WHY WISCONSIN MATTERS — Election Day 2025

Summary

Episode Summary: "WHY WISCONSIN MATTERS — Election Day 2025"

Host: Charlie Kirk
Guests: Rich Barris, Mark Halperin, Tyler Boyer, Terry Dietrich, Noah Formica, Brett Galasheski
Release Date: April 1, 2025

---

Introduction: The Critical Nature of Wisconsin's Election

In this pivotal episode of The Charlie Kirk Show, host Charlie Kirk underscores the immense importance of the special elections taking place in Wisconsin and Florida on Election Day 2025. Emphasizing the high stakes involved, Kirk introduces a panel of experts, including Rich Barris and Mark Halperin, to dissect the current political landscape and outline strategies for maximizing Republican voter turnout.

Understanding the Shift in Special Election Dynamics

Rich Barris provides a comprehensive analysis of the changing landscape in special elections. Historically, Republicans held an advantage in off-cycle elections due to their ability to mobilize voters who were otherwise non-partisan or conservative-leaning. However, Barris notes a significant shift:

“As more, more liberals from the 60s and 70s get older, they're now seniors and they're more educated than they used to be. Seniors voted higher rates, college degree and higher advanced degrees voted higher rates.” (04:22)

This demographic evolution has resulted in Democrats gaining traction in special elections, challenging the once Republican-favored terrain.

Strategies for Boosting Republican Turnout

Kirk and Barris delve into the conundrum of low-propensity versus high-propensity voters. Barris highlights the critical need for Republicans to engage younger and less consistent voters to regain their foothold in special elections:

“They have to convince these people that voting down ballot and voting in these off cycle elections is going to help Trump. That's a good start.” (07:29)

The discussion emphasizes the necessity for a robust ground game and the mobilization of grassroots efforts to ensure high voter turnout among traditionally disengaged conservative voters.

Democrats' Anti-Elon Messaging: Impact and Viability

The episode explores Democrats' strategic pivot towards targeting high-profile figures like Elon Musk, aiming to capitalize on populist sentiments. Rich Barris critiques this approach:

“It's a stupid long term strategy. ... those voters that you're relying on now are not gonna build your coalition in the future.” (15:53)

Boyer further explains that while targeting Musk may yield short-term gains, it fails to address the foundational issues necessary for sustained Democratic success:

“They are the only game in town for the Democrats that are, that's, that's energized in a way that, that's foundational.” (24:37)

Internal Dynamics within the Democratic Party

Tyler Boyer provides insight into the Democratic Party's internal struggles, comparing their current state to the early 1990s under Bill Clinton. He notes significant differences:

“The Democratic Party is far to the left of where it was in 1992.” (25:54)

Despite a burgeoning populist movement led by figures like Bernie Sanders, Boyer argues that Democrats lack the unified strategic approach necessary to leverage this energy into electoral victories. He contends that the party remains overly beholden to its radical base, hindering broader appeal.

On-the-Ground Campaign Efforts in Wisconsin

The episode transitions to a detailed account of campaign efforts in Wisconsin. Noah Formica and Brett Galasheski describe the extensive mobilization activities:

“We've been chasing every possible ballot... we are on the ground here looking at relocate our voters.” (37:13)

Emphasizing the importance of high voter turnout, the team discusses their "ballot curing" operations and door-to-door campaigns aimed at educating voters about the Supreme Court race and its national implications.

Mark Halperin reinforces the urgency:

“This is an extremely low turnout election. If we're somewhere on the other side of 40% statewide turnout, that's going to be a net positive for us.” (66:09)

Economic Policies and Tariffs: A Broader Political Context

Beyond election strategies, the discussion touches upon economic policies, specifically tariffs advocated by President Trump. Tyler Boyer outlines the administration's stance:

“the President believes will help change that... he believes will help change that.” (31:47)

However, the episode also presents counterarguments from economists and business leaders who warn against the potential negative impacts of such tariffs on the economy.

Call to Action: Mobilizing Voters

Throughout the episode, Kirk and his guests stress the critical need for immediate voter action. Utilizing the Turning Point Action app, they urge listeners to make phone calls, send texts, and engage in door-knocking to ensure maximum voter turnout.

Noah Formica passionately calls for participation:

“We need people to just tap, make calls or send text messages... It's about protecting Trump's mandate.” (47:28)

Conclusion: The Future of the Republican Movement

As the episode draws to a close, the panel reflects on the broader implications of the Wisconsin and Florida elections. Success is portrayed as essential not only for maintaining current political power but also for shaping the future trajectory of the Republican Party.

Charlie Kirk encapsulates the episode's core message:

“Politics means more to a leftist that doesn't have friends, community or church life. ... Fill out your ballot, get involved with your Supreme Court race.” (63:37)

The episode concludes with a robust affirmation of grassroots activism as the cornerstone of the Republican strategy moving forward, urging all supporters to take decisive action on Election Day.

---

Notable Quotes:

• Rich Barris (04:22): “As more, more liberals from the 60s and 70s get older, they're now seniors and they're more educated than they used to be. Seniors voted higher rates, college degree and higher advanced degrees voted higher rates.”

• Rich Barris (07:29): “They have to convince these people that voting down ballot and voting in these off cycle elections is going to help Trump. That's a good start.”

• Tyler Boyer (15:53): “It's a stupid long term strategy. ... those voters that you're relying on now are not gonna build your coalition in the future.”

• Tyler Boyer (25:54): “The Democratic Party is far to the left of where it was in 1992.”

• Mark Halperin (66:09): “This is an extremely low turnout election. If we're somewhere on the other side of 40% statewide turnout, that's going to be a net positive for us.”

• Noah Formica (47:28): “We need people to just tap, make calls or send text messages... It's about protecting Trump's mandate.”

---

This episode serves as a strategic blueprint for Republican voters and activists, emphasizing the transformative importance of Election Day 2025 in Wisconsin and Florida. Through expert analysis and on-the-ground reports, Charlie Kirk effectively mobilizes his audience towards decisive action to influence the political future of the United States.

Transcript

[Charlie Kirk]

Hey, everybody. Today in the Charlie Kirk show, vote, vote, vote. We have a monster episode here. We talked to Mark Halperin, Rich Barris, Tyler Boyer, and the whole team. How big are the stakes of Wisconsin? They're massive. We go through that. And also in Florida, also, is the anti elon hate working? We go in with great specificity and detail about the state of election day. That's right, it's election day all over again. Email US as always, freedomarliekirk.com and become a member today. Members.charliekirk.com that is members.charliekirk. com Buckle up, everybody. Here we go.

[Rich Barris]

Charlie, what you've done is incredible here.

[Mark Halperin]

Maybe Charlie Kirk is on the college campus.

[Tyler Boyer]

I want you to know we are lucky to have Charlie Kirk. Charlie Kirk's running the White House, folks.

[Terry Dietrich]

I want to thank Charlie. He's an incredible guy. His spirit, his love of this country. He's done an amazing job building one of the most powerful youth organizations ever created, Turning Point usa.

[Charlie Kirk]

We will not embrace the ideas that have destroyed countries, destroyed lives. And we are going to fight for freedom on campuses across the country. That's why we are here. Noble Gold Investments is the official gold sponsor of the Charlie Kirk Show, a company that specializes in gold IRAs and physical delivery of precious metals. Learn how you could protect your wealth with Noble gold [e-mail] that is noblegoldinvestments.com it's where I buy all of my gold. Go to noblegoldinvestments.com it is election day in the great state of Wisconsin and in Florida. So you have to vote, vote, vote. In fact, we're gonna be dedicating this entire hour around the special elections, what to expect, what is happening and all of the elections across the country. Joining us now is a dear friend of the program and great American, Rich Barris, who understands this topic very, very well. Rich, welcome to the program. Rich, tell us. First, walk us through what special elections are happening today.

