Announcer:
The following program is a PBS Wisconsin original production. You’re watching “Here & Now” 2024 election coverage.

Kamala Harris:
On behalf of everyone whose story could only be written in the greatest nation on earth, I accept your nomination to be president of the United States of America.

Frederica Freyberg:
I’m Frederica Freyberg. Tonight on “Here & Now,” our one-hour special focusing on Wisconsin’s key place in the presidential election, as we report from the Democratic National Convention. Interviews with the party chairs and a former GOP adviser, plus team coverage from Chicago. It’s “Here & Now” for August 23.

Announcer:
Funding for “Here & Now” is provided by the Focus Fund for Journalism and Friends of PBS Wisconsin.

Frederica Freyberg:
Democrats are energized. A week of high-profile speakers, heartfelt stories and momentum building culminated in the final words of the official Democratic presidential nominee, Kamala Harris. Zac Schultz gives us this summary of the week.

Kamala Harris:
But America, we are not going back. We are not going back. We are not going back.

Zac Schultz:
Vice President Kamala Harris took the stage Thursday night and put an exclamation point on one of the most dramatic shifts we’ve seen in a presidential race this century.

Kamala Harris:
America, the path that led me here in recent weeks was no doubt unexpected.

Zac Schultz:
Five weeks ago in Milwaukee, Donald Trump wrapped up the Republican National Convention with a lead in the polls, a united GOP and a weakened opponent in President Joe Biden. Two days later, Biden dropped out. And since then, Kamala Harris has energized Democrats raised more than $300 million and made the race a dead heat heading into the stretch run.

Kamala Harris:
Fellow Americans, this election is not only the most important of our lives, it is one of the most important in the life of our nation.

Zac Schultz:
Wisconsin could very well decide the election, and Democrats know it.

Tony Evers:
We’re going to make it or break it for the, for our country. I do believe that the Democrats have to win in Wisconsin in order to have this great team go across the finish line.

Zac Schultz:
The Wisconsin delegation saw a parade of high-profile senators, governors and leaders from around the country speak to them each morning. None bigger than vice presidential nominee Tim Walz, who made the Wisconsin delegation his first stop of the week Monday morning.

Tim Walz:
Hey, good morning, Wisconsin! [cheering]

Zac Schultz:
The Minnesota governor made clear enthusiasm is great, but the election will only be won with hard work.

Tim Walz:
Hope is the most powerful word in the universe. It’s not a plan, though. It’s not a plan to hope that we beat these guys.

Nancy Pelosi:
Everything’s riding on Wisconsin.

Zac Schultz:
It’s a message repeated later in the week by former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Nancy Pelosi:
We must own the ground. We must mobilize, because if you don’t mobilize, everything else you do is just a conversation. Whether it’s on TV, in the mail and blah, blah, blah. Get out that vote.

Zac Schultz:
A message repeated again from the main stage Thursday night.

Kamala Harris:
So let’s get out there. Let’s fight for it. Let’s get out there. Let’s vote for it. And together, let us write the next great chapter in the most extraordinary story ever told. Thank you. [cheering]

Frederica Freyberg:
The word of the week: energy. Democrats are flying high following their party convention in Chicago. Now they look toward their push to November. We check in now with Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Ben Wikler. Thanks so much for being here.

Ben Wikler:
Thanks so much for having me on, Frederica.

Frederica Freyberg:
So how do you maintain the energy of that convention and translate it into votes for your candidates?

Ben Wikler:
Well, for all the Democrats that were here, their first step is to drink some tea and recover their voice after cheering their hearts out for the last four nights. For Democrats across the country, I think you can think of this convention as almost like a bolt of lightning that went directly into a weathervane connected to a giant battery, and that battery now has to power us to zoom through the next 73 days. We have this tiny window of time to take everything that we learned over this last week about who Kamala Harris is: the daughter of the middle class, the daughter of immigrants who loves this country so much and has seen what it can do. The opportunity that it can offer and wants it to offer that opportunity to everyone. Of Tim Walz, who embodies his small town’s value for being a good neighbor, for looking after everyone, and for as a coach, making sure people know that they have the power to make things better. He gave a pep talk to the entire audience at the convention, and we’re ready to run through a wall. That’s essentially what we have to do. It’s called the Blue Wall, and Wisconsin is the centerpiece of it.

Frederica Freyberg:
How do you put Democrats’ money advantage to work to win in November?

Ben Wikler:
Well, in a funny way, money is an indicator of enthusiasm. There are, as far as I can tell, millions of people who’ve chipped in at KamalaHarris.com and made small donations and big donations over the course of this convention just in an extraordinary clip. The key thing that the campaign has to do, that the Democratic Party of Wisconsin has to do, is make sure that that money translates into clear communication that connects with people’s values. And that can come in the form of hiring organizers to connect with the 42,000 volunteers who’ve signed up in Wisconsin since Kamala Harris became our nominee. To connect with those volunteers and make sure they’re ready to go and knock on doors and talk to undecided voters. It can be TV ads that I’m sure people are going to see not on, on, on — well, on just about every screen that they can turn on, including their phones, probably at gas stations when you’re filling up your tank. We know that the other side in this campaign is already investing millions of dollars in Wisconsin and across the country. We cannot be out communicated. We can’t be outworked. We can’t be out organized. We have to deliver in the same way that we just saw Vice President Harris do from the convention stage last night.

Frederica Freyberg:
Why is the race so very close in Wisconsin?

Ben Wikler:
Well, Wisconsin is a 50/50 state. We’re the only state where four of the last six presidential races has come down to less than one percentage point. And that’s not just presidential races. Our senate race in ’22, one point. Governor’s race in 2018, 1.1 point. I’d love to get to that extra 1.1. This is a state where there’s just a lot of Democrats, a lot of Republicans, a lot of people who think through with each election which party they’re going to vote for, and some people who think through whether they’re going to vote. For all of those voters, it is critical that they hear on a regular basis, very clearly, that Vice President Harris is going to fight for them, that she wants them to be free. She doesn’t think the government should be interfering in their personal lives, and she thinks the government should be ensuring that big companies like Big Pharma can’t price gouge, can’t, can’t force up costs for people that want to be able to afford their medicine and their groceries at the same time, which shouldn’t be that tall of an order in the wealthiest country in the world. She’s here to give a middle-class tax cut and ensure that the wealthy pay their fair share. And she laid out a vision at this convention of really a country that lifts everyone up, whether you live in a rural area or a city or a suburb, she’s lived in lots of different places, including in Wisconsin as a kid, and she brings that life experience to bear. She thinks about the kind of president that she’s ready to be.

