Wisconsin elections: Milwaukee mayor talks about David Crowley

We are everywhere, the watch parties that are happening. Let's go back downtown to where Bria Jones is with the David Crowley campaign, and you are joined by the mayor. There you go. That's right, Kim. I'm here with Mayor Cavalier Johnson. We're watching the results coming in. How are you feeling in this moment in time? I feel really good. It's looking really good for David right now. Folks from all over the state are casting their ballots, and David's performing pretty well tonight. Now, remember, Remember you were there when County Executive Crowley relaunched his campaign. What progress or growth have you seen since that time, since him dropping out, people kind of seeing that as a weakness to where we are here today? Well, I mean, folks may have seen it as a weakness, but in reality, it was one of the greatest political comebacks, I think, that you've ever seen in the state of Wisconsin, really across the country. I mean, typically folks suspend their campaigns, they never come back. David not only suspended his campaign, but reemerged in the campaign again and then went on to win the whole thing. And now he's on the precipice of becoming the next governor of the state of Wisconsin. So folks may have seen that as weakness. Obviously, he made it work out. And if elected, he could become, he would become, if elected, Wisconsin's first black governor. Has that resonated with you at all, the potential of that possibly happening tonight? Oh, yeah, no, it did. It did when I endorsed David way back in September of last year when he launched his campaign, when I stood with him again when he relaunched his campaign as well, about the possible history that's going to be made here. But I think it's more than just about history. He's already a history maker. He's the first black elected county executive in Milwaukee, Milwaukee County. But this is about service. This is about an opportunity to give back to the people, not just of Milwaukee, but of the state of Wisconsin. I think that's what's top of mind for David. And this is a conversation that we have to have. Do you feel... At this point in time, Matt, Wisconsin is prepared and ready to elect its first black governor. Well, you know, the question is, you know, what voters will do. And what voters are doing right now answers that question. Right now, David's in the lead, and I predict that he's going to win tonight. And so that question will be answered. I think the answer is yes. And you all already work well with you as the mayor of the city of Milwaukee and him as the Milwaukee County executive. What would that relationship possibly look like with him having the opportunity to go to Madison? Well, I mean, I've been able to work very well with Governor Tony Evers, a fellow Democrat in that office presently and has been over the course of the last eight years. I'm expecting that sort of partnership, not just to continue, but to become even better than what it has been. David, I think, has really great insights into some of the challenges that are affecting Milwaukee and for folks across the state. I think that's important because when Milwaukee does better, when Milwaukee is stronger, when Milwaukee is safer, that's a good thing not just for the city, it's a good thing for the region and it's a good thing for the rest of the state of Wisconsin as well. A critical point of his campaign platform, him growing up in one of the poorest zip codes in Milwaukee, facing evictions as a child. When you think about reaching back or when you think about bridging a certain gap there, what would it mean to have Milwaukee represented on that sort of stage? Well, you know, I think we just saw this recently with the Milwaukee Brewers winning the World Series and... That incredible parade that we had here with 750,000 people coming into the city of Milwaukee, it was a great time. It united the entire state. And really what it showed is that regardless of what community we live in, it's just a matter of scale. There's not really that much that separates us. There's not very much that's different from people that live in Milwaukee than people who live in Marshfield or Marionette. Oh, man, it's a walk, right? It's about coming together. And I've said this before when David was initially running for county executive. Bridge builder is not just a tagline. It's not a throwaway line. It's not a slogan. That's who he is. It's who he is. And I think he's going to do that as governor. And that will uplift not just the city. It will uplift the state and bring us closer together. As a politician, you've been here on election day before. What message, if any, or conversation did you have with David today? What was said, or what encouragement did you share with him? Well, I haven't talked to him. If you can share with him. No, no, I haven't talked to him today. I've been trying to give him his space, because I've been there. I know it. You give your all. You leave it all on the field. You want it to do well. You trust the work that you did. I'm excited. But I know sometimes you need a little space. So I wanted to give him the space to decompress and do whatever he needed to do to get ready to take the stage tonight. This is his day, and I wanted to give him that space. Do you believe tonight will be a victory speech? I believe tonight is going to be a victory speech, yes. Thank you so much, Mayor. We appreciate your time.