Kleefisch
I’ve conceded this race to Tim Michels and I urge you all to stay in the fight because the fight now is truly against Tony Evers, and the liberals who want to take away our way of life.
Marisa Wojcik:
The Democratic nominee and incumbent, Tony Evers, with no primary opponent saw an easy slide into the general election and was joined by his new running mate for lieutenant governor, Sara Rodriguez, ready for the road ahead against Michels.
Tony Evers:
He’s not an outsider. He’s not an insider, and he can wear a blue shirt so that he can have a blue collar but at the end of the day, I’m not quite sure someone of his status with houses all across the country could say I’m just one of you because there’s not many of him like that in the state of Wisconsin.
Marisa Wojcik:
Mandela Barnes opting for a run at U.S. Senate instead of another term as Evers’ lieutenant governor traversed a crowded primary field but sailed to a smooth victory after his opponents dropped out a week before the election.
Mandela Barnes:
It’s time for us to be represented by people who actually share our experiences. And while Ron Johnson continues to stack the deck against us, I’m here to tell you we are not going to give up.
Marisa Wojcik:
Barnes will take on incumbent Ron Johnson, who is running for his third term. Johnson acknowledged his general election opponent on Twitter saying this is a contest between radical left socialism versus freedom and prosperity. It will also pit the lies and distortions of Democrats and the media versus the truth. In what may have been the most surprising near upset of the night, Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos narrowly won his primary in Racine County, after Adam Steen, another Trump-backed candidate, challenged the GOP leader to a seat he’s held for 17 years. Steen was also endorsed by Michael Gableman, the former state Supreme Court justice whom Vos hired to further investigate the 2020 elections in Wisconsin. Gableman’s million-dollar investigation has yielded no proof of election fraud or misconduct and Gableman himself is being sued for the handling of public records in his investigation. Vos was quick to fire back at his special counsel.
Robin Vos:
Mike Gabelman is an embarrassment to the state.
Marisa Wojcik:
In the Republican attorney general race, Eric Toney beat Adam Jarchow by less than a percentage point and will take on Democrat Josh Kaul. In Wisconsin’s competitive third congressional district, Brad Pfaff beat out Rebecca Cooke and Deb McGrath in the Democratic primary and now moves on to challenge Republican Derrick Van Orden in the fall.
Frederica Freyberg:
Wild twists and turns in this primary and now on to the general. We’re betting our political panel has some takes on all of this. We turn to Republican Bill McCoshen and Democrat Scot Ross. Thanks for being here.
Bill McCoshen:
Thanks for having us.
Scot Ross:
Good to be here.
Frederica Freyberg:
What is your take, Bill, on the establishment Rebecca Kleefisch losing to Trump-endorsed Tim Michels?
Bill McCoshen:
I think there were a couple things involved in that. Number one, Donald Trump’s endorsement, no question that was a major factor in Tim Michel’s victory on Tuesday, but I think the other part was his outsider status. This is a guy who’s never held public office before. Yes, he ran for United States Senate in 2004 but the fact is he has never held a public office and that was really appealing, and I think the third piece, truthfully, were the resources, right? He had the right amount of resources to get his message out there and he had a message that resonated. There will be lots and lots of people who will say, well he won because he spent $13 million or whatever the final number is. If money was the deciding factor, then Alex Lasry would be the nominee for the Democrats for the United States Senate. Wasn’t just money.
Frederica Freyberg:
Scot, what’s your take?
Scot Ross:
Oh, I’d say this. Tim Michels flew in on his private jet from Connecticut and bought the election. If you want to talk about a fractured party, the fact Rebecca Kleefisch has been the standard bearer under Walker for the last ten years, doing all the rubber chicken circuit, going out and making all the attacks on Democrats, raising money for Republicans and then she loses this to a guy who came in and basically took Trump’s endorsement and ran with it? I mean, I think the Republican Party is going to have to do a lot of healing. Might need to — they might finally ask for the Medicaid money so that they can get healthcare access to heal these wounds.
Frederica Freyberg:
And Bill, does this mean that Scott Walker is no longer the standard bearer for the Wisconsin GOP?
Bill McCoshen:
Listen, Scott Walker will always have a place in history. He’s the only governor in American history who survived a recall. So, he was a two-term governor here. He did a lot of major reforms. His brand was clearly not as strong as Donald Trump and Tommy Thompson. Don’t forget Tim Michels was also endorsed by Tommy Thompson. His brand was not as strong as theirs was, and at the end of the day, he’s 54 years old. Is he done in politics? I highly doubt it. I think we will probably see Scott Walker back at some point, but you know, he was not able to pull Rebecca over the finish line.
Frederica Freyberg:
Scot?
Scot Ross:
It is almost unprecedented. Have you ever seen anywhere, not just in Wisconsin but anywhere around the country where a former governor gets into a gubernatorial primary to attack, you know, other candidates and that’s exactly what Scott Walker did. I think the guy’s ego — he’s just lost it in terms of that, and it is all about him and it was to the detriment of Rebecca Kleefisch. He should have not been in the ads. We saw in 2018 when people were sick of him, he kept being in ad after ad after ad. Scott Walker, I know you don’t ususally take advice from me, but get away from the parking lot. You’ve graduated from high school. Move on to your next place.
Bill McCoshen:
Scot and I actually agree on that, Fred. I mean, I think they used, overused Scott Walker and underused Rebecca Kleefisch. Outside of Tommy Thompson, she’s the most hard-working, statewide candidate I’ve ever seen on the Republican side. She’s smart. She’s telegenic and they didn’t use enough of her. I think she got some bad advice down the stretch and it ultimately worked against her.
Frederica Freyberg:
Bill, are Republicans at all skittish about riding the coat tails of Donald Trump especially with what he’s going through right now?
Bill McCoshen:
Well, Tim Michels ran ads with Trump’s picture in it. In the primary, he had Trump come a week ago Friday to Waukesha. I don’t know if he will be back in the general or not. If he does, it would be for Ron Johnson and Tim Michels most likely. If he does come back, I would suspect that would be probably in the Wausau or Green Bay area where his support is enormous. But I don’t think you are going to see him highlighted in the general election. Tim Michels is going to focus on the contrast between him and Tony Evers and that’s what is going to get him elected.
Scot Ross:
I mean Frederica, the day after Tim Michels won the endorsement, he literally — won the primary election, he took the endorsement from Donald Trump off of his website and then after a reporter found that out, he put it back up. Donald Trump is toxic to swing voters and toxic to independent voters and toxic to Democratic voters. Every woman in the state of Wisconsin had her status made second class by the Donald Trump Supreme Court.
Frederica Freyberg:
So Scot, President Joe Biden’s polling numbers are in the tank. How much does he hold back candidates in his party?
Scot Ross:
I don’t really think he holds them back because his — you know, he is a making of what the circumstances are right now. Inflation is tough, and Democrats are taking steps to solve that problem. But the challenge is that he’s in charge so he gets hit with that. I don’t think the toxicity that Donald Trump has compares in the solar system to Joe Biden. Joe Biden, you look at him, you know he’s out there trying to help you.
Bill McCoshen:
I disagree. I think he’s going to be a major drag on Democrats, both Tony Evers and on Mandela Barnes but it’s not just that. I mean his numbers, the president’s numbers are ok here. I think he’s at 42%, not great. He’s underwater for sure. They are in the 30s nationally but the other thing working against Democrats is the right direction, wrong track number, which in many surveys nationally is now 80% of the people think the country is on the wrong track. That ultimately says change. So candidates — incumbent Democrats running this year are in a tough, tough environment because of that. And the last thing is history. Tony Evers — there’s only one governor in the state of Wisconsin incumbent that’s ever been re-elected when his party controlled the White House, and that was my old boss, Tommy Thompson in 1990.
Frederica Freyberg:
Can Tony Evers hold off Tim Michels, Scot?
Scot Ross:
Absolutely. Tony Evers has united the Democratic Party and the thing is is that Tim Michels has been in Connecticut. What Tony Evers has been doing is what Wisconsinites need him to do. He has been getting the money to make sure small businesses, local taverns, your local communities are not losing all their business by getting money from Washington, D.C. during this global pandemic that has gone on for years. If the Republicans were in charge, we would not have that money. You’d have businesses all over the place closed down. Thank goodness Tony Evers is in there and if you talk to voters out there and they say is Tony Evers on my side? They answer absolutely he is. I might not agree with him on everything but he’s on my side.
Frederica Freyberg:
What about in the Johnson v. Mandela Barnes race. Ron Johson’s base is all in on the senator but Bill, is he at all vulnerable?