Frederica Freyberg:
Tammy Baldwin is ahead in polling over her challenger, Eric Hovde, for the U. S. Senate. Can she count on that polling?

Ben Wikler:
Well, again, this is Wisconsin. I remember a poll in 2020 that said that Joe Biden was 17 points ahead. He won by 6/10ths of a percentage point. So if you’re running or if you think it’s important that someone win, if you think that you want Tammy Baldwin to get to the United States Senate and keep fighting special interests and working to pass the Women’s Health Protection Act to make Roe versus Wade the law of the land, don’t trust any poll that says this is a landslide. Work, work as though it’s not within the margin of error. That it’s within the margin of effort. And that means pulling out your phone and thinking through and finding which friends of yours might not have voted before, who might have moved and not updated their voter registration, who sometimes votes Republican, sometimes votes Democrat. Go call them and talk to them about why they might care about Tammy Baldwin defeating Eric Hovde. And while they’re at it, vote for state legislative races, house races, and for Vice President Harris.

Frederica Freyberg:
We leave it there. Ben Wikler, thanks very much.

Ben Wikler:
Thanks so much for having me on.

Frederica Freyberg:
Kamala Harris continues to focus on Wisconsin voters. Earlier this week with the convention in full swing, she broke away to rally a record crowd of supporters in Milwaukee in her third visit in four weeks to the state. Murv Seymour has been on the campaign trail and has this report.

Jaliah Jefferson:
Hello, Milwaukee. How are we doing? [cheering]

Murv Seymour:
For a few hours this week…

Jaliah Jefferson:
As Vice President Harris says the road to the White House runs through this very state.

Murv Seymour:
and one night only, a piece of the Democratic National Convention is in the spotlight in the heart of downtown Milwaukee. With the official convention in full swing 90 miles away inside Chicago’s United Center, Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, filled two arenas at the same time in two cities with fired up voters in Chicago and Milwaukee, which lights up…

[DJ Khaled song playing] All I do is win, win, win.

Murv Seymour:
…. with excitement.

[DJ Khaled song playing] No matter what.

Murv Seymour:
Terrence Burkett is one of an estimated 18,000 people who have come to the Fiserv Forum Arena to cheer, chant and support what he calls the Harris-Walz political movement, even if it is from the so-called “cheap seats.”

Terrence Burkett:
In ’08 when Obama ran, I got a chance to experience that, and I did not think we would get to experience something like that again in my lifetime to be honest.

Jessica Cabrera:
I think the world is already very divided as it is and to know that there are this many people that have the same sort of core beliefs and values and morals that you do feels good.

Murv Seymour:
The Milwaukee half of these two twin rallies takes place in the same space where Republicans held their convention barely a month ago. Today, two blocks away, a huge Trump billboard sits high in the sky, offering voters a contrast between Republicans and Democrats. Democratic campaign officials hope this convention-style campaign stop in Milwaukee has the same effect.

Cavalier Johnson:
The vice president leaving her own convention and coming here is saying to voters on the ground in this city and in this state in Wisconsin to say, we see you, we value you.

Disc jockey:
And we’re going to pass the mic from state to state so that all our voices are heard all around the nation.

Murv Seymour:
At one point, a feed of the ceremonial roll call of delegates from Chicago played out live on the big screens inside the forum.

Jason Rae:
Illinois. How do you cast your vote?

Murv Seymour:
Suddenly out of nowhere…

Announcer:
Governor Tim Walz.

Murv Seymour:
…vice presidential hopeful Tim Walz walks out and stuns this crowd. [cheering]

Tim Walz:
By the way, they got a little party going over in Chicago. They didn’t know the big party was here in Milwaukee tonight. So this is where it’s at.

Murv Seymour:
He wastes no time in talking about the elephant in the room. [boos]Their opponent, Donald Trump.

Tim Walz:
They left here riding high. They were feeling good. This thing was over. Well, trust me Milwaukee, a hell of a lot can change in four weeks.

Murv Seymour:
When it’s time for the Wisconsin delegation, this Milwaukee audience erupts into a Wisconsin Badger football tradition meant to give the team a last quarter push towards victory. [cheering]

Jason Rae:
I am thrilled to reaffirm Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee for president of the United States.

[Beyonce song playing] Freedom, freedom. I can’t move.

Murv Seymour:
And for the Minnesota and California roll calls, Vice President Harris’s message from Milwaukee is livestreamed for those at the convention in Chicago and the rest of America.

Kamala Harris:
They have nominated Coach Walz and me to be the next vice president and president of the United States of America.

Murv Seymour:
Surrounded by the people she hopes to represent, using the one word that represents her campaign, candidate Harris reminds this enthusiastic crowd that her campaign is about freedom.

Kamala Harris:
Like the freedom to vote. The freedom to be safe from gun violence. The freedom to love who you love openly and with pride. [cheering]

Murv Seymour:
Now that Kamala Harris is the official Democratic nominee, she’s hoping to ride the momentum from this week’s Democratic National Convention all the way to Election Day. Reporting for “Here & Now,” I’m Murv Seymour.

Frederica Freyberg:
Donald Trump’s running mate, Republican vice-presidential candidate J.D. Vance was once again hot on the trail of his opponents visiting Kenosha on the same day Harris and Walz were in Milwaukee. Vance claimed Trump, when he was president, was responsible for controlling the riots in Kenosha in 2020. However, Governor Tony Evers did deploy the National Guard to the city before the protests turned violent.

