When voters are filling out their ballots, they typically do not expect election candidates to vote in front of them. But this is exactly what happened for voters at Maple Bluff Village Center. At 11 a.m. on Nov. 8, Gov. Tony Evers arrived at the Madison community center to cast his ballot.
The governor was accompanied by his wife and wore a University of Wisconsin-Madison sweatshirt and a smile. He looked eager to vote on the issues he focused on during his previous term as governor.
Gov. Evers was first elected as governor of Wisconsin in January 2019. He is running for a second term against Republican challenger Tim Michels.
His reelection efforts focus on supporting small businesses and schools, addressing rising costs, rebuilding the economy and creating healthier communities.
After voting, Gov. Evers shared his outlook on today’s referendum. The governor feels confident he will win again, and he has some big plans for the future of Wisconsin.
After casting his ballot, the governor fielded these questions.
This conversation was edited for brevity and clarity.
Gov. Tony Evers plans to ban TikTok on state-owned devices after talks with the FBI and state emergency management officials.
If reelected governor, what's priority number one for a second term?
Well, we certainly have to make sure that I put forth a plan as it relates to mitigating inflation in the state. And I think we can do this. I mean, clearly, the Republicans don’t want to do anything because they didn’t want to give me a win. We shouldn’t come in the session, they should be able to come in and vote on mitigating inflation in the state of Wisconsin. My plan was pretty simple. It was about making sure that we can cut income taxes for middle-class schools, get rid of them. We can also have some tax credits for all childcare, all our programs. This will make everyone’s life better.
We’ve seen some pretty good turnout numbers already today and this year. It could be historic. What are your thoughts on that?
I think it’s great. I mean, I’ve heard the same thing. I think it’s a bit of a personal touch to the market. When democracy is challenged, this is what happens. The way we talk about our democracy and deal with it is by voting. We have lots of people willing to do good things for our democracy. And so I’m hoping, I mean, if you think about all that crap that some of the local folks have taken over the last couple of years — local people, that are friends and neighbors, all across the state, all the grief they’ve taken. And I think people are saying, “We trust our system, we’re going to vote and we’re going to make it happen.” So that gives me great pleasure.
Gov. Evers, in 2018 you participated in a very close race with Scott Walker. How does today’s race compare?
It’s very similar to last time. We knew last time right from the get go that whoever was my opponent was going to be close. That’s not the way things should be — we wish the legislature wasn’t so gerrymandered. There’s nothing we can do about that. I believe I’m going to win. But it is Wisconsin, and one of the great things about the state is that we’re not shy about voting and we’re not shy about our politics. And so I feel very confident in the future.
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