Bill McCoshen:
I think he’s in better shape today than he was a year ago. And don’t forget, you got very smart viewers for your show. There are a lot of people who think he helped get Donald Trump over the finish line here in 2016. When Trump won here in ’16, it was the first time a Republican presidential candidate had won since 1984. Johnson got more votes than Trump in 2016. He is a popular, popular political figure within the base and he does pretty well with independents and the reason for that is he’s just a straight shooter. He tells it like it is. Ultimately, I think that race is really a fundamental question. If you like the direction of the country or if you like the leadership of Joe Biden, then Mandela Barnes is your guy. If you want a different take, then it’s Ron Johnson.
Scot Ross:
Listen, Ron Johnson, his approval is 36%. That is awful, that is terrible. He, you know — he hasn’t really been all that visible until the last couple years and it’s all been negative. Ron Johnson wants to get rid of Social Security and Medicare, put it on the chopping block every single year for a partisan Congress. Think about if you are a senior out in rural Wisconsin, or you’re a senior anywhere, hospitals would be shut down all across Wisconsin if we lose Medicare. Restaurants, grocery stores, they are gone if Ron Johnson gets his way on Social Security and Medicare and Democrats are going to hang that around his neck and they should because he’s wrong on it.
Frederica Freyberg:
There’s so much more to talk about here but I want to get to this, how Robin Vos just barely snuck out a win over a Trump-endorsed unknown candidate and then his own election investigator, Michael Gableman, turned on him endorsing the other guy. Now, Vos then called Gabelman an embarrassment and just today, he fired him. Your reaction Bill?
Bill McCoshen:
I’m glad. I think it’s long overdue. I think the Gableman investigation had run its course. We have two better, more credible investigations from the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty and the Legislative Audit Bureau. They gave the legislature a clear road map on things that need to get done. The legislature has tried to address those things twice and Governor Evers has vetoed it. Bye, bye, Mike Gableman.
Frederica Freyberg:
Scot, your reaction to Robin Vos firing Michael Gableman?
Scot Ross:
Listen, this whole investigation has been corrupt, circus, that is an afront to democracy. Republicans want to attack your right to vote, prevent you from going out to vote. Democrats are emboldened by this. They are going to make sure everybody who wants to go out and vote and who has the right to be able to go out and vote, gets out and votes. I think it’s going to be a good election night for Democrats.
Frederica Freyberg:
Scot Ross, Bill McCoshen, thanks very much.
McCoshen and Ross:
Thanks.
Frederica Freyberg:
The lines are set in the race for Wisconsin’s third congressional district in west central Wisconsin. Republican candidate Derrick Van Orden will face off against Democratic primary winner Brad Pfaff. Why is this election in the national spotlight and who are these candidates? We turn to Anthony Chergosky, political science professor at UW-La Crosse. Thanks for being here.
Anthony Chergosky:
Thank you.
Frederica Freyberg:
As to those questions, why is the third being so closely watched?
Anthony Chergosky:
It’s by far the most competitive U.S. House of Representatives district in Wisconsin and some prognostication services say it’s one of the most likely districts to flip party control. Republicans have their eye on this district as they seek to regain majority control of the House of Representatives.
Frederica Freyberg:
So let’s take a look at those candidates. How would you describe them, Derrick Van Orden first.
Anthony Chergosky:
Derrick Van Orden is a staunch Donald Trump ally. He’s someone who really brands himself as being part of the Donald Trump movement of the party. He was famously in D.C. on January 6th, 2021. He says that he was not involved in the riot, he was not in a restricted area. Some of the facts are disputed surrounding that. But what is clear is that Derrick Van Orden is a staunch, staunch supporter of Donald Trump and this district did go Donald Trump’s way by a small margin. That could bode well for Derrick Van Orden.
Frederica Freyberg:
What about Brad Pfaff?
Anthony Chergosky:
Brad Pfaff really is in the — he’s really following in the footsteps of Ron Kind, I would say. Ron Kind, the longtime Congress person from this district who ran as a moderate Democrat. Someone really focused on those local issues. Someone who could draw that key crossover support from voters who may vote Republican in other races but were willing to vote for Kind in the race for Congress. Pfaff runs as someone who is really focused on rural issues. Democrats are hungry for someone who can connect with that key rural audience. We’ll see if Pfaff can be that person.
Frederica Freyberg:
Is there any sense at this point that the FBI searches and depositions and investigations into Trump will give his supporters in that district any pause?
Anthony Chergosky:
I’m not sure, Frederica. I mean, we know that there is a strong rural/urban divide in this district and I think that’s been really the key political development in western Wisconsin in this third district over the last number of years. Where rural areas have become very strong in the Republican camp, this could have an effect on those areas, how they turn out to vote in November. At the same time, we know that Democrats are highly motivated in this election due to Derrick Van Orden’s presence in D.C. on January 6th and his strong support of Donald Trump.
Frederica Freyberg:
What in your estimation are the major issues in the district there?
Anthony Chergosky:
Well, Derrick Van Orden focuses a lot on national political issues. He’s very active on social media and really focuses on the issues that animate the Republican base nationally. Those culture war issues, those issues related to Joe Biden and wanting to defeat Joe Biden, wanting to unseat the Democrats for majority control. So he’s really in line with the national Republican messaging. Brad Pfaff, on the other hand, is trying to localize the race. Focus on those local issues. Agriculture being a key one. Education being another one. We have many UW campuses in this district. UW has a major presence in this area. So all of that could play out in this campaign in unpredictable ways but we know Derrick Van Orden is more focused on that national Republican brand, while Brad Pfaff wants to distinguish himself from the national Democratic brand and focus more on those local issues.
Frederica Freyberg:
What do you think about that? Which works best in that district in your estimation?
Anthony Chergosky:
For years Ron Kind has been able to win re-election through focusing on those local issues and creating some distance between himself and that national Democratic Party brand. He has been able to say that he’s different than other Democrats. He’s more moderate than other Democrats, and that he’s really focused on those local issues, those agricultural issues, those issues related to our presence right along the Mississippi River, for example. So I think Brad Pfaff is trying to replicate the Ron Kind strategy and we’ll see if that wins out or if those national factors carry Derrick Van Orden to a win.
Frederica Freyberg:
Ok, Professor Anthony Chergosky, thank you very much for joining us.
Anthony Chergosky:
Thank you.
Frederica Freyberg:
A sweeping climate health and tax bill dubbed by Democrats as the Inflation Reduction Act went to the floor of the U.S. House today for passage. Last weekend the Senate passed the measure with zero Republicans voting in flavor. The $437 billion spending bill includes nearly $370 billion investment in energy and climate reform. It includes $60 billion for renewable energy infrastructure and also consumer tax credits for electric vehicles. On the healthcare side, the bill includes allowing the feds to negotiate prescription drug prices for Medicare, and extends subsidies for Affordable Care Act health plans, and the measure creates a 15% minimum tax for corporations making $1 billion or more in income. All told, bringing in more than $300 billion in revenue. One part of the bill getting notice from folks who might be in the market for clean cars, a new $7,500 tax credit for new electric vehicles, and a $4,000 credit for used electric vehicles.
Tammy Baldwin:
The Inflation Reduction Act will lower energy costs for consumers and help us meet our long-term’s emission goals to combat climate change.
Frederica Freyberg:
Fresh off voting for the measure, Wisconsin U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin toured a Madison company building out electric charging stations with the local utility.
Jeffrey Keebler:
Transportation is the leading contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. Advancing electric transportation powered by an increasingly cleaner electric grid is key to creating a more sustainable future, locally and globally.
Frederica Freyberg:
For her part, Baldwin heralds the congressional legislation.
Tammy Baldwin:
The Inflation Reduction Act makes the biggest investment in combatting climate change that we have ever made in the United States.
Ron Johnson:
I mean, they are doing things —
Frederica Freyberg:
U.S. Senator Ron Johnson was among all the Republicans who voted against the measure and among other things released a statement calling its title a misnomer, saying “The Orwellian named ‘Inflation Reduction Act’ will do no such thing… This is a Green Energy Fantasy that will more likely drive the cost of energy up rather than down.” Johnson also blasts the 15% tax on billion dollars plus corporations and money in the package to boost IRS tax enforcement.
In health news, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has now declared monkeypox a public health emergency with more than 10,000 cases reported nationally. Here in Wisconsin the state Department of Health Services is prioritizing vaccine doses that are in short supply. Chief Medical Officer and State Epidemiologist Dr. Ryan Westergaard is here with an update. Nice to see you, doctor.
Ryan Westergaard:
Nice to be back with you.
Frederica Freyberg:
What is the status with monkeypox in Wisconsin? How many cases are there at week’s end and how fast are they climbing?
Ryan Westergaard:
Yeah, we are in a bit of an acceleration phase, but cases are still relatively low. Nationwide in the U.S., there’s over 10,000 cases that have been reported. In Wisconsin, the number is only 40, and that includes cases detected in ten out of Wisconsin’s 72 counties. But it’s picked up this week in comparison to last week and we are expecting to see some more.
Frederica Freyberg:
What is monkeypox, exactly?
Ryan Westergaard:
Monkeypox is a virus that is a cousin of the smallpox virus which of course used to cause a lot of severe disease, but we’ve eradicated through vaccination. Monkeypox is naturally found in some animal populations, which is where it got its name and it has spilled over into human populations various times, including about 2002, 2003 there was an outbreak in the Midwest. This particular monkeypox outbreak is different. Although it’s not specifically considered a sexually transmitted disease, it’s spreading that way in this current global outbreak affecting predominantly men who identify as gay or bisexual.
Frederica Freyberg:
Why is that? Why are gay men in the high-risk group?
Ryan Westergaard:
I think it’s because that’s where it started. The initial infections in people were among men who had traveled, who had attended large gatherings where a lot of close skin to skin or intimate contact was taking place, and it spread throughout those social and sexual networks around the world. So I think it’s important that that — the group of men who have sex with men or identify as gay or bisexual know they are at highest risk but also important for the general public to know anyone is susceptible to this. People who are household contacts, if they come into close contact with a person, or even with towels or linens that are shared can contract this virus. So it’s something everyone should know about.
Frederica Freyberg:
How dangerous is it if you get it?
Ryan Westergaard:
It’s not pleasant, but so far in the United States, there have been no fatal cases. There have been a number that have caused hospitalization primarily because of the need for pain control. The skin lesions can be quite painful. They can, particularly in the current outbreak, affect the genital area, and some people have required hospitalization for pain control. It’s particularly dangerous in younger patients, pregnant people, and people with suppressed immune systems. So before this current outbreak, we thought we heard the estimate about a 1% mortality. So it certainly can cause severe disease, but these days it’s predominantly affecting younger and healthy men. We haven’t seen much in the way of severe disease and no deaths so far, thankfully.
Frederica Freyberg:
As for vaccines, they are in short supply and now being stretched. What’s the situation in Wisconsin?
Ryan Westergaard:
We have administered just under 1,000 doses to people who are at the highest risk, and that includes people who we have determined through public health investigations have been exposed to a person with known monkeypox or people who are at high risk, again, that population of men who have had multiple sex partners. So we’re trying to get the word out and trying to support all the clinical partners and providers around the state to get this new vaccine, which is called JYNNEOS, out into this population and get as many of the highest risk people for the monkeypox virus vaccinated. We had some good news this week that we are able to stretch the vaccine supply by giving it at a smaller dose through a different route and that’s based on good science showing it is just as effective as the traditional larger dose route, so we are optimistic we have enough vaccine to reach the people who are at the greatest risk right now.
Frederica Freyberg:
On COVID-19, there is new relaxed guidance from the CDC. Does Wisconsin expect to follow that?
Ryan Westergaard:
Yes, we do, and we’re working with partners as we have all along in school systems and universities and businesses to spread the word about the new guidance, which predominately — I guess the most important one is that we’re doing away with quarantine. These days after this new guidance, people who have been exposed to a person with COVID-19 in your household or out in the community, they don’t need to stay home necessarily but do want them to wear masks. With this new guidance in the fall and the cold and flu season coming upon us, our hope is that we see people adhering to this new guidance and wearing masks a lot more when you find out you’ve been exposed to someone.
Frederica Freyberg:
Dr. Ryan Westergaard, thank you very much.
Ryan Westergaard:
Nice to be with you.
Frederica Freyberg:
For more on this week’s election results and other issues facing Wisconsin, visit our website at PBSwisconsin.org, and then click on the news tab. That’s our program for tonight. I’m Frederica Freyberg. Have a good weekend.
Announcer:
Funding for “Here & Now” is provided by the Focus Fund for Journalism and Friends of PBS Wisconsin.
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