J.D. Vance:
Now we know what happens when we don’t have leadership who support our law enforcement. We saw it in Kenosha just a few years ago. You all know this better than I do. That four years ago, Kenosha had terrible riots after a police shooting. And who was it? Who was the president of the United States that promised that he would send in law enforcement if asked? That was Donald Trump. Who was it that pacified the streets of Wisconsin and ensured that those riots didn’t spiral out of control and burn down the entire city? That was President Donald J. Trump. And of course, we know the governor didn’t initially want the support from President Trump, but after a couple of days of those riots, he relented and did the smart thing and allowed President Trump to support, to send federal support. Without that, without that, I really think that Kenosha would still be recovering from those terrible riots today.

Frederica Freyberg:
Donald Trump and his supporters have a long track record of racist and misogynistic statements, and with Kamala Harris taking the lead in most polls, Democrats expect to see even more racist and sexist statements between now and the election. “Here & Now” senior political reporter Zac Schultz spoke with several Democrats in Chicago to see how they would advise people to respond.

Zac Schultz:
In July, Donald Trump was in the middle of a hostile back and forth with a Black female journalist when he questioned the ethnicity of Vice President Kamala Harris.

Donald Trump:
I didn’t know she was Black until a number of years ago, when she happened to turn Black, and now she wants to be known as Black. So I don’t know. Is she Indian or is she Black?

Zac Schultz:
This came just a few days after old and now infamous clips resurfaced showing Trump’s choice for vice president, Ohio Senator JD Vance had said the country under Democrats was being led by childless cat ladies.

J.D. Vance:
We’re effectively run in this country via the Democrats, be it via our corporate oligarchs, by a bunch of childless cat ladies.

Zac Schultz:
As these comments and others that are far worse echo throughout conservative social media and into real conversations, we wanted to know what Wisconsin delegates think is the best response. Some say the most powerful thing is to not let it go unchallenged.

Cavalier Johnson:
If something is racist, then we should say that it’s racist. If something is sexist, then we should say what the thing is. We should say that it is sexist. And there certainly are those things that are coming out on the Republican side towards Vice President Harris and her candidacy to be the first woman and the first Black woman to be president of the United States.

Sara Rodriguez:
I would never suggest ignoring anything racist or sexist when you’re talking to somebody. Call it out. Indicate that that is not acceptable for you to be hearing that.

Ann Jacobs:
I think, number one, you got to call it out when you see it. Pretending it’s not there doesn’t make it go away. It gives it power. So we have to talk about it and recognize it for what it is.

Zac Schultz:
Wisconsin’s two members of Congress have a different approach, having dealt with Trump while he was president.

Gwen Moore:
That’s the only tool in this toolkit. You know, it’s fear, racism, sexism.

Mark Pocan:
I would say just let Donald Trump be Donald Trump, because I think right now, he’s an asset to the Democrats.

Zac Schultz:
Congressman Mark Pocan says engaging with Trump just amplifies the message.

Mark Pocan:
That focuses on Donald Trump again and that’s what he loves. No matter, like I said, how crazy or stupid of something he says, he just wants to be talked about.

Zac Schultz:
Congresswoman Gwen Moore says it only makes sense to engage if you think the person is willing to listen.

Gwen Moore:
You got to reach out to the reachable people.

Mandela Barnes:
The response should be decency. And Wisconsin is a state that prides itself on decency.

Cavalier Johnson:
Well, you can do both, right? You can call it out but do it in such a way where you’re not being disagreeable. Like you don’t have to be engaged in a race to the bottom.

Zac Schultz:
Wisconsin delegate Thelma Sias says the best response is to go to work.

Thelma Sias:
None of these sounds and expressions are things we have not heard. The most critical way we can respond to these acts of racism being hurdled is to put our shoes on, put our boots on, and began to walk and knock on doors and ask for voters to come to the poll and vote.

Mandela Barnes:
And the way that we combat that is showing up and using that energy for good.

Thelma Sias:
Call me any name you want to call, but just know I’m a voter. I’m going to the poll. I’m voting for the first African-American woman on the ballot to become president of the United States of America. That’s my damn story and I’m sticking to it.

Frederica Freyberg:
Fourth District Democratic U. S. Representative Gwen Moore joined Harris at her convention week rally in Milwaukee Tuesday. Representative Moore was the first Black person in Wisconsin elected to Congress back in 2004. Now she’s looking to welcome the first woman and the first woman of color as U.S. president. We’re joined now by Congresswoman Moore. And thanks so much for being here.

Gwen Moore:
Oh, thanks so much for having me, Fredrica. It’s always great to be with you.

Frederica Freyberg:
So what is it like to see Kamala Harris possibly ascend to the highest elected office in the nation?

Gwen Moore:
Well, you know, let me just say it’s awesome. However, when you stop and think about what America has become, it’s the melting pot and there are — and Kamala Harris looks more like what an American looks like these days. Person of mixed heritage. And I think that when we look at the difference in the messaging of the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. The Republican Party, Donald Trump pushing fear of the other, fear of immigrants and people of color of gaining power and influence in the country, and the rise of a Kamala Harris. We know that demographically, we have been on this trend for a while. So while it’s awesome, it’s about time.

Frederica Freyberg:
How important is Milwaukee and its potential turnout to the outcome of this election?

Gwen Moore:
I think that Kamala Harris and the DNC made it perfectly clear that Milwaukee was important. They started their tour, I think, in Pennsylvania. And instead of bypassing Milwaukee and heading straight to Chicago for the convention, they made sure that they filled up the very same stadium where Donald Trump and the RNC had been a month prior. Filled it up, as well as having all of the delegates nationwide be in Chicago at the United Center. So I do think that Milwaukeeans love to be asked for their vote. They love to be respected for their vote. And the fact that Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, you know, took time away from the main stage, as it were, in Chicago, to come to Milwaukee, really was rewarded with a packed stadium in Milwaukee. It was absolutely thrilling.

Frederica Freyberg:
Well, what do voters there most want from a candidate? And in your mind, does Kamala Harris deliver that?

Gwen Moore:
Kamala or like her stepchildren call her, Mamala, has a very female centered, in my opinion, agenda. When she talks about down payment assistance or the rent is too damn high. She’s speaking directly to women who go to the store, who put the food on the table. You talk about cutting the cost of health care, going after the pharmaceutical industry. It’s a lot more clear and not abstract, like saying, “Oh, we’re going to have the Inflation Reduction Act.” No, your medication is going to be dropped to $35 a month, if you need insulin. We’re going to spread that throughout the population. That is — when you talk about that education and of course, when you talk about the right to choose to have an abortion, you’re bowling right down the alley of family-oriented child tax credit, paid family leave. Right down the alley of the kind of people we need to bring to the table. Women. Frederica, 46% of women are heads of households these days. And if you look at a Black household, we’re talking over 50%, 52, 53% of households are held by women. We talk about the numbers of younger people who are becoming homeowners that that would be women. And so she is, she is speaking to, I think the constituency that is most open to hearing about the difference in her administration than any other administration that we have had in their lifetimes.

Frederica Freyberg:
All right. We leave it there. Congresswoman Gwen Moore, thanks very much.

Gwen Moore:
Thank you, Frederica.

Frederica Freyberg:
Was it hard to keep up with the glitz and energy of the Democratic Party convention? And what about campaign messaging out of it? We turn now to Republican Party of Wisconsin Chair Brian Schimming. And Brian, thanks very much for being here.

Brian Schimming:
Thanks for having me.

Frederica Freyberg:
So speaking of the convention, was there a sting when Kamala Harris held a capacity crowd rally at the Fiserv the same place that the RNC held its convention?

Brian Schimming:
Yeah. No, not for me, there’s not. I didn’t really talk to a lot of folks who were too uptight about that. But Wisconsin is a swing state. No doubt about that. And there’s a reason they have to come back here. And that’s because the polling traditionally, at least in the last several months, was not good for them here in Wisconsin. But Wisconsin is a purple state, and we expect that for the next 70 plus days.

Frederica Freyberg:
How worried are you that the energy tips to big Democratic turnout in Wisconsin?

Brian Schimming:
Not very worried. I mean, we’ve been planning all along that it would be a big turnout on both sides. You know, look, conventions are four day shows. And so we had a lot of energy coming out of ours. They had some energy coming out of theirs, but they have to come back to for Wisconsin a reason. And that’s because really, the top three issues by almost any poll, the top three issues out there, and certainly here in Wisconsin are the economy and inflation, the open border and violent crime. We see that in every single survey. You see it in the Marquette survey, a fair bit. So those are issues where the Democrats right now are upside down and they’re upside down in double digits. So the fundamentals of the race aren’t the same. Different candidate, right? But the fundamentals of the race are not that different.

Frederica Freyberg:
In Wisconsin, the second issue is reproductive rights according to the Marquette Law School poll. So what about that?

Brian Schimming:
I think what you will see, I think the Republicans ran away from that issue too much. I’ve said this publicly. Maybe it sounds critical of my own party, but they ran away from the issue too much in 2022 and didn’t deal with it. There, you know, for women who that is their issue and is their only issue, they’re probably not going to vote for a Republican necessarily. But really the vast majority is that is an issue among other issues that are important and those issues are not ones that are helpful to the Democrats right now.

Frederica Freyberg:
Speaking of energy and voting and turnout, Democrats are talking about picking up the state Assembly under the new maps. What’s your reaction to that?

Brian Schimming:
I think the Republicans hold on to both houses. I think the Assembly, probably the more competitive of the two, no doubt about that. But I think the Republicans hold on to both houses and, you know, new maps. It was kind of a second reapportionment, right? I mean, it was almost like we were doing reapportionment all over again. But in this case, with dramatic changes, thanks to the liberal Supreme Court in Wisconsin. But, you know, everywhere I’ve been in the state, you know, I’m on the road a lot. I’ll be on the road as this program airs. And it’s the feel is very good out there.

Frederica Freyberg:
What advantages do you think Republicans have over Democrats in Wisconsin?

Brian Schimming:
I think certainly the package of key issues are very, very important. I think across the country, the number one issue is the economy and inflation right now. You see that certainly in the big seven target states, states like Wisconsin, Arizona, New Mexico, Georgia. So we have a lot of people are upset. Working people in the state have been hurt by the Biden-Harris administration. And that is very, very helpful because we have people who may not have voted Republican before that are doing it.

Frederica Freyberg:
How do you overcome the Democrats money advantage?

Brian Schimming:
Yeah. What’s interesting about that is they shop their money advantage all the time. And yet in 2022, while we fell short in the governor’s race, they dumped $100 million in against Ron Johnson and lost. They lost a congressional seat in western Wisconsin. They dumped millions into. They lost seats in the Assembly, in the Senate, in courthouses. In this past April, they lost on the two Zuckerbucks referenda and the Democrat mayor of Wausau lost. So they, they talk a big game about money, and they outspent us 4 to 1 in Wausau. They talk a big game about money, but they keep losing in these critical contests.

Frederica Freyberg:
We want to give you this opportunity. A little earlier in our program, we reported on accusations of racism and misogyny coming from the Republican side and asking people, voters, Democratic voters, how they should respond to those things. How do you respond to those things? Things like, Harris, Kamala Harris turning Black and the childless cat lady’s remarks.

Brian Schimming:
Listen, those things to those most voters, most voters aren’t looking at that. And frankly, you want to talk about that issue, talk about the state Democratic Party convention, where they could not pass an anti-terrorism because of the hostility within the Democratic Party against Israel. They couldn’t pass a tough resolution on violence in the Middle East. In Congress, AOC and the liberals in Congress couldn’t bring themselves to condemn members who had said, frankly, flat out anti-Semitic comments. Democratic Party has got nowhere to go on those issues.

Frederica Freyberg:
All right. Brian Schimming, thanks very much.

Brian Schimming:
Great to be here.

Frederica Freyberg:
As with the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee last month, there were protests outside the DNC in Chicago this week. But as “Here & Now” reporter Steven Potter explains, the DNC protests were not only different and bigger, they carried a stronger, more direct message.

Protester:
Free, free Palestine!

Chanting crowd:
Free, free Palestine!

Steven Potter:
While some 50,000 attendees gathered at the Democratic National Convention inside the United Center this week…

Protester:
The occupation!

Chanting crowd:
Shut it down!

Steven Potter:
…several thousand protesters, including many from Wisconsin, marched through the streets of downtown Chicago.

Omar Flores:
This is something that’s happening on a national stage. Chicago is really just a short walk away from Milwaukee. There’s no reason why people should not be here if they have a conscience.

