Wisconsin election results: Crowley wins governor race, expert analysis

Mordecai Lee is with us here. We're going to stay on the stage here to see this scene. What won it for him tonight? I think in politics there never is one single answer. You know, the national media, they always say, this is why so-and-so won or this is why so-and-so lost. But he had a couple things going for him. He had the political environment. He had some luck. He had enough money to be a player. Thank you very much. He had the brewers. And so everything fell together in a way that is, I think, a near political miracle. And he had that man right next to him, Tony Evers. Putting his arm around him when he said, get back in the race, after he had dropped out, endorsed Sarah Rodriguez, was given up for dead politically, at least for this election cycle, and it was Tony Evers who said, get back in, we need you, and he took him around the state for a week. And Tony Evers used to, people used to make fun of him because he was the fuddy-duddy, confused uncle, he didn't seem to know what was going on, he wasn't a good politician. He's the best politician Wisconsin has had probably in the last 50 years. Thank you very much. Crowley is governor because of Tony Evers. We heard him underscore and reiterate what his campaign has really been all about, the theme of, I know what you're going through right now, struggling to get food on the table, his words, struggling to make ends meet. I've been there. I've walked in your shoes, and now we're going to walk the walk together and try to get America more affordable for the common working person, like people in Milwaukee, for example. Right, and I think the message he was already sending to Republicans the legislature, in case one or both houses is Republican, is let's not fight about headlines, let's not fight about bumper stickers, let's find a compromise. Half a loaf is better than none. That's something that's been missing in Madison for the last 15 years. If the Tiffany speech was conciliatory and gracious, so was this acceptance speech, saying, you know, I see you, I was you. Evoking the state motto, forward, as if to say we all got to move it forward together. He may have help. He may have a full Democratic legislature. We're still waiting on a couple, right? And I think the new motto for Wisconsin politics is we're from Wisconsin, y'all. Did you notice how many times he said y'all? I counted six. I like that sort of casual. The actual... English, as opposed to formal English, and he's really bringing a nice flavor to the statehouse. Do you think that's part of the reason he was successful tonight, because he was Tangible, he was canvassing the state, but also a person that he wanted to say, hey, I'm approachable, I'm not some political figurehead, I'm this person who's fighting for you and who has been you. And I think we have to appreciate the moment that this is the first black governor, that it's been a long time coming, and that Wisconsin can't accept it in the same way they could accept Senator Baldwin because of her gender orientation. So Wisconsin is good, Wisconsin is fine. 40 years old and will be governor on January 4th.