Chelsey DeQuaine
Isthmus' Dylan Brogan, left, moderates the debate between, from left to right: Tony Evers, Matt Flynn, Mike McCabe, Josh Pade, Kelda Roys, Paul Soglin and Kathleen Vinehout.
There’s plenty of agreement within Wisconsin’s field of Democratic candidates for governor. The Foxconn deal is bad. Public schools are good, and they need more funding. Raise Wisconsin’s minimum wage to $15. Legalize marijuana. And Gov. Scott Walker? He’s finally going down in November.
But with less than a week before the primary and a recent poll showing 38 percent of voters still undecided, these ideologically similar candidates are trying to convince the public that they offer something different — each one says they’re the best person to lead the Blue Wave.
Seven of the eight candidates met Wednesday night at the Madison Public Library for a forum hosted by Isthmus, WORT 89.9 FM and The Progressive magazine. State firefighter union chief Mahlon Mitchell did not attend, but state schools Superintendent Tony Evers, former Democratic Party Chairman Matt Flynn, political activist Mike McCabe, lawyer Josh Pade, former state Rep. Kelda Roys, Madison Mayor Paul Soglin, and state Sen. Kathleen Vinehout all participated. The event drew a crowd that packed the debate hall and filled an overflow space to capacity.
The mostly collegial conversation took a turn toward the end of the 90-minute forum, when Flynn took aim at Evers, criticizing him for supporting Walker’s most recent budget and calling him “Republican light.” Evers pushed back against the attack, calling Flynn’s characterization a “cheap shot” and pointing out that he praised the budget as “pro-kid” because Walker adopted 90 percent of the funding Evers had proposed. “I’ll never back off from that,” Evers said. “That is, frankly, an outrageous comment from somebody that I respect. We can win this race without this type of diatribe."
Flynn responded by suggesting that Evers couldn’t stand up to Walker. "If you ask an open question to a liar — to Scott Walker — he'll have you for lunch," Flynn said.
Evers is the apparent frontrunner who received 31 percent support among voters in the Marquette Law School Poll last month (more than his seven challengers combined). He got an early question about why there are so many undecided voters. He said it’s inherent to a race with this many candidates and that the key to winning is “retail politics” and later emphasized his appeal outside the Democratic strongholds of Madison and Milwaukee. “I’ve won three statewide races. I won with 70 percent of the vote. I’ve never lost a county in northern Wisconsin or central Wisconsin,” Evers said. “That is an important part of this race and beating Scott Walker.”
A rare Democrat who’s managed to hold on to her district in conservative-leaning northern Wisconsin, Vinehout also touted her statewide appeal and ability to win swing voters in a district that voted nearly 70 percent for President Donald Trump: “We can’t beat Walker with just the vote from Madison and Milwaukee.” Emphasizing her commitment to government accountability and transparency, Vinehout also had one of the best lines of the night when she compared legislation to fish: “You need to set it out and let the sun shine on it and see if it smells.”
Roys, who has run a savvy media campaign and led the pack in fundraising, stressed her ability to energize progressives. She says she can motivate voters under 50 and suburban, conservative-leaning married women, whom she called “the reals swing voters in Wisconsin.”
Flynn, a lawyer who represented the Archdiocese of Milwaukee against allegations of sexual abuse, has been dogged throughout the campaign by criticism over the case. When asked to respond to claims that he failed to notify authorities of abuse, helped transfer abusive priests, or negotiated agreements that forbade victims from talking, Flynn said flatly: “These are lies.”
Pade, who received 0 percent support in the most recent Marquette Law School Poll, was asked why he got into the race — and why he has decided to stay. He has acknowledged that he’s an underdog, but he touted his experience in the public and private sector and says he would bring new ideas to Wisconsin politics.
A former director of the watchdog group Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, McCabe emphasized his work exposing big-money influence in politics, saying it puts him in a position to call out both Republicans and Democrats. He also defended his decision not to commit to a Democratic loyalty pledge, saying it sends the wrong message to voters. He also warned of robots.
When asked whether his flair for blunt, sometimes inflammatory political rhetoric could alienate potential allies, Soglin got a laugh from the crowd when he pretended to demur. But he embraced the characterization, saying he’s not one to engage in “professional courtesy” with other politicians. “My obligation is to the people I represent,” he said.
During a lightning round, the group was asked who thought that he or she alone alone could defeat Walker. Evers, McCabe and Flynn raised their hands; Roys, Vinehout and Soglin did not.
“I know I can beat him,” Soglin says, “but that isn't to exclude the possibility that other good candidates can beat him as well.”