Steven Potter:
Omar Flores is a Wisconsin organizer who was one of the protest leaders in Milwaukee last month during the Republican National Convention. Back at the DNC in Chicago, protests over ending U.S. aid to Israel are larger and louder. [chanting]

Omar Flores:
There’s currently a genocide happening that the U.S. is supporting.

Steven Potter:
The crowds in Chicago are giving Flores and others from Wisconsin hope that their voices are being heard.

Omar Flores:
The Democrats are really feeling the pressure. They can’t just ignore a movement like they used to. It gives me a lot of encouragement knowing that we are going to win an end to the genocide.

Steven Potter:
Heba Mohammad from the organization Listen to Wisconsin also made the trip to Chicago.

Heba Mohammad:
We are one of many buses that rode down from Wisconsin. It’s a whole range of folks who are interested in this. There are Palestinians on the bus. Of course, peace advocates who’ve been doing this work for decades now. Young folks, students who are all coming together to send the same message to the nominees, to the Democratic Party.

Steven Potter:
And that message, Mohammad says, is crystal clear. The United States needs to stop supporting Israel financially and force a weapons embargo that would bring an end to the Israeli-Hamas conflict in Gaza.

Heba Mohammad:
We’re sending billions of dollars abroad to murder people. We’re neglecting our communities at home. That money could be better spent here.

Steven Potter:
While the majority of protesters attending the two major permitted events in Chicago this week kept things peaceful. Others who participated in smaller, unsanctioned protests in the city did clash with police, leading to dozens of arrests.

Announcer over bullhorn:
Hold the line. Get everyone back.

Police Officer:
Back!

Another police officer:
Down on the floor. Put your hands behind your back.

Steven Potter:
Today’s war opposition is different, but deeply held.

Police Officer:
Get behind the line now!

Steven Potter:
And it tears at Democratic Party unity. [Protestors shouting]

Steven Potter:
Flores and Mohammad say if the United States does not respond to their demands, there could be a major impact on the presidential election. During April’s presidential primary in Wisconsin, nearly 50,000 voters marked “uninstructed” on their ballot, meaning they voted for no presidential candidate at all to send a message to then Democratic primary candidate Joe Biden. The number was significant because in the 2020 election, Joe Biden only beat Donald Trump by just more than 20,000 votes in Wisconsin, and those voters who feel so strongly in their support of Palestine could refuse to vote again.

Heba Mohammad:
Unless they enact a ceasefire through an arms embargo immediately, we cannot guarantee our votes for them in November.

Steven Potter:
For Halah Ahmad, also from Listen to Wisconsin, the changing tides in the Democratic presidential election could pave a new way with the new nominee. Do you think common ground can be found for those uninstructed voters before November?

Halah Ahmad:
I think, definitely think so. You know, I think the Biden-Harris administration has had one policy, but Vice President Harris has the opportunity to stake out a different path.

Steven Potter:
Ahmad says if the Harris-Walz ticket listens and acts on the protesters demands, it will give the Democrats an opportunity…

Halah Ahmad:
… to really meet voters where they’re at and secure a win in November by unifying the party under a pro-peace agenda.

Protester chanting:
Free, free Palestine!

Frederica Freyberg:
One of the groups that has been most energized since Joe Biden dropped out of the race includes younger Democrats. “Here & Now” senior political reporter Zac Schultz met with the future of the Democratic Party to talk about how the race has changed and how they’re looking to change the party.

Zac Schultz:
If you’ve watched the nightly programing at the Democratic National Convention, you’ve seen some of Wisconsin’s youngest delegates enjoying their brief moment in the spotlight, reacting to the speeches.

Ana Wilson:
It’s been awesome and all the Wisconsin delegates have been pumped up so.

Zac Schultz:
Ana Wilson is entering her sophomore year of college, and she’s making the most of her introduction to national politics as a Wisconsin delegate.

Ana Wilson:
This is a big honor and opportunity for me. So I thought that was, you know, very exciting. And I’m excited to obviously represent Wisconsin.

Zac Schultz:
Ana spent her freshman year with the College Democrats, learning how to organize voters.

Ana Wilson:
A lot of college students that I’ve talked to have been like, “Oh, my vote doesn’t matter.” And I’m like, “It does. It really does.”

Landiran Kern:
We’re outside canvasing, calling, knocking on plenty of doors.

Zac Schultz:
Landiran Kern just graduated high school and started doing field work last year in Fond du Lac. He wants to use his seat at the table to make sure Democrats don’t take the youth vote for granted.

Landiran Kern:
I feel that so often when it comes to the youth voice and seeing someone young, we’re not taken as seriously as we probably should be.

Zac Schultz:
Roman Fritz would agree with Kern on that.

Roman Fritz:
I want to see more young people in the Democratic Party. Pretty much everyone here is, you know, 30 plus.

Zac Schultz:
They’ve all felt the surge in enthusiasm that came with Kamala Harris replacing Joe Biden at the top of the ticket.

Ana Wilson:
I have so much respect for Joe Biden, and I think it was a very selfless act that, you know, he did. And I thought it was, you know, a good decision.

Landiran Kern:
When it comes to the youth voters and turnout, I believe it has risen heavily. Ultimately, I think people would have still came out and voted with President Biden. But people are excited about a Harris-Walz ticket.

Zac Schultz:
Fritz thinks Harris is better than Biden, but still refused to vote for her nomination.

Roman Fritz:
I’m planning on, you know, supporting her in the fall, but at the same time, I’m not going to be remarkably enthusiastic about it.

Zac Schultz:
He’s a college student and one of the few Wisconsin delegates to attend the protests and call for a military embargo with Israel.

Roman Fritz:
In the DNC, it’s celebratory, but outside with the protests, they’re concerned about Kamala Harris’s policy in Gaza.

Zac Schultz:
Fritz thinks more young Democrats are concerned about the plight of Palestinians but are afraid to speak up. He’s received national attention this week for his views. Kern says most young people he knows care more about issues like the potential TikTok ban.

Landiran Kern:
You have to meet them exactly where they are and it doesn’t matter the policy, they’re not going to care about what country we’re going to war with or who we’re helping or who we’re allied with. And I hate to say that, but it’s true.

Zac Schultz:
Ana Wilson says the questions about Israel and Palestine are difficult.

Ana Wilson:
Honestly, I tend to stay away from that just because I’m not as educated as other people are.

Zac Schultz:
No matter the policy differences in Chicago, in a few weeks they’ll each be in college and drawing on this experience as they campaign in the fall and encourage young voters to support Democrats in November.

Landiran Kern:
I will definitely be drawing back and remembering this. You know, the opportunity to each morning sit down and talk with members of my own party and people of my own delegation.

Roman Fritz:
I think that young people and young progressive people especially should get involved in politics, because when they get involved in the Democratic Party, the Democratic Party will become full of young, progressive people.

Ana Wilson:
Yeah, I was obviously motivated before to, you know, obviously get out there and canvass and things like that. But I think after this I will be even more pumped and I’m ready to get things done because we’re obviously not going back. So I’m ready.

Frederica Freyberg:
Wisconsin Democratic U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin had a speaking spot at the DNC on its final night. She’s running for reelection against Republican challenger Eric Hovde. Senior political reporter Zac Schultz caught up with Senator Baldwin late week.

Zac Schultz:
Give me a sense of how much the race has changed in the last five weeks since Kamala Harris has been promoted to the top of the ticket?

Tammy Baldwin:
Yeah, so it’s truly been a new beginning for the party and a new beginning for our nation and you feel that energy. I felt it when I was able to join Vice President Harris in West Allis, Wisconsin, in her first public appearance after becoming the presumptive nominee. And I saw that in Eau Claire when she introduced her running mate to the swing states on her second stop. And I can just tell from all the Wisconsinites that I’m talking to, and this isn’t necessarily in partisan, but just that people feel a new energy. And so that’s very, very exciting.

Zac Schultz:
How do you balance your schedule during a week like this when your party’s in Chicago, but you’re choosing to travel around Wisconsin for the first part of the week?

Tammy Baldwin:
Absolutely. Well, I’m engaged in what we’re calling the “In Your Corner” tour and going to every corner of the state. Really wanted to take the energy that we were watching at the convention but bring it to the grassroots of the state. And as you know, when I travel, I don’t just go to blue counties. I’m going to red counties, deep red counties. I’m going to rural areas, suburban areas, urban areas. But really to meet people where they are and bring the energy that we’re all feeling to our communities across the state.

Zac Schultz:
What do you think the Walz and Harris ticket, in combined with your campaign and new legislative districts for the Assembly and some of the state Senate, will mean when it comes to Democratic turnout up and down the ballot?

Tammy Baldwin:
Yeah. Well, let’s start with the new maps. I am so delighted that we now have fair maps, because I’ve seen the consequences of gerrymandered, especially deeply gerrymandered maps. That means in large parts of Wisconsin there hasn’t been a competitive race for state Assembly or state Senate in years. And what that means is that there’s not a Democrat doing the doors. That’s how you win local races. You actually knock on doors. You have the face-to-face conversations. You ask people what they’re concerned about. You talk about what your platform is. And so there’s a lot of voters who may have chosen in past elections to stay home because they see only one choice on the ballot for state Senate and for state Assembly. That’s changed this year. So there’s a part of the energy in Wisconsin that’s bubbling up, as well as of course, this energy that you’re seeing bubble down. And I just think that that’s a great combination to get people really engaged as voters.

Frederica Freyberg:
How will the U.S. Senate and congressional races shape up in Wisconsin, and how will the top of the ticket inform those elections? We turn to Trygve Olson, Wisconsin native, former senior Republican advisor, and now with the anti-Trump organization, The Lincoln Project. And thanks very much for being here.

Trygve Olson:
Yeah, thanks for having me.

Frederica Freyberg:
So you are a former GOP advisor, but no more. Why not?

Trygve Olson:
You know, I still consider myself a conservative, but I don’t really recognize the Republican Party today. And I know Ronald Reagan used to say that the Democratic Party had left him. I feel in many ways like the Republican Party has left me. I had the chance coming out of Wisconsin to get to travel and work and live around the world. And, you know, things like in places like Ukraine and Russia with those fighting for democracy. And, you know, that piece of the Republican Party has left. That Reagan peace through strength sort of bipartisan, the Republican Party is no longer that. So that was really a big piece of it for me.

Frederica Freyberg:
So you know a lot about Wisconsin politics and politicians. What is it about our electorate here that makes Donald Trump run so even in this state, which elected a Democratic governor and one of its U.S. senators?

Trygve Olson:
Yeah. So I think one of the things that I say often to people when we talk about Wisconsin, and I can tell you since, really since 2020, when we founded The Lincoln Project and we started, we’ve been talking about Wisconsin a lot because it’s ground zero. You know, Wisconsin tends to be a right of, slightly right of center state. You have a lot of people. My best friends are all a bunch of — my buddies are all still up in River Falls, and a lot of them voted for Tony Evers and Ron Johnson. A lot of them voted for Trump in ’16 and voted for Biden in ’20. And a lot of them will vote for Tammy Baldwin. Some of them — for some of them, Tammy Baldwin is the first Democrat they ever voted for. They tend to be, you know, traditionally more to the right of center. They don’t like a lot of government interference in their lives. They don’t want government telling them what kind of shotgun they’re going to own. Although more recently, post Dobbs, quite frankly, the ones who have daughters don’t want some theocrat from the state legislature telling their daughters what they can and can’t do. So I just think it’s the nature of Wisconsin. I will say to you, though, one of the things from, from all my experiences traveling around the world, I am glad that if the decision about what happens with democracy in the United States is going to be made anywhere, I’m glad it’s going to be made with people in Wisconsin who take that kind of thing very seriously.

Frederica Freyberg:
As for the U.S. Senate race, of which we just spoke, what do you make of Tammy Baldwin’s prospects for reelection?

Trygve Olson:
Oh, you know, I mean, Tammy Baldwin is probably, and granted, I’m partial since I came out of Tommy Thompson world, I think she’s the most, sort of, organically talented politician we’ve had in the state of Wisconsin since Tommy Thompson. You know, up where I’m from, Tammy Baldwin has lots of support amongst Republicans and sort of those right of center Evers/Johnson voters who, who determine elections in the state in large part because she’s out there working constantly and quite frankly, and this might this might embarrass Tammy Baldwin, but quite frankly, a lot of the guys know that she came by Johnny’s bar during a Packer game and drank a beer with a bunch of them, right? What could be more Wisconsin politician than that? So, yeah, I think Tammy Baldwin’s prospects are pretty strong, you know, and I think Eric Hovde is not only is he, maybe out of step with the state of Wisconsin in terms of his politics being too MAGA, but in addition to that, you know, I think, you know, people in Wisconsin catch somebody who’s from the outside. And I just think he was — he’s been in, in Orange County probably too long to fully get it. Whereas no one’s going to question Tammy Baldwin being a Wisconsinite.

Frederica Freyberg:
So with all of that said, does Tammy Baldwin help Harris in this state and potentially down ballot as well?

Trygve Olson:
I certainly think that she can help Harris and the top of the ticket and quite frankly, that’s something you know, in my Lincoln Project capacity, I really end up spending a lot of time focused on four states: Wisconsin being one of them, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Arizona being the others. In all of those, you have Democratic Senate candidates. Tammy Baldwin, probably the strongest of the bunch, who are running ahead of the National Democratic Party ticket. I think, in the last Marquette poll, you know, Tammy might be a couple points ahead. I think what Tammy Baldwin, Slotkin, Casey and Gallego, who are the Democrats in the others, what they all represent is the ceiling, really for Democrats. And so, you know, one of the things I was saying to some reporters at the convention, I was getting asked about a convention bounce because Harris-Walz has had a couple of, you know, has had probably four unprecedented weeks in terms of bounce. I think there’s still some room to grow in states like Wisconsin because, you know, they can get closer. Harris-Walz can get closer to that 52 that Baldwin is at. I think that’s the ceiling.

Frederica Freyberg:
All right. Well, Trygve Olson, thanks very much for your expertise. Appreciate it.

Trygve Olson:
Yeah. You’re welcome.

Frederica Freyberg:
Nearly 100 Wisconsin residents served as delegates at the DNC in Chicago this week. For many of them, this wasn’t their first Democratic National Convention. “Here & Now” reporter Steven Potter met up with a longtime Portage County delegate for his perspective on the experience.

Gary Hawley:
For democracy, this is the most important election, and I want to go and talk with my veterans’ friends there, get the veterans out doing doors and everything possible to make sure that Harris and Walz win. So that’s, that’s why I’m going.

Steven Potter:
Earlier this week, Gary Hawley and his daughter Kim packed up their bags to head to Chicago. Hawley is attending the Democratic National Convention as a Wisconsin delegate from Portage County.

Gary Hawley:
We’re ready to go.

Steven Potter:
And the small village of Whiting, just outside Stevens Point.

Gary Hawley:
This is my eighth convention, probably my last, but I’m lucky that my daughter came again. She came 24 years ago with me, but she got so enthused about Vice President Harris that she asked if she could come along again. And that’s the best thing for me to have my daughter along again.

Steven Potter:
Hawley has just one word to describe the DNC in Chicago so far.

Gary Hawley:
Energetic. It’s just so many great speeches last night. Every one of them were — just energized you and you just kept getting more and more energized. Lasted til pretty late because we have to party afterwards, you know, so but it was a good time.

Steven Potter:
Hawley’s first Democratic National Convention was also in Chicago 28 years ago back in 1996. Over the years, he’s learned to take advantage of the face time he has with politicians to explain to them what’s happening in rural Wisconsin.

Gary Hawley:
You could be walking down the hall here and talking to the governor. It gives you a better chance to get your ideas out or Portage County ideas. That’s important. If you don’t get your county party’s ideas and issues and stuff out to these elected officials, they don’t know about it.

Steven Potter:
But Hawley says that his job as delegate isn’t just to spread information, but to gather it and bring it home.

Gary Hawley:
There’s a lot of caucuses to go to learn what’s going on. Meeting with other Democrats just to get all the information and bring it back to our county parties and help our county parties discuss what’s going on.

Steven Potter:
Conventions are also a place to network and get support, even from across state lines and that’s important for Portage County, which is a Democratic island.

Gary Hawley:
We’re blue but we need help. We got to get the rest of the counties around us blue, too. I have talked with the Minnesota Veteran Caucus. They’re willing to come over. One of the reasons is their governor could be vice president, if we get the ten points from Wisconsin. So I’m starting to set up where they’re going to start coming across the border and do doors for us and here.

Steven Potter:
Hawley, who’s also a veteran, says there are a few things that have stuck with him as the most important through the years.

Gary Hawley:
War in different places. We’re improving on women getting their rights, and we got a long ways to go, but at least we’re trying to improve on it.

Steven Potter:
Beginning as a volunteer with the Portage County Democrats decades ago and rising to the position of county party co-chair, Hawley, who’s a retired carpenter, says he also agrees, appreciates and relates to President Joe Biden’s decision to step out of the race.

Gary Hawley:
I’m 75. I’ve been very active. I’ve been going to a lot of conventions. I realize I have to step down too. I mean, not completely. I’ll still be out there, but not — I can’t keep up with the younger people running around here.

Steven Potter:
Reporting from the DNC in Chicago, for “Here & Now,” I’m Steven Potter.

Frederica Freyberg:
Senior political reporter Zac Schultz brought live analysis from Media Row at the convention all week. And tonight wraps it up with our political panelists Republican Bill McCoshen and Democrat Scot Ross. Zac.

Zac Schultz:
Thanks, Fred. And I am joined here. Scot Ross, Bill McCoshen, it’s been a great week. Thank you for coming back one more time. A little shorter today. That’s all we have the energy for after the whole week. Let’s start. First reactions to the speech last night. Kamala Harris came out. Scot, did she hit her marks? Did she do what she needed to do?

Scot Ross:
Well, Kamala Harris needed to give the remarks of her career and instead she gave the inauguration speech for the ages. I mean, I don’t think we’ve ever seen so much enthusiasm. I actually talked to somebody who had been in convention since 1984. They said they’ve never heard a reaction quite like that. You know, what we get with Kamala Harris and Tim Walz is the most experienced, most energetic, most qualified ticket in American presidential history in our 248 years.

Zac Schultz:
What’s your reaction?

Bill McCoshen:
Won’t surprise you. I saw it a little bit different. I think we all agree that the vibe down there, the energy Monday through Wednesday was off the charts and I was starting to get worried about that as a Republican. And so the expectation for Harris was extremely high. I don’t think she met the mark. And let me tell you why. There were three segments of her speech. The first part was about her childhood. I thought that was very, very good. The second part was really about all about Donald Trump. I don’t think that was in her best interest or very good. And then the last part was high level platitudes, but without any specifics. So there was a lot of style this week. There wasn’t a lot of substance. She spent more time talking about the John Lewis Voting Rights Act than she did about inflation for gas prices or rent or groceries, and those are the things that voters care about. So I don’t think she hit the mark.

Zac Schultz:
One of the topics that stood out to me was about foreign policy, which she really went into, and she got a big reaction from the crowd talking about support for Ukraine, talking about support for Israel, and support for the Palestinians to have some level of self-determination. Do you think that’s sea tide? Did she need to hit that mark? We haven’t really addressed the Palestinian protest down in Chicago during the week, but did she do enough for her own party there?

Scot Ross:
Oh, absolutely, I think so. And I think again, and with the conversation about Donald Trump, this was about showing the difference that you have: compassion, dignity, fairness. Those words aren’t even in Donald Trump’s vocabulary. He doesn’t even know those words. And again, on foreign policy, you’re going to get what Donald Trump gave us or you’re going to get what Kamala Harris laid out last night, which is a reasoned, responsible understanding, compassionate, compassionate foreign policy.

Bill McCoshen:
I — the part I liked best about the speech is what she said about Israel. I think that was very important to let our strongest ally in the region know that regardless of how this election turns out, the United States of America is going to stand with Israel. I think that was critical, and I was glad she said that. The part about Ukraine, I think she could have gone into a little bit more detail there, but overall, they wanted this to be about freedom, about America and flag waving. In some ways, it felt like a Republican convention, to be honest. So I did enjoy that part.

Zac Schultz:
And that is something that we’ve been talking about because after the GOP convention, we talked about that didn’t feel like your grandfather’s GOP convention. That felt different. This didn’t feel like your grandfather’s Democratic convention. Have the parties — I mean, we know realignment is real, are they — are we seeing it in policy and on the stage at the same time?

Bill McCoshen:
Yeah, I think we are. It, you know, a lot more working people are with the Republican Party which I like, because that’s how I grew up. That’s what attracted my dad to Ronald Reagan back in 1980. So I like that. I hope we continue down that path. I don’t want to be the country club party. I want to be the party of the people.

Scot Ross:
I think that the Republican Party has regressed into a very small, very cynical, very bitter, divisive party. And I think the Democrats, again, you saw from, you know, you saw from the stage. Independent Oprah Winfrey, Republican Adam Kinzinger, this is going to be the biggest coalition to deliver the biggest victory for a Democratic candidate in American history.

Zac Schultz:
Is this race closer to a blowout or closer to a nail biter in your estimation?

Scot Ross:
I mean, I want to say it’s going to be a nail biter because everybody’s got to do every piece of work they need to do. But I think that Kamala Harris will win Wisconsin by more than Obama, Barack Obama did.

Zac Schultz:
Nail biter?

Bill McCoshen:
It’s a nail biter, no question about it. And I think the debate on September 10th could be decisive. Let’s not forget the last debate ended Joe Biden’s political career.

Scot Ross:
And I think the prosecutor versus the 34-year convicted — 34-time convicted felon might end that 78-year old’s career.

Zac Schultz:
So we have seen some massive twists and turns in just the last few months.

Bill McCoshen:
Unbelievable.

Zac Schultz:
With the assassination attempt, with Biden dropping out, with this huge resurgence in enthusiasm among Democrats, are there still more to come, or do you think the race is kind of leveled off and this is what we’re going to get?

Bill McCoshen:
I think there’s two potential surprises left. Does Taylor Swift get involved in the race, number one. Number two, does Joe Biden step aside and make her the president of the United States during the race?

Scot Ross:
I don’t think the second thing is going to happen. I don’t know if the first thing is going to happen.

Bill McCoshen:
I hope not.

Scot Ross:
But I do think this. I think we have a better, a better chance of seeing Beyonce and Taylor Swift teaming up for a duet on the campaign trail for Kamala Harris than we see Melania Trump coming out to campaign for Donald Trump.

Bill McCoshen:
I know some of you guys want Lil Jon. He’s already made his decision. He’s with Kamala.

Zac Schultz:
We will have some polling coming out. Is Harris leading in the next Marquette poll in Wisconsin? And by how much, in your eyes?

Scot Ross:
I think if Kamala Harris isn’t leading that poll, everybody should start ignoring that poll once and for all, because it’s very clear every single indicator from inside and outside of the state is that the momentum is on Kamala Harris and Tim Walz’s side and Democrat side, and freedom side. And there’s a reason for that. It’s the policies: abortion, you know, democracy and such.

Bill McCoshen:
The last one had Trump leading by one with registered voters. It had Harris leading by one with likely voters. If there is one next week, which is traditional for Marquette, I would imagine she’d be up by a couple points.

Zac Schultz:
All right, Bill, Scot, thank you for a wonderful week. We appreciate you coming back.

Scot Ross:
Absolutely. I just want to say, I was at the Republican convention. I didn’t know if I’d feel welcome. Bill, I think is the same way with the Democratic convention. I just want to say the reason that we felt so welcome was because of the PBS Wisconsin team. You know, you, Frederica, Cynthia, Andrew, the other Zach, Ethan, Steven and Marisa. Phenomenal job. Thank you so much.

Bill McCoshen:
Thank you.

Scot Ross:
And thanks to your viewers and thank you.

Frederica Freyberg:
For more on this and other issues facing Wisconsin, visit our website at PBSWisconsin.org and then click on the news tab. To see all of our election coverage, visit WisconsinVote.org. That’s our program for tonight. I’m Frederica Freyberg. Have a good weekend.

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Funding for “Here & Now” is provided by the Focus Fund for Journalism and Friends of PBS Wisconsin.