[Rich Barris]

Well, thanks for having me as always, Charlie. It's good to be with you. You know, the one that's going to get the most attention is the, obviously the state supreme court election in Wisconsin, which is nonpartisanship, but it's really not right. I mean, we, we see some of these states that have that, and there's always a Republican or conservative line candidate and a liberal or Democratic line candidate. Um, it's been tough for Republicans in the last couple goes or, you know, Hagedorn took two shots to win one. They're always off cycle and he won by, you know, the, the hair of his chinny chin chin while Democrats have been winning them by pretty comfortable margins because they're credentialed voters that turn out at higher rates in these elections and that, that's the real challenge for Republicans in that election today. The second one is in Florida with fine, that's a special election in Florida's 6 congressional district and it's a very heavily pro Trump district. Again off cycle. There was some polling out there that suggested that this one could be competitive. But honestly looking at the early vote numbers, Charlie, it looks closer than it should be or would be in a regular cycle. But it's not looking all that competitive to me. I mean Republicans by 8 to 10 if you just read the early vote, which I always caution people to do. But that's, that's what it looks like. The media will pine about it if it's not plus 20. You know how they roll.

[Charlie Kirk]

So explain to me, Rich, why the conundrum of the low propensity and high propensity voter. Why is it that Democrats are now succeeding in special elections? When I first started my journey with Turning Point USA and Turning Point Action, I remember back in 2012, 2013, 2014, even 2017, 2018, it was actually advantage Republicans in these off elections. It would be that we would be able to kind of shock the world a little bit. I mean one that I remember is Scott Brown defeating a Democrat for the lion of the Senate. Ted Kennedy's vacated Senate seat in Massachusetts, which actually brought the Democrats down from the 60 vote threshold to the 59 vote threshold. What has changed over the last decade where we as conservatives went from advantage in special and off elections to now significant disadvantage?

[Rich Barris]

And same thing when I started my career as a pollster and this is the first time in my lifetime it's been like this. It was always that Democrats had kind of a bigger base among the adult population and the registered voter population. But likely voters gave Republicans an advantage because educated voters vote at higher rates. That's really what it comes down. Education and age are really the two demographics that explain this. As more, more liberals from the 60s and 70s get older, Charlie, they're now seniors and they're more educated than they used to be. Seniors voted higher rates, college degree and higher advanced degrees voted higher rates. So now the world is upside down and Republicans are the ones who are, who are figuring out or trying to figure out not doing a great job at it on off cycle elections. But this is new to them. How to get younger voters out, how to get class voters out. And, and it, it just, this is again the first time in my lifetime, your lifetime, that that's been the case. Leading into the election For President in 2024, this became real clear. You know, we studied the Trump or bust voter that we talked about all the time. And these people had low to no history, you know, of voting and, or low propensity or no propensity to vote. And the struggle was to get them out. And Trump could do that. He was very clearly one of the people who could do with the help of a ground game. So this is something that Republicans have to, they have to focus on this like it is their only job moving forward because it doesn't always have to be this way. Roosevelt was able to get out the Depression era coalition in, in crazy election years. It's just a modern phenomenon, but it doesn't have to be the case forever. And it's just something that when we have realignments like this, parties struggle to react to it. It's easier for Democrats to react because they just have to enjoy the vote propensity of these other voters that they're now getting that they never used to get during the Clinton era and beyond until now, where it's not that they're really working that hard for it, Charlie, it's just easier, it's natural where it's not for Republicans here. And that's something that they're gonna have to pick up, you know, they're gonna have to pick that ball up and run with it.

[Charlie Kirk]

So what can we do to change it? So when you're in focus groups, Rich, and you do some of the best polling because you do conversations, what does a Trumplican so Trump first, Republican second, tell you when they don't want to vote in a special election? So, for example, Elon Musk coming to Green Bay, big deal. Meaning that got a lot of eyeballs. So I guarantee you there are tens of thousands of people up in beautiful Green Bay, Wisconsin that are now aware that an election is happening. They voted for Trump, but they're making a conscious decision not to go. Vote for Brad, for Mr. Schimmel. Why? What do they tell you in those conversations, Rich? What do you hear from them when you are dialoging? Get rid of all the data, give us some of the essence, the raw meat of the conversations.

[Rich Barris]

Well, first and foremost, these people are busy and trying to make scratch and make ends meet. So you have to consider everything they say behind that. Right. But the first thing is Honestly, and this is just a tough conversation Republicans have to have with themselves. They don't view Trump as a Republican, as a typical Republican. There is still a very much a branding issue with Republicans that they're obviously, they've made strides with this, Charlie. Right. Younger voters, for instance, they love Elon Musk, they like him. But the older vote, that is becoming fractured now for Republicans, he's most unpopular among them. But bottom line is, when it comes down to it, it's an issue of trust. So Republicans have a lot of work to do to convince these people. Like if they were to vote for Trump, voting for them will do something, it'll mean something. They're very skeptical of both parties and they're not in love with the party itself. They came out to vote for Trump because they did believe, you know what, he's something different. They really have to, you have to get it through their heads that voting down ballot and voting in these off cycle elections is going to help Trump. That's a good start. And by the way, it will impact them. A lot of these elections they don't really think is it is directly going to impact them. When you and I both know that these elections will sometimes have the most impact on them. Right. So they may not know it, they may not realize it, but the local elections matter, Supreme Court will matter. That will dictate whether or not Republicans keep or lose two House districts, probably. So that impacts them and they just don't know that. And you got to remember, they're just trying to get up, go to work, do their job, get paid, and have a normal life without crazy nonsense. And the opponent, the opposition represents crazy nonsense. And Trump needs help. He can't do it on his own. And that's really a message that they have to get, but they have to believe it, which is probably the biggest hurdle with Republicans. Constantly. Yeah, I mean, there's no other way to put it. Constantly stabbing each other in the back or talking about something the President doesn't support or that have to get unified. Everyone's got to get on the same page. Republicans, you're out of time. I mean, really, you have to get on the same page here. People like you and others did a lot of hard work before this last election, Charlie, and it's, you know, they, they, they, they cannot miss, misread, you know, the signs of this election. They wanted a certain kind of Republicanism. It's new and the party better roll with it. They have a, a window here. I mean, that's, that's how I would.

[Charlie Kirk]

Describe it and look, I hope we win in Wisconsin. The betting markets right now for what's happening tonight are very unkind to us. So I hope that there's a big turnout. But at the same time we must understand that President Trump is a once in a century, once in a many century political force. We have not seen anything like it and we may never again. So if we as Republicans are too dependent on the Trump, let's just say movement, then we're gonna have some problems. Rich, tell us about the Florida special election. What's going on there?

[Rich Barris]

So basically this weekend, which is always good, the President came in and gave Fine as the Republican a tele rally. Basically there was an internal poll that was conducted by Fabrizio and associates. He polls for some of the President's pac, if I remember correctly. The Wall Street Journal does a con jointly conducted poll with them as well with the Democrat and he the Republican down. And it was all about turnout. However, I mean, Charlie, we have a good gauge on early voting in Florida now. We have absentee ballots and you have in person voting and we can see is it, is it not as big of an advantage as Republicans would like? Sure. But we do have those numbers bipartisanship and that's something we don't have in Wisconsin. So there's also not a ton of crossover vote in the state of Florida anymore. We just don't see it. We don't see a ton of Republicans, you know, 12, 13, 14% voting for the Democrat or vice versa. So it does look like the Republican is obviously favored there. It's just that again, because it is an off cycle, it's not going to be the margin that they would like or that the President would get. For instance, I mean one in this district overwhelmingly. This is a Trump double digit district. But again, you know, it's Florida and Florida is difficult to poll. I would point people back to the polls. In 2024, I believe we were the only poll had Trump winning Florida by double digits. Everybody else had him winning by four to six points. And that area of the state specifically is difficult to pull, period, let alone when it's a low turnout election. So you know, looking at the early vote numbers, Charlie, it does look like the Republican is going to win. Fine is going to win. It's just by how much is the question.

[Charlie Kirk]

So.

[Rich Barris]

And well, that a fundraising advantage by the way, as Democrats almost always do.

[Charlie Kirk]

If you were to be the architect, Rich, of the Republican approach for the rest of this calendar year, because people say midterms Midterms. Midterms. Time out, everyone. We have a New Jersey governor's race, we have a Virginia governor's race. We have other specials that are gonna pop up. What would your approach be? What would be the strategy that you would like to see Republicans and the Trump White House embrace for the remainder of this year?

[Rich Barris]

All politics is local. I mean, the bottom line is they have to get these people to believe and they have to stop looking. And I find hear this a lot when I talk to consultants. They're looking at these people as numbers. And there's very few people in the Republican movement, you know, the ground game that knows if you're looking at New Jersey, for instance, where to get these voters out. They know the neighborhoods. Right. They know where to go up Route 9. Right. It's not just a number. What neighborhood do we have to go to to get these people out? And they got to get a little bit out of their comfort zone, Charlie. I mean, they' a lot of these same old, same old people. You know, you tried to build your organization during, before the election from the ground up. So, you know, you've seen what Republicans are dealing with. Just not good enough. You know, this though, there's an element to the Republican Party, the vote now, the, the base that they're not used to. These aren't their people.

[Mark Halperin]

Right.

[Rich Barris]

And they have to start approaching and engaging people who can do this job and, and, and, and get out the vote and be com these neighborhoods. And that's one of the biggest problems that I see. But bottom line is this has to be tied to Trump. But it can't be forever. This is just the groundwork that you have to lay because Trump is not going to be around forever and you're not going to be able to lean on him forever. So you have to convince these people that you know, what Trump believes his agenda is what this party is now about. And right now they don't believe that they don't.

[Charlie Kirk]

I think that's right. So let me ask you one question. I'm going to also ask Mark Halperin this later in the hour. The Democrats seem to be going all in on an anti elon message, even more so than an anti Trump message. Is there data to support this and will it work?

[Rich Barris]

There is. And that that's a short term gain strategy and they'll get those short term gains if they're lucky. And they'll try to spin it into a greater narrative and go from there and make, you know, another decision after they get those short term Gains. And why am I saying that? Because Elon is the most unpopular among older voters, among, again, like I said, younger voters who they know are difficult to get out in these elections. He's actually pretty popular, so it's tough to, it's tough to get him with that. It's a stupid long term strategy. It is because in, in a way, Trump has made the Republican Party cool again for a lot of these younger people who would never vote for a Republican, you know, until the era of Trump. And they know that and they're, they're banking on these voters staying home. And if they do, then they can claim, see, he's unpopular with everybody, he's toxic and maybe even sideline him, convince Republicans to sideline him. But it is a dumb long term strategy because there's, look, I don't mean to sound cruel. I just speak in generalities because it's the nature of what I do. That is not a long term viable plan because those voters that you're relying on now are not gonna build your coalition in the future. So five years from now you're gonna have a problem 10 years from now.

[Charlie Kirk]

The only pushback I would have, Rich, is that if they're gonna go full populist asking the question, why don't we just take 100 billion out of Elon's net worth? I'm telling you, the politics of envy is hard to defeat. Just look at the Russian revolution, the Bolsheviks. That is a good point. If they lean in on that. Be careful, Rich. Thank you very much. Private student loan debt in the US totals about $300 billion. Why refi refinances distressed or defaulted private student loans that others simply refuse to touch. Why Refi does not care what your credit score is. Many clients are not even able to make the minimum monthly payment on their private student loans. Go to yrefi.com that is yrefy.com just call 888 yrefi34 or log on to yrefi.com it may not be available in all 50 states. Go to yrefi.Com if you go to Yrefi, you can read testimonials from other people who have been where you are, how they've escaped. You can even see what their monthly payments were versus what they are now. So go to yrefi.com you can even skip a payment every six months up to 12 times without penalty. Go to yrefi.com that is yrefy.com our campus tour would not be possible without Yrefi. Our big events America Fest and the Student Action Summit and the Young Women's Leadership Summit. So if you know anybody in your life, think right now who has private student loan debt. If you can think of him, Refer him to yrefi.com that is yre f y.com Joining us now is Mark Halperin from Two Way TV, amongst many other very important projects that he's involved in. Mark, great to see you.

[Tyler Boyer]

Good to see you, sir. Happy Election Day.

[Charlie Kirk]

Thank you. Absolutely. So, Mark, the obvious question is what are the two paths in front of us? If Republicans just win the fine election in Florida and maybe even get the upset in Wisconsin, which I find to be very unlikely, what happens? Paint the picture here. What will these special elections tell us, if anything, about this new interesting moment in American politics?

[Tyler Boyer]

Well, look, today is big for the people of those states and for the congressional districts. And people in the national press will try to put meaning on it. Your normal mastery of expectation setting notwithstanding, I don't really have a good handle on Wisconsin, and I think you probably make the Democrats the favorite there, but Republicans, not just Elon Musk, but others, have gone all out to win today. So I think a win is a win, and that's generally how you try to judge these. Now, invariably, Charlie, as you know, the losing side in any special election that the national press and others are looking at for a sign will say, our candidate was horrible. Don't read anything into this because our candidate was horrible. And sometimes that's true, sometimes it's not. But I'm not going to overread either of these results. I think if, if Democrats win in Florida, it would be a massive upset. I didn't talk to too many Democrats over the weekend on Monday who thought that was likely. And so I think, I think we're looking basically at the question of Wisconsin in the special election. It's important, as I said, for the people there. But if you want me to imbue great meaning in it, it would be less from the result and more from some of the cross tabs, some of the demographics that we can see in how did the winner win the year after presidential the president's party typically doesn't do great in specials, and so the Democrats would probably be favored. But I'm not gonna overreact either way.

[Charlie Kirk]

So when I visited in Wisconsin to advocate for Brad Schimmel and if anyone can hear my voice, you should go vote right now in Wisconsin for Mr. Schimmel, there were some protesters, not a lot outside of the event. I did with Donald Trump Jr. But almost every single one of them, Mark, were anti Elon signs and chants and not anti Trump. You're the closest I can get to understanding kind of the Democrat chatter, of course, other than talking to Gavin Newsom, but we'll put that aside. What are Democrats telling you about their newfound anti Elon strategy? Is this more of a gut instinct that they should go against Elon? Is this driven by the base because of the anger of what he has been financing or doing? Or is there real data that is supporting their. Let's put all the physical arson and stuff aside. That has no place in our politics. I just mean the political messaging where they're going all in on a referendum on the world's richest man.

[Tyler Boyer]

Yes, yes. And sort of are the answers. There's a bit of data, but it's not conclusive. And, of course, are there. There are not a lot of people who love Trump and hate Musk or vice versa, because they've become so associated with each other. I think the reason you see more targeting of Musk and. And some of that's what we call Astroturf. Some of that is ginned up by the activist group. Some of it's. I think it is organic. I think it's because going against Trump is an old story for them and one that they haven't done too well at. Musk is new and Musk is. I say this advisedly, he's less disciplined than Trump. Right. So Musk gives them something daily to deal with. And politics is about emotion. And emotion can be ginned up by personality. They don't seem to like his personality, particularly women. It's ginned up by events. And Musk is in the news regularly and saying things that gin them up. And it's ginned up by themes that really hit the passion points of Democrats. So you've got a rich guy who says careless things about Social Security and other things, and you've got a guy who has become a villain for the blue America. And I think you'll see, in some cases, I'm almost certain you'll see some Democrats saying, you know what, we went too far in on Musk. We should have focused more on policy and on Trump and on maybe some of the people, other people in the government. But Musk is a big target for them because he is famous and he is a billionaire.

[Charlie Kirk]

So that invites another question. AOC and Bernie Sanders are drawing legitimate crowds. As someone who's in the business, I see the crowds. They're big and they're certainly that of note, we're a way out from an election, but there's something there that is worthy of thinking about the Elon, anti elon effort, if properly, let's just say played out, could result in this smash the oligarchy and a legitimate economic populist left wing movement that Biden and Kamala Harris were always a little afraid to fully play into. Do you see that under the surface, that sort of fight bubbling up in Democrat circles, that spirited conversation which way left wing man to go further left or to moderate. Bring us into the room of what Democrats are saying.

[Tyler Boyer]

Right. So they need the base to win. Just as the Tea Party provided energy for establishment Republicans in the 2010 midterms. The Democrats want that. The establishment Democrats, the more moderate Democrats want that energy. They don't want it to define the party, just as some Republicans didn't want the Tea Party to define the party. You know, crowd size can, can tell you a lot about some things. There's a movement in the Democratic Party. It's not as big as MAGA and it's unlikely to fuel a general election victory, but there's a movement led by Bernie Sanders that's been around since at least 2015 that is very populist. It has some commonalities on issue positions with maga, but it's too far to the left, I think, to be the foundation of a Democratic victory in the midterms or in the next presidential. But it is energizing and it does have a lot of very popular positions, just as MAGA and the Tea Party have a lot of very popular positions. But I'll say again, I don't think, and most of my Democratic sources don't think it can be a foundation. There's a ceiling on it within the general election electorate. I think what's interesting is that they are filling a vacuum, not just with the crowd size. And again, I saw Howard Dean draw big crowds in his campaign in 2004. It means that they're energizing a part of the Democratic Party and a part of the country, but not a dominant part of the country. And I think you're seeing the smartest Democrats, the ones who are really thinking about this tactically and strategically saying that's good, that energy's good, let's harness that. But they can't define us. And unfortunately for them, there's no counterweight right now. They are the only game in town for the Democrats that are, that's, that's energized in a way that, that's foundational. But Again, they've gotta solve that Rubik's Cube. They have to have that energy, those personalities. But they can't be the leaders or they won't win.

[Charlie Kirk]

The two issues that seems to be a little bit of bubbling up of conflict is on the radical trans stuff, especially in women's sports with Gavin Newsom and then on the immigration issue. Are Democrats thinking of moderating on this or is this just Gavin doing his podcast and doing this performatively or rhetorically? I'm asking for a simple reason. Cuz they're so out of alignment with the American people that we are owning the 8020 issues it seems with. With no desire for them to even come to how Bill Clinton did in 92. So I guess my question is this. Do you think this will be a Democrat moment? Cuz you understand the history better than anybody else, Mark, where the Democrat nominee will be one that goes to war with their base on two or three major issues saying that we're not gonna embrace open borders, this trans things out of control. No. Defund the police. Or, or will it be a McGovern election where the base triumphs in an all night party? I think it was in Miami. They had their convention that year if I'm not mistaken. And they just go all in. Where do you think the temperature is? Or is it too early to tell?

[Tyler Boyer]

It's too early to tell. I'll tell you the challenge that the Democrats have if they wanna replicate what most of my moderate Democratic sources say. If they Wanna replicate Bill Clinton 92, three really big differences between between now and then. One is the Democratic Party is far to the left of where it was in 1992. So Bill Clinton's ability to move the party to the center was. Didn't have to travel nearly the distance someone would have to do. Now that's number one. Number two, Bill Clinton was. Was the politician of a generation or more in his skill. And so for instance, he took positions in 1992 that were absolutely against the base of the Democratic Party. Unimaginable that a normally skilled politician. So he was for the death penalty, he was for right to work, he was for welfare reform, he was for nafta. He was for a range of positions that were out of step with the base. But he pulled it off. And then the last difference I think is also pretty fundamental, which is right now the Democratic Party is not hungry to win the way they were in 1992. In 1992 they've been shut out of the White House since 76 and they basically Said, no more. If we don't nominate a sensible person who can get on the right side of some 80, 20 issues, we will be shut out again and then we will go four or eight more years without winning the White House back. They're not as hungry right now. They're still really beholden to the base. They had the White House a year ago, so it's not some existential threat from their point of view. And for some of them, they say, well, Trump won't be on the ballot and so we can beat whoever the Republicans put up because Trump is Trump. That is a huge difference. And it's something that Bill Clinton took absolute advantage of. People said, hey, you know what, we can have the White House after being locked out for more than a generation. I just don't sense that in the party right now.

[Charlie Kirk]

That's such a smart point. I haven't heard anybody say that, Mark, because it seems from us on the right, it looks like the left is very desperate. They're willing to do whatever it takes. What you're saying is they're not quite as desperate yet. They're not as desperate to forsake the key and core radical left elements of their new coalition.

[Tyler Boyer]

And I don't even think it's. I don't think it's close. I don't think they're even close to there.

[Charlie Kirk]

That's remarkable. And again, it's bad for the country as a conservative, I would say, but. But I guess for our own political ambitions, I guess they can keep on embracing these out of touch issues. 30 seconds, mark. Yes.

[Tyler Boyer]

Yeah, look, Gavin Newsom and Elon Musk, just to tie it up, I think they share something in common, which is they're both underrated about how brilliant they are. They both see things pretty clearly, but I think neither of them manages their public brand very well. I think Musk has allowed the left to cast him in a way that's not accurate. And I think Gavin Newsom, in his talk with you, was more of himself than he typically is. But I think he's not really shown people what he's about. And I think whoever the Democrats want to nominate in 2028 is going to have to be someone who really understands personal branding and how to keep control of what they want, how they want to relate to the party and to the country.

[Charlie Kirk]

Charlie Kirk here. When faced with a threat, you might think of lethal force, but consider a less lethal option like Burna, to avoid legal issues tied to firearms. As a strong advocate for the right to bear arms, I value diverse defensive options and Burna offers an effective altern. Proudly assembled in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Byrna's less lethal pistol launchers loaded with tear gas and kinetic ammunition can incapacitate an attacker for up to 40 minutes, allowing you to safely escape or call for help while reducing the risk of severe injury. Burna is about preventing tragedy and preserving life without the consequences of using lethal measures. It's legal in all 50 states, requires no background checks, and over 500,000 units are in the hands of responsible citizens and law enforcement. Burna can be shipped directly to your door. I've personally tested the Burna pistol and can vouch for its effectiveness and its ease of use. Get 10% off my personally curated bundles by visiting byrna.com Charlie that's by rna.com Charlie Mark, I gotta give you credit. The subject, the subject lines in the emails you send every day, they catch my attention. It's Mark Halperin's Wide World of News. Plug your stuff here, Mark.

[Tyler Boyer]

Well, I write a newsletter that's pretty expensive. You don't have to be quite as rich as Charlie Kirk to afford it, but it is pretty expensive. Wide World of News. Go to walkingdoc slash.com mark if you want to read about how to how to get it, what's included. And I write that every day. Then I'm managing editor, editor in chief rather. I'm co founder of two Way, the live video interactive platform that lets people from across the country and across the ideological spread ideological spectrum be part of the conversation. It's got a lot of politics. It's also got other things. It's unique conversations that make you part of the conversation. You can go to Two Way TV on YouTube and learn more about that. And soon Charlie Kirk will be on that show.

[Charlie Kirk]

I will. That is going to happen. And you joined the Megyn Kelly Consortium, is that right? Congratulations about that.

[Tyler Boyer]

Last thing I was. Thank you. Last thing I was going to tout. Megan has been so successful along the lines of you and others who have learned you don't need an establishment platform to reach a lot of people.

[Charlie Kirk]

Megyn Kelly starting her own podcast, All Star Team and she is wonderful. We are big Megyn Kelly fans. So Mark, bring me into the room. I think I can. I think you can actually say stuff that I'm not even able to say on this topic. So I hope that you can. What is the calculus behind the tariffs? What is the White House saying about it? What is Capitol Hill? You can understand what I'm saying here and I hope you'll kind of riff on it. Bring our audience a little bit closer to the decision making process here.

[Tyler Boyer]

Right. So I've spent a lot of time on this and I'll try to be brief and you follow where you wish. There's a school of thought that the President belongs to that says the United States has been treated unfairly for a long time by other countries and that we need to change the way tariffs work to basically tax what they want to send to this country, because they tax formally and informally the stuff that we try to sell them. And the idea is to make America stronger around the world economically and to get these other countries to treat us fairly. That's not the dominant view of most economists, of most politicians of either party. But President Trump has talked about this for many years, and this week he's going to test the theory of can he make America richer and our economy's stronger by putting on tariffs that create barriers to people selling stuff here? I know a lot of really smart people, including some of the administration, who think it's not just a bad idea, but a ruinous idea. I know many business leaders who think it's a horrible idea that President Trump will destroy his presidency over it. And then the president and a lot of people around him think otherwise. It's a very unusual situation, I agree, where it's kind of black and white. I grew up believing that free trade was better. That's how I was educated formally and as a journalist. But the president won on this. And I know, as I said, very smart people who are all on board for this. I will say this. We have grown in this country concerned generationally about the future of our kids and our grandkids and their capacity to compete economically around the world, have as much economic opportunity as we've had. And this is an idea the President believes will help change that. And I think he's entitled to make the case and to try it out because of how strongly he supported this as a candidate. I do hope that if facts suggest this is a bad idea, he'll change his mind or at least alter force at least slightly.

[Charlie Kirk]

What are the politics of tariffs? And are any of these blue state rust belt Democrats signaling support? What are the Fettermans? What are the. The remnant of a blue state rust belt Democrat, I should say. What are they signaling about this?

[Tyler Boyer]

Yeah. So 30, 40 years ago, if there were people in favor of tariffs, they were almost always Democrats. And that wing of the Democratic Party, there's some people in there, but not very much, in part because there's party discipline over opposing tariffs now because Donald Trump's all in on tariffs and they think they can blame him if things go wrong in the economy for the tariffs. So there's not a lot of Democrats outspokenly in support of this. And frankly, most Republicans, if you ask them, would say this is not good for the country. They think it's going to hurt the country overall. Most think it will hurt their states. And most have spent, you know, Monday into Tuesday lobbying the president directly or his senior team saying, please give us an exception. Don't, don't, don't put tariffs on things that will hurt people in their state or their constituency. So I don't think there's a lot of belief in this amongst Democrats or Republican politicians. But Republicans are saying the president won, he ran on this. Let's give him a chance to prove that his theory's right.

[Charlie Kirk]

In closing here, the big reconciliation bill, any inside info whispers? We still haven't seen any text. What can we expect from Capitol Hill? That hasn't done very much lately. What can we expect?

[Tyler Boyer]

Well, I think I may end up being wrong. I was wrong about how aggressively the president would pursue tariffs. I was wrong about the capacity of the Republicans in Congress to pass this bill quickly with unity, even though they have a lot of disagreements about some of the details. This will contain tax cuts. This will contain things related to energy and deregulation. Be a lot in here that unites the Republican Party. And I think what you're seeing is, and this is an odd byproduct of the tariffs, I don't think this is by definition, design, but there's so much worry amongst Republicans and their business allies that the tariffs are going to be bad for the economy, at least in the short run, that there's pressure now on Republicans in Congress because they can pass this bill without any Democratic votes, but they need almost every Republican to say, let's pass this, the stuff that unifies not just Republicans in Washington, but most people around the country. Let's pass tax cuts. Let's not allow there to be a tax increase because the expiration of the original Trump tax cuts. Let's deregulate, let's, let's produce more energy, let's deal with the border, all those things contained in a bill that they don't need Democrats for. And I think they may pass it before the summer, which would be quite a feat and again, would take the edge off of concern that a lot of Republicans have that the policies the president's pursuing, and you see this in the Polls voters see it this way, that he's simply not focused enough on mission One, which is changing the terms, the Biden economy.

[Charlie Kirk]

Mark, thank you so much, everyone. It's election Day. Keep your eyes on the results. Mark, thanks so much. Check out two Way tv. It is election day. Election day. Election day. We need to drive turnout in the great state of Wisconsin. And joining us is Brett Galasheski. I tried my best Noah Formica and Tyler Boyer, the great all star team here to walk and march us through this for the entire hour. Tyler Boyer is the COO of Turning Point Action. Noah Formica is our Pennsylvania field representative and Brett is our national Enterprise director. Let me start with you, Tyler. Tyler, give us a report on the front lines from Wisconsin and the need for everyone to go vote today.

[Noah Formica]

Charlie, everything's looking good. I mean, it's about as good as you could expect it to be at this point and looking a lot better than we were at two years ago in Wisconsin. And we'll get into Brett. I'm actually sitting in Brett's office right now while he's in Milwaukee. We're sitting in the middle of the epicenter of Waukesha county where our office is, where we have literally hundreds of people coming in and out all day today for election Day. We're making, we've been lessons last night, making last minute phone calls to cure ballots. So that's fixing early ballots to make sure that all of our Republican voters count, all the Schimmel votes count. And then we're doing that again all throughout this morning and into the rest of the day. We're chasing every possible ballot. Where we are at right now, this is context for everyone is two years ago, the last Supreme Court race, there was nowhere near this amount of organization and focus that's been put on this race as there should have been. Most states have different ways of doing Supreme Court elections. So some are appointed by governors and they're nominated and they're supported and voted on by the legislature. Some have elections like, like here in, in Wisconsin and also Pennsylvania. But this is really critical because this is where we've seen a ton of election laws get interfered with, undone, changed. We know here in Wisconsin we've been saying this over and over. They've made a promise to remap the entire state of Wisconsin specifically for the members of Congress. So you're looking at potentially losing at least two seats and just out of Wisconsin straight up because the left is wanting just to manipulate and gerrymander to help try to make Hakeem Jeffries, the Speaker of the House. And we know we can't have that. So right now we've got, like I said, hundreds of people right here in the office working until literally the the time runs out on the clock to 8pm Central. And Brett and his entire team have have hosted literally over a hundred events here. We have every field staffer that we possibly can, like Noah, who's one of the greats that we have that's joining Brett right now and so many others, and then thousands and thousands of people who have logged into the Turning Point Action application to help make those last minute phone calls and remind everyone to vote.

[Charlie Kirk]

So Brett, you are Mr. Wisconsin. Walk us through what you are hearing and contrast that with a couple years ago.

[Mark Halperin]

Yeah, I echo what Tyler said. The environment here is much different on the ground than it was in 2023. What we have this time is long term infrastructure that we've built at tpa. We've kept the momentum rolling from November onto now. It's not this two month, every two year cycle that the Republican apparatus has gotten used to where we tear it all down just to build it back up again in a one month sprint. We've been working at this since November 6th. We've been reopening those relationships with those low propensity voters and talking to those people who realistically had Trump signs in their front yard in November but had no idea up until a TPA ballot chaser talked with them that there was an election tomorrow. So you're seeing that shift in the low propensity voter habits here in Wisconsin. We've had 70 plus Superchase events, including a super successful one yesterday right here where Noah and I are at the Republican Party of Milwaukee office where we mobilized ballot chasers to hit some of those really key pockets of Milwaukee and the wild counties where a lot of those low propensity voters exist. And you're seeing that these conversations are so much different than they were in 2023 that they are aware who Brad Schimmel is. They are aware of the national implications and they are aware that if we don't elect a conservative today here in Wisconsin, we will not elect a conservative U.S. president on November 7, 2028.

[Charlie Kirk]

So, Noah, you know grassroots activism better than almost anybody. The great Noah Formica, who's just a legend. What are you seeing and hearing on the ground in the great state of Wisconsin?

[G]

Well, I will tell you, to start off, I am completely honored to be down here in Wisconsin. So, you know, a couple, just a week ago, we actually Lost in Lancaster, a special election, which unfortunate, we saw low down and ruby red Lancaster County. There's barely any Republican turnout. But what I'm seeing here in Wisconsin is the complete opposite. There are so many Republicans that are like, oh, I'm so absolutely ready to vote. But we're also finding, you know, as Brett said, so many people that are like, oh, my gosh, I didn't even know there was an election going on. So we're constantly beating that drum every single day, even rain or shine, when it snows, when it thunderstorms, we're talking to these people at their doors, making those phone calls. Any kind of voter contact we can make with these people, we're absolutely doing it. And, you know, I love investing my time down here in Wisconsin, especially because, you know, Pennsylvania, as you know, our Supreme Court is completely awful. And I want to see Wisconsin get a little better. And I think we need to save this state in order to protect Trump's mandate.

[Charlie Kirk]

What has the reaction been on the ground from voters? Is it a persuasion election or a turnout election, Noah?

[G]

I think it is a little bit of both. I think we need to definitely persuade some people. But what we need to also focus on a lot is we need to find our voters who necessarily, you know, think we won last cycle. So why do we need to get back out there and vote? And there's a lot of those people. We need to just remind them, hey, in order to protect Trump's mandate, in order to continue the great election victory we had, we need to vote every single cycle up and down that darn ballot, and we need to keep on doing it, because it all starts local.

[Charlie Kirk]

It is all local. That is right. Tyler, do you have something you want to piggyback on that?

[Noah Formica]

I just want to say this. It's tough in a Supreme Court race and smaller elections like this that people don't typically follow. So what was really nice during the 2024 campaign here in Wisconsin was everybody already knew President Trump and they could have a conversation about it. Part of this is very rapidly. You have to be able to describe to people what are the issues at hand, what's going to change if they don't show up, and they need to get to know the candidate real quick. But, I mean, Charlie, if we got even a portion of everyone that showed up for the 2024 election, we win this thing. So it's just a matter of getting out the vote, talking to as many people as you possibly can. And that's why I'm so proud of our Team. I mean, we've literally brought in every single human body we possibly can in the state. Here in Wisconsin, we' had the largest ground force of any organization. We have really one of the only activist oriented office buildings in the entire state. That's right here in Waukesha. And when you look at the map, you get into the data, you start to see real quickly what Brett and everybody else that have seen here that we as we spent our time. Waukesha is the most highly critical place that you have to turn out votes because that is where we have the fewest people that remember to turn out for these types of elections. And when we say our people, we mean our people.

[Tyler Boyer]

Republicans.

[Charlie Kirk]

Could you imagine, Tyler, if we lose by 400 votes or 500 votes, it'd be catastrophic.

[Noah Formica]

And it could happen, Charlie. And that's why we're here in Waukesha. I mean, I'll tell you, we've hit every voter that we possibly can in Waukesha county, where it's the epicenter. It's the vote epicenter. So Democrats have vote centers. Theirs are typically inner cities. You know, we know this college, we know this really well, Charlie, is college campuses. They spend all of their time because those are the easiest places where they can aggregate votes quickly. Ours are in these, in these high density suburbs, like, again, like Waukesha county, like West Allis, like Wauwatosa, which is all right in this space. And there's other places across the state, including Brown county and right outside Green Bay and other places. But that's where the most collection of those votes are. And Charlie, this thing is coming down in the polling and what we're seeing.

[Charlie Kirk]

According to Trafalgar, this is a tide race. It is pure turnout. Everybody, if you live in Wisconsin, if you vacation in Wisconsin, if you know somebody Wisconsin, if you've heard of somebody from Wisconsin, if you think, just start calling people in Wisconsin. Download the Turning Point Action app and start doing that right now. That is the Turning Point Action app. If you live in Chicago, I know people in Wisconsin just because I grew up in northern Illinois. TPaction.com app hey, everybody, Charlie Kirk here. Brand new year, brand new opportunities to change the world for the better. It's easier than you might think. You can save babies by providing ultrasounds with preborn. Together with the Sanctity of Human Life Month, we're going to save 35,000 babies to show the world that not only do we believe life is precious, but we're going to do something about it. Your gift of preborn will give a girl the truth about what's happening in her body so that she can make the right choice. What better way to start this new year than to join us to save babies? And $28 a month will save a baby a month all year long. A $15,000 gift will provide a complete ultrasound machine that will save thousands of babies for years and years to come and will also save moms from a lifetime of pain and regret. I am a donor to this organization and you should be too. Start this new year by being a Hero for Life. Go 833-850-2229 or click on the Pre Born banner at charliekirk.com that is charliekirk.com and click on the pre born banner. I'm a donor. You should be too. Charliekirk.com Preborn Banner okay, we are an action, action action show. As Steve Bannon would always say. Tyler and Brett are ready to walk you through the steps to be able to use the Turning Point Action app. Our show is different. We want to empower you, the audience, to be able to make the steps necessary. So Tyler and Brett, whoever wants to go first, take a couple minutes here and thoroughly, please empower the audience of how they could impact the Wisconsin race today. Please.

[Noah Formica]

And Charlie, we're so grateful for so many people that have downloaded the Turning Point Action application. Anyone can do it anywhere on the Google Android Store, Google Play Store or the Apple App Store. You go on search for Turning Point Action, not Turning Point USA Turning Point Action. It's one of the top downloaded apps you can go in. And once you get in there, you download it right to your phone, tap the arrow in the top left hand corner, input your phone number and you're off to the races. We need people to just tap, make calls or send text messages. And when you go in there, you're going to see a button really easy. It's real simple. You spend just a couple minutes on this, it'll say Wisconsin Supreme Court race. You tap that button and you're in. It'll give you the list of people to call. It's real easy. You just tap their name and it takes you over to the phone number. It starts dialing them right away for right in your cell phone and you can get through 10, 20, 30 phone calls really quickly. If every single person within the sound of your voice. Charlie just did 10 phone calls today. 10 phone calls right now. Don't wait an hour from now and maybe two, you're going to miss people that are going to not Go to the polls, they're going to turn off their phone, go to sleep, put their head down. We need people to do that now. Ten calls each and we can get out hundreds of thousands of calls which we've been doing over the last few days. And I'll kick this over to Brett, but we have our entire team right now across the state of Wisconsin. We have every team member that we possibly could flux into Wisconsin. We've brought in hundreds and hundreds of volunteers who are out knocking doors, making calls. We have hundreds of people right here in the office who are making calls. Just this way.

[Tyler Boyer]

Yeah.

[Mark Halperin]

I mean, Noah here next to me is one of hundreds of people that are here on the ground from out of state that are physically here in Wisconsin chasing ballots. There may be people listening to the show right now, Charlie, that are in Wisconsin that have been hesitant about coming out to a superchase event or hesitant about connecting with one of our TPA staffers. It's out of their comfort zone. They've never participated in conservative activism. Now is not the time. Now is the time to leave it all out on the field. So one of my calls to action is to anyone listening to the program right now, that's, that's in Wisconsin. You have an ability right now to go on the TP Action app. Hit help knock doors voters near me and you'll be loaded a list of the 15 closest Republican households to where you're standing. Why is this important? Because there's more value in saying, hey, I'm your neighbor. Have you voted yet today for Brad Schimmel versus hey, I'm a random stranger. I'm Noah for Micah from Pennsylvania. Have you voted for Brad Schimmel? There's much more genuinity that exists there if you own your neighborhood. And if we're able to get everyone in Wisconsin to squeeze out an extra 10 votes out of their voting wards, their voting neighborhoods, that could be what we point to tonight after 8pm as the definitive difference maker in such a low turnout election like this. It is not a war of persuasion. It is a war of getting every single conservative in your neighborhood out to vote. And the TP Action app is the one stop shop for that. So again, Wisconsinites and even people in Northern Illinois that are just a short drive away from the Wisconsin border that can drive up to Kenosha, Pleasant, Prairie, Bristol, Lake Geneva, please help us. This is a 10 year term on the line. I do not want to see my home state get thrown back to the radical left.

[Noah Formica]

And Charlie, this is what's so cool about what's going on right now. The individuals who have made the calls over the course of the last two weeks, we've seen massive changes. I mean, we're talking about hundreds and hundreds of thousands of people who have made serious contact with people who. This just didn't happen. And to put this into context, two years ago, we believe that there was about 5% of the amount of voter contact than what's been made now. Worst case scenario, where we're at with this is that we're probably, and Elon said this yesterday when he was on stage, he believes that his team believes over about a hundred thousand votes down. You know, I, our, our number is right in the ballpark of worst case scenario, about 73,000 votes down. But that's about three times better than where they were at two years ago. And so that's, that's a great starting point. We're in a position to win, but turnout has to be huge.

[Charlie Kirk]

Today has to be monumental. Download the Turning Point action app. It is election Day. If you live in Florida, vote Wisconsin, vote. Okay. We continue with our all star group here, including Terry Dietrich, chair of the Waukesha County GOP and RNC committeeman for Wisconsin. Terry, how are things on the ground in Wisconsin right now?

[Terry Dietrich]

Charlie, as usual, it's a donnybrook right to the end here. A tough fight all over the state, but I think we're, I think we got the edge on it. We're doing really well. We had Elon in here last night, we had Chairman Whatley from the rnc. A lot of excitement up in the northeast corner, Fox Valley, as we call it in Green Bay Area. So look, we're running on all cylinders as usual. It feels like last October again. We never, never quit. So I think we've got the edge. Brad's working hard, so I think we're in good shape.

[Charlie Kirk]

I want to play a piece of tape here that alluded to something that Tyler said and then have anyone comment on this, which is the balance of the House, that if we are not successful in Wisconsin, that this very well might result in a Democrat House, which means more impeachment to Donald Trump, more subpoenas, more hearings. This is Hakeem Jeffries who's telling you how important it is. Play cut 103, a 50, 50 race.

[Tyler Boyer]

Whoever wins is gonna determine who has the majority in the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Why is that important? Because the lines are broken.

[Charlie Kirk]

Right.

[Tyler Boyer]

And as soon as possible, we need to be able to revisit that and have fair lines.

[Terry Dietrich]

The Only way for that to be.

[Tyler Boyer]

Even a significant possibility is if you have an enlightened Supreme Court. And so, you know, I think that's an incredibly important race.

[Charlie Kirk]

I could throw this to Terry first. Terry, that is the wannabe speaker of the House, who might become speaker of the House because of what happens in Wisconsin. Terry.

[Terry Dietrich]

Right. This is incredibly important in so many ways. Charlie, you know this very well. I mean, nationally, both here in Wisconsin. I mean, they're gonna redistrict if they win. If they redistrict, we lose Congressman Van Orden and we lose Congressman 2 Stiles. They're both great congressmen. We lose those. You know, the Democrats are set up not only in Wisconsin, but down in D.C. to take over and stop President Trump's agenda. There's so many things. Act 10, the right to work that saved Wisconsinites $36 billion over the last nine years will be gone. Voter ID will be gone. You know, just a whole host of things. But the, the, the, the, the, the chopping of the maps here in Wisconsin will just be brutal to Wisconsin. It'll set the scene for all of the other battleground states to be targets as well. It's, it's monumental here in Wisconsin. So it's right down to the end here, as usual, we're fighting and fighting because we know this is for the generational future of our state.

[Mark Halperin]

Well, and Charlie, please, the left has super clear here in Wisconsin. So Hakeem Dreffer, he's talking about that last week, the first time that we've heard that in Wisconsin. I remember when Brad Schimmel was on your show a couple weeks ago, he was talking about this. About a month ago, Susan Crawford appeared on a donor zoom call with Reid Hoffman and some other hard lefty donors. And the theme of the zoom call was how to win back the US House of Representatives in 26 and Wisconsin's path to doing so. They're openly bragging about this. This is a talking point of Susan Crawford on the campaign trail for a nonpartisan judicial seat. They are going to use a 5:2 majority to completely ruin the Republican momentum that we have in this state.

[Charlie Kirk]

That is well said. Let's play another piece of tape here just to show the stakes. This is Sean Duffy. The country is watching what's happening in Wisconsin. Play cut 145. This election couldn't be more important.

[Rich Barris]

The country is watching what's going to happen in Wisconsin because you have a.

[Charlie Kirk]

Radical leftist judge who wants to get.

[Tyler Boyer]

Rid of school choice.

[Rich Barris]

She wants to get rid of voter.

[Charlie Kirk]

Id she wants to redraw congressional lines. She doesn't like parental rights.

[Rich Barris]

She wants to obstruct Donald Trump's agenda.

[Charlie Kirk]

She believes that criminals are more important than victims. That is a good Wisconsin's own. Who's running the Department of Transportation. Great, great man, very smart. The world is waking up to the power of gold. National banks are scrambling to secure it. According to the World Gold Council, central banks added 1,000 tons of gold in 2024, the third straight year of net gold buying. They understand what many investors don't. Gold is real money. Unlike paper currency, gold's value doesn't disappear with inflation, reckless government spending or market crashes. Now, Noble Gold Investments makes it easy for you to claim your share as our new administration works to reverse the economic chaos of the past. Market swings are inevitable when uncertainty rises, you need something solid, something to keep you on the path to financial freedom. Gold can be that foundation. And right now, when you make a qualified investment, Noble Gold will send you a free 10th ounce of a cold coin. Visit noblegoldinvestments.com that's noblegoldinvestments.com the world is turning to gold. Shouldn't you be looking into doing that, too? So, Brett, I want to go, I want to kind of throw it back to you here. What parts of the state are going to be most consequential for us to drive turnout today?

[Mark Halperin]

Well, so today where we are right now in western Milwaukee county and then where our TP Action office is in eastern Waukesha county is ground zero for today's election. It is low propensity voter central. It is a war of racking the score up in Waukesha County. Statewide candidates appear to be playing jump rope with that 60% line where you have to get 60% at 58 seems to be the floor. But 60% really is, is what's going to allow you to compete statewide. And then here in Milwaukee county, if we can go from 29% turnout to, say, 31% turnout and lose by less, we will play that role. But right now, I want to make a call to action. Anyone that's listening, that's in southwestern Wisconsin. That's Congressional District 3. That's Derek Van Orden. You are going to lose your congressman if you do not turn out and vote today. We have to turn out every single rural conservative and their mother. We're doing our part here in the wild counties. This ground zero part. We have so many low propensity conservatives, so many Trump voters that don't that didn't Even realize up until a couple weeks ago that there was an election. We cannot take our foot off the gas in those counties that are heavy, heavy Trump counties, that is.

[Charlie Kirk]

Tyler, do you want to comment on that?

[Noah Formica]

Yeah, I was going to say kind of how we're looking at this as a team is, you know, the wild counties. So you have, we say wild counties. I'll reiterate this for the audience. When they say wild counties, there's three counties that are outside of Milwaukee. So you have Milwaukee county, you have Waukesha County.

[Tyler Boyer]

Yo.

[Noah Formica]

Ozaukee County, Washington county and the three wild counties around Milwaukee. If they offset Milwaukee blueness, then you're in good shape. The second part is statewide offsetting Dane County. Dane county is where University of Wisconsin Madison is. Charlie knows this well. You know this well because we spent so much time there this last election cycle, we, we saw a double digit shift to the right which we've covered on your show many times now. But that's the big question mark right now. Brett is exactly right. We're feeling really good because of the leadership of guys like Terry and the work that's been done in Waukesha and other places around Milwaukee. The question is, is are we going to make sure that we have enough turnout, deep red turnout and deep red rural counties that are going to offset Dane county and UW Madison. And that's the work that's being, that's being done right now by not just our team, but we've got to dive in and keep reiterating. Turnout must be big in western Wisconsin. It must be big, right?

[Terry Dietrich]

You know, just putting on my national committeeman hat. I just raised funds in two hours ago to put Congressman Van Orden on a robocall going throughout the entire western Wisconsin area. So he's going to be on at 9 o'clock tomorrow morning pleading with every single person from Hudson to La Crosse, Eau Claire down to Crawford county, the entire area west of Madison, which is subject to, you know, Madison liberal radio. He's going to be on Robo calling and, and, and hitting those folks to drive that vote up. So proud of Waukesha county in the fact that we raised the funds to send out there. We've got it all set up, ready to go. So. And last night we were up in the Fox Valley where Sean Duffy was, etc. Chairman Watley from the RNC was there, etc. You know that that has to perform extremely well. It's kind of the last place we always hit in the state. And I think I Think they're juiced up there. Obviously the north woods has been the one in last, last November that got that little extra that pushed us over the top. So we're all working statewide. Turning Point's done a fantastic job as usual. You know, this one's right down to the edge. I think we can win it.

[Charlie Kirk]

Elon Musk had a fabulous, amazing town hall around so much of this. This really could be the future of Western civilization. Let's play cut127. I do think a couple of things are true. Number one, the Republican Party is grappling with a new reality. We have a lot of voters in the party that do not vote regularly. They're low propensity voters. They turned out for Donald Trump. They like to vote when he's on the ballot. But even in the November election, you saw people show up, vote Trump, and then leave the rest of it blank. I think the Elon Musk point that you played earlier about the future of Western civilization, I actually think this is a key issue the Republicans ought to lean in on, not just a one off election. When you're voting in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race or some congressional special election in Florida, these things matter. There are ripple effects. A vote here causes major implications on policy down the line. So I think Elon is actually onto something with that messaging. And I hope Republicans, especially the new ones who aren't regular voters, take it to heart. So, Brett, you would know this answer best. On average, how many people who voted for President Trump will not vote in this election?

[Mark Halperin]

It's crazy. So when we did the data dive, it's projected that a little over 300,000 conservatives will not turn out in this election. Trump won Wisconsin by about 29,000 votes. We've identified three times as many conservatives in Waukesha county alone that are projected not to turn out. Now, that was obviously before we unleashed the largest ground game in conservative movement history here in Wisconsin. And then we're going to partner that with, and we have been partnering that with the largest ballot curing operation that Wisconsin has ever seen these last 24 hours, getting those final votes. Couple thousand votes here, a couple thousand votes there could mean the difference. I can tell you with 100% certainty, out of all the outside groups that are doing work towards this race, Turning Point Action is the only group that is ballot curing right now.

[Charlie Kirk]

Politics means more to a leftist that doesn't have friends, community or church life. And so this is how they are able to have meaning. Fill out your ballot, get involved with your Supreme Court race. So it's very hard for people that have a vibrant connection to their local land, to their local community, to their church life to convince them they're tired of hearing about politics all the time. They said, I just got Trump elected. That's the challenge. Tyler, is it correct to say that if we lose, we will not lose to Crawford, we will lose to the Couch, we will lose to not voting at all?

[Noah Formica]

That's right. That's right, Charlie. I mean, the biggest enemy that we have in these mid off election cycle elections is that people just don't show up. If everybody showed up, we win. And in fact, the Democrats know this. So the Democrats are out saying, and we're getting these messages coming through and they're trying to actually quiet down the election. And part of the reason for that is because they know when turnout's high, the more information that gets out there, the less likely they are to win. And we're seeing that in the polling. So as people have become more aware of this election here, the polling has tightened dramatically. In fact, there was polling that was about a month ago that had Brad Schimmel, who's running for Supreme Court here, down about 8 points. The most recent polls in the last two days, there was one that had him up. There's another that had him down two points and another that had him with him about a point. And so this thing is, is that what that tells you is when it's within even five points in this, this type of election, you can have massive 5, even close to 10 point swings based off a turnout. Right now we are projecting that there's going to be higher turnout than 2023. That's a good thing for us because that means that we're going to have more people show up on our side. The left is right now we're looking at this data. The left is cannibalized, much like Arizona. For our listeners that have listened to your show all throughout this last election, we were saying this all throughout the election. The left was cannibalizing their high propensity voters with early ballots while we were chasing lower propensity voters with early ballots. And we've done the same thing here in Wisconsin. The good news is that the number has been dramatically cut down from 2023. But the question will be, will it be enough? Because will turnout be good enough to deliver the victory today?

[Charlie Kirk]

Brett, final thoughts?

[Mark Halperin]

Yeah, I mean, this is an extremely low turnout election. I'd say if we're somewhere on the other side of 40% statewide turnout, that's going to be a net positive for us. So let's hope and pray for that. That means that we will have done our jobs in Waukesha, Ozaukee and Washington counties, those historically red counties that we absolutely needed to rack the score up in. If you have friends and family in Wisconsin today, please, please, please get on the phone with them and remind them that they have until 8pm Central to vote for Brad Schimmel for the Supreme Court race. Help me save our great state of Wisconsin.

[Charlie Kirk]

Noah. Final thoughts.

[G]

So I think honestly we're going to pull off the surprise victory. However, we all need to stay on our A game. I know us at Turning Point Action. We're constantly doing the hard work, the hard labor to get the job done, constantly doing super chase events, constantly ballot curing and texting, calling all those different forms of voter connection. But you know, to kind of reiterate what Tyler said, I mean, the couch effect, we need to get those people off the couch and voting. I talked to a voter a couple days ago, a Trump voter. He had a Trump flag waving in his yard. I asked, do you have a plan to vote? He said no. And I told him, well, we need you to vote in order to protect Trump's mandate. And he is now voting, thankfully. But we need to continue to find these people, get them mobilized and do everything we can until the polls close. And, you know, we don't have that much time left. But my call to action for anybody in Pennsylvania right now, get on your cell phone, start making calls on our app. We need you. We need to continue to save this beautiful state.

[Charlie Kirk]

Thank you guys. Noah, Brett and Tyler, thanks so much. Really appreciate it.

[Noah Formica]

Thank you, Charlie. We appreciate you.

[Charlie Kirk]

Vote, vote, vote in the great state of Wisconsin. This is critical, everybody. And you go to tpaction.com app and I just want to brag on the Turning Point action team. They've been working their tail off and a lot of groups sat this one out. There's a lot of money that could have been spent that was not spent here. There's a lot we probably we do have the biggest presence in Wisconsin. So win or lose, we can say we did our part. Also, how many podcasts and shows have not even talked about this? Well, we've done our part, now go do yours. Make some calls, knock on some doors. Go vote. TPaction.com app thanks so much for listening everybody. Email us. As always, freedomarliekirk.com thanks so much for listening and God bless.

[Mark Halperin]

For more on many of these stories and news, you can trust. Go to charliekirk.com.