TO CONVENTION. HERE’S TO MILWAUKEE. HERE’S TO A GREAT CONVENTION. REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE OFFICIALS IN WISCONSIN NATIONAL AND WORLDWIDE MEDIA. AND IT REALLY LAUNCHES THE NEXT PHASE OF THE CONVENTION. NOW, INSIDE THE PREPARATIONS FOR THE 2024 REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION IN MILWAUKEE, JUST WEEKS AHEAD OF THE IOWA CAUCUSES. OUR GUESTS THIS SUNDAY, COMMITTEE ON ARRANGEMENTS, CHAIRWOMAN ANNE HATHAWAY, MILWAUKEE, HOST, COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN REINCE PRIEBUS. MEAN, IS THERE ANY SCENARIO AT THIS POINT? TRUMP IS NOT THE NOMINEE ON THAT STAGE THEN 2025? THIS IS NOT JUST A CAMPAIGN AREN THIS IS A MOVEMENT TO TAKE BACK OUR STATE. FORMER REPUBLICAN ATTORNEY GENERAL BRAD SCHIMEL ANNOUNCING HIS BID FOR STATE SUPREME COURT CONTROL OF THE COURT’S BALANCE WILL AGAIN BE AT STAKE. PATRICK GUARASCI ON THE FUTURE OF STATE SUPREME COURT RACES TAKING US INSIDE JANET PROTASEVICH’S CAMPAIGN AND HOW SHE WON NEW LEADERSHIP. IT’S GOING TO BE AN INTERESTING TIME IN THE CAPITOL BUILDING. CERTAINLY INTO 2024. SENATE MINORITY LEADER MELISSA AGARD RUNNING FOR DANE COUNTY EXECUTIVE, THE INTERNAL RACE TO BECOME THE NEW DEMOCRATIC LEADER. J.R. ROSS, WITH THE NEW REPORTING JUST MOMENTS AWAY, THIS IS UPFRONT WITH GERRON JORDAN AND POLITICAL DIRECTOR MATT SMITH. HI, EVERYONE. THANKS FOR JOINING US. THE NEXT REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY DEBATE JUST DAYS AWAY IS SET FOR WEDNESDAY NIGHT IN ALABAMA. ALL ROADS LEADING TO MILWAUKEE AND THE REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION NEXT SUMMER. NOW A FIRST GLIMPSE OUR NEW INTERVIEWS AT THE MAJOR PREPARATIONS UNDERWAY THIS WEEKEND AND THE TENS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS THE LOCAL HOST COMMITTEE NEEDS TO RAISE. HERE’S TO MILWAUKEE. HERE’S TO A GREAT CONVENTION. THANK YOU FOR A TOAST. THIS PAST WEEK, COMPLETE WITH A CHAMPAGNE OF BEERS IN MILWAUKEE, A RECEPTION AND WALK THROUGH A FIRST GLIMPSE OF SORTS INSIDE FISERV FORUM, WHERE REPUBLICANS WILL OFFICIALLY NOMINATE THEIR CANDIDATE FOR PRESIDENT, WHERE JUST WEEKS OUT FROM THE IOWA CAUCUSES, FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP MAINTAINS A DOMINANT LEAD JUST DAYS AHEAD OF THE NEXT PRIMARY DEBATE IN ALABAMA AND HATHAWAY IS CHAIRWOMAN OF THE RNC COMMITTEE TASKED WITH PLANNING THE CONVENTION. WHEN YOU LOOK BEHIND YOU, I MEAN, THIS IS WHERE IT IS ALL GOING TO HAPPEN IN JULY. WE’RE GETTING CLOSER. WE ARE GETTING CLOSER EVERY DAY. WE GET CLOSER AND WE’RE GETTING MORE EXCITED. AND AND I THINK THAT YOU CAN FEEL IT AS WE GET CLOSER TO THE CAUCUSES IS AND TO ACTUALLY VOTES BEING CAST OUT, WE HAVE TO STAY DILIGENT AND FOCUSED ON DELIVERING THE VERY BEST FOUR DAY CONVENTION LIVE TV SHOW JULY 15TH THROUGH THE 18TH. HOW CLOSELY AT THIS POINT ARE YOU, AS THE RNC WATCHING THE PRIMARIES, THE POLLS, WHAT’S HAPPENING ON THE GROUND IN THIS RACE? WE’RE ALL WATCHING. AND WE, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY, OUR POLITICAL TEAM IS LASER FOCUSED ON WHAT GOING ON. BUT WE’RE FOCUSED ON WHAT’S HAPPENING IN THIS ARENA, IN THIS COMMUNITY. WE MADE A COMMITMENT NOT TO TAKE MILWAUKEE TO THE WORLD AND WE WANT TO MAKE GOOD ON THAT COMMITMENT. WE REALLY BELIEVE IN THIS COMMUNITY. WE’RE EXCITED ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY AND THE POTENTIAL. YOU KNOW, EVERY FOUR YEARS YOU GET A CHANCE TO DO IT BETTER THAN THE LAST EIGHT AND WE HAVE EIGHT YEARS. WE HAVEN’T DONE A LIVE CONVENTION SINCE 2016. AND AND SO IT’S AN OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE CHANGE. IT’S AN OPPORTUNITY TO FINE TUNE, TO BUILD ON THE PAST WITH THE FOCUS OF LAUNCHING THE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE TO VICTORY, I WAS GOING TO SAY, IS THIS GOING TO LOOK AND FEEL LIKE 16 OR DOES THAT ALSO DEPEND ON WHO THE CANDIDATE IS? I THINK EVERY CONVENTION HAS ITS OWN FEEL AND ITS DIFFERENT. SO THIS IS GOING TO LOOK LIKE 2024. I DON’T HAVE TO TELL YOU, THERE’S BEEN A LITTLE TENSION BETWEEN SOME OF THE CANDIDATES AND THE RNC. DOES THAT GO INTO YOUR PLANNING? IF IT’S TRUMP ON STAGE, IF IT’S DESANTIS, IF IT’S NIKKI HALEY, WE’RE FOCUSED ON PROCESS RIGHT NOW. WE’RE FOCUSED ON WHERE’S THE STAGE GOING TO BE? HOW MANY SEATS CAN WE GET ON THE FLOOR? WHAT DO WE NEED FOR CAMERA PLATFORM? WHAT DO YOU WANT DELEGATES TO WALK AWAY FROM NEXT SUMMER? WE WANT THEM TO WALK AWAY EXCITED, THRILLED ABOUT THEIR NOMINEE AND FOCUSED ON WORKING EVERY DAY IN THE GRASS ROOTS, SPREADING THE WORD, DOING THOSE THINGS THAT WE NEED TO DO TO TURN OUT THE VOTE, TO MAKE SURE WE WIN IN NOVEMBER. PART OF THAT FALLS ON REINCE PRIEBUS, THE WISCONSIN NATIVE, FORMER HEAD OF THE RNC AND CHIEF OF STAFF TO FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP. PRIEBUS IS NOW CHAIRMAN OF THE MILWAUKEE HOST COMMITTEE, TASKED WITH RAISING SOME $68 MILLION TO HOST THE CONVENTION. A BIG PART OF YOUR JOB IS FUNDRAISING, GETTING THE FUNDS, THE 68 MILLION. HOW ARE THINGS GOING? WELL, THE FUNDRAISING THING, I THINK, IS GOING GREAT. I CAN TELL YOU, BECAUSE I HELPED RUN THE CONVENTION IN CLEVELAND IN 2016, THAT WAS ACTUALLY THE LAST REPUBLICAN CONVENTION THAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED IN PERSON. RIGHT. I RAN TAMPA. I THINK WE’RE DOING BETTER THAN ANY HOST COMMITTEE THAT I CAN REMEMBER ON FUNDRAISING. THE OTHER THING IS WE PUT OUT MARKERS EVERY QUARTER FROM THE VERY BEGINNING WHEN WE TOOK ON THIS CONVENTION WHERE WE NEEDED TO BE FINANCIALLY. AND WE’RE AHEAD OF EVERY ONE OF THOSE MARKERS FINANCIAL REALLY, FOR THIS CONVENTION. SO I FEEL GREAT WHERE ARE YOU? WE’RE I CAN’T TELL YOU EXACTLY. SOME OF IT IS NOT THE TYPE OF STUFF WE DISCLOSE, BUT I’M NOT PANICKED. IN FACT, I FEEL GREAT ABOUT WHERE WE’RE AT. WE’RE AHEAD OF WHERE WE NEED TO BE. WE’RE AHEAD OF WHERE WE NEED TO BE ON ANY AGREEMENT CONTRACTUALLY OR EVEN STRATEGICALLY ON THE MONEY. HALFWAY MORE THAN HALFWAY UNDER, HALFWAY, ONE OF THOSE. ONE OF THOSE. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. I MEAN, YOU FUNDRAISED FOR THE RNC FOR A LONG TIME. HOW IS THIS DIFFERENT? WELL, IT’S DIFFERENT IN THE SENSE THAT IT’S A NONPROFIT. IT’S A LITTLE BIT OF A SLOWER SALES PITCH. LIKE I THINK IT’S A LITTLE HARDER. I MEAN, THE ONE GOOD THING IS IT’S TAX DEDUCTIBLE BECAUSE IT’S A BIPARTISAN EFFORT. I KNOW I’M A PARTIZAN PERSON, BUT IN THIS ROLE, THIS IS ABOUT MILWAUKEE AND WISCONSIN AND BRINGING IN THIS ECONOMIC IMPACT. SO WE’VE GOT REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS WORKING TOGETHER HERE. I’M SPEARHEADING IT. BUT THE DIFFERENCE ABOUT POLITICAL IS THAT THE URGENCY POLITICALLY IS THAT YOU CALL SOMEONE TO RAISE MONEY IN A POLITICAL CAMPAIGN AND YOU’RE SAYING, HEY, LISTEN, YOU KNOW, MR. SMITH, WE’VE GOT THREE WEEKS TO GO. WE’VE GOT TO BUY THIS MAIL. WE’VE GOT TO PUT THESE ADS ON TV. WE’RE $3 MILLION SHORