“Hey hey! Ho ho! Scott Walker has got to go!” 

Across the street, a quieter crowd of Walker supporters displays their signs to passing cars.

These groups from opposite sides of the political spectrum were on the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee campus to show support for their preferred candidate as incumbent Governor Walker and his challenger, State Superintendent of Schools Tony Evers, prepared to debate before a limited audience, with tickets distributed through the campaigns and the event sponsors.

The group chanting against Walker primarily consisted of people associated with the Fight for $15 movement and the Milwaukee Area Service and Hospitality Workers Organization (MASH). Their issues related to wage growth and access to healthcare.

The Walker supporters, on the other hand, cited support for the Foxconn deal and the governor’s $5000 tax credit for students who remain in Wisconsin. Some voters mentioned abortion as another major motivation.

The most recent Marquette Law School Poll found that as of October 10, 24 percent of registered voters picked jobs and the economy as their top issue. Twenty-two percent chose K-12 education and 19 percent cited health care coverage.

Foxconn and Education

Samantha Stohlman, 21, and Stephan Gieschen, 23, came to the debate from Concordia University Wisconsin, where they are members of the College Republicans, to show their support for Walker.

“Obviously we’re ten days away from the election, so it’s a very important time and the debate is prominently here in Milwaukee,” said Gieschen. “Being at Concordia, we don’t have a ton of big events such as this.” 

Both brought up their pro-life views as a big factor. Stohlman also mentioned Walker’s tuition freeze on UW-System schools and the Foxconn deal.  

“Foxconn has been great for the state, bringing in jobs,” said Stohlman. “Jobs are super important right now. We want to keep more students in Wisconsin supporting Wisconsin jobs and Wisconsin workers.” 

Other students came from Marquette and UW-Milwaukee. Phillip Anderson, 19, already cast his vote for Walker in Madison.

The Marquette Law poll found that 48 percent of registered voters thought the state was paying too much for the Foxconn deal, versus 38 percent who think it will provide at least as much value as the state is investing.

During the debate, Evers criticized Walker’s economic policy, classifying it as consisting of “Hail Mary Passes” benefiting single areas of the state, as opposed to what Evers descibed as a “72-county economic development plan.”

“It can’t just be tax breaks to foreign corporations,” said Evers. “It can’t just be tax breaks for wealthy individuals.” 

Walker, in response touted the low unemployment numbers across the state, as well as partnerships with companies like QuadGraphics to connect them to people who need jobs.

On education, the candidates traded barbs over the budget, with Walker quoting Evers’ own description of Walker’s recent school budget as “kid-friendly.”

“All of our students need to have hope,” said Walker. “They need to have hope that what they’re going to do is going to lead to something, they can see their future out there.” 

Evers, in turn, criticized Walker over his cuts to education to both K-12 and higher education.

“The state needs to make a commitment to the most important economic development instrument we have in the state,” said Evers.  

On the Economy

Verdell Canser, 19, became involved with Fight for $15 through his brother, a manager at a McDonald’s. 

“My brother wasn’t able to make it so I told him I’d do it for him,” said Canser. “Being here and actually experiencing the Fight for $15 and how it works, it’s actually a good fit for everyone and I think people should come out and do things like this.”

Canser credits the movement for inspiring him to be more politically engaged, and said he wasn’t exposed to politics and voting when he was younger.

Precious Crawley, 26, also works at McDonald’s to support her three children. She became involved in the movement through a McDonald’s strike .

“I feel like I can’t climb that ladder of success because it stops in the middle. There’s no more bars for me. I feel like there’s no hope,” said Crawley. “I feel like I’m being questioned as a parent, like I’m not as good of a provider as I can be.”

Providing for her children and finding affordable healthcare are personal issues for Crawley. Crawley said she cannot afford the co-pay for surgery to treat a liver issue earning $7.50 an hour.

Crawley also cited Walker’s actions on unions and education as reasons for her support for Evers.

“If you’re a man who is cutting our unions and cutting our wages, taking money from our schools, then you don’t need to be in office telling me what I can and cannot have,” said Crawley. 

In a question to Evers, TMJ4 anchor and moderator Shannon Sims cited a United Way study that found four in 10 Wisconsin families cannot afford basic needs such as housing, food, and healthcare.

Pressed on the issue of minimum wage, Evers said that with a careful plan, he thinks an Evers administration could achieve a $15 an hour minimum wage by the end of his first term.

“Poverty is multifaceted, and any governor has to be able to connect the dots. Some of it is about corrections policy and justice policy,” said Evers. “Some of it is around healthcare, making sure that we have affordable, adequate, accessible healthcare. Some of it is around issues of transportation, getting point A to point B. All of these things need to be a part of the situation.” 

On Healthcare

Mike Dickson, 57, described himself as a worker who was “cruising along” until he got sick and was raced to the hospital. It was kidney cancer.  

Dickson was thankful that the Affordable Care Act was in place, ensuring he had coverage, but is worried about Governor Walker and state Attorney General Brad Schimel’s participation in a lawsuit to overturn the ACA.  

“Scott Walker has the best healthcare. And who provides that to all the legislatures and governors? We do,” said Dickson. “I just don’t that being a politician is a reason to be covered and being an everyday worker is not. What’s the difference? Human beings should all be covered.” 

Regarding the Affordable Care Act, 50 percent of registered voters in the Marquette Law Poll would like to see the Affordable Care Act remain in place, versus 44 percent who think it should be repealed, largely along partisan lines.

Support for “Medicare-for-all” fell along similar lines, with 49 percent in favor and 41 percent opposed. Despite the partisan divide, 78 percent still said that the requirement for coverage of pre-existing conditions was important to them. Evers was quick to highlight this issue when the topic came up.  

“Healthcare is on the ballot November 6, it’s an important issue,” said Evers. “This is an issue that isn’t a democrat or republican issue, I think it’s a Wisconsin value issue.”  

Walker responded by maintaining his commitment to protecting pre-existing conditions regardless of the status of the ACA.  

There has been much attention around the tight race, with Walker just one point above Evers in the most recent Marquette poll, and what it says about the nation’s response to President Donald Trump as a whole.  

Crawley, for her part, is optimistic based on her experience canvassing.

“A lot of the doors we knocked on, people said they don’t get involved in this and that they don’t even know who is in charge,” she said. “All they know is whoever is in there is hurting us and making bad situations worse. We need someone who is going to make it better.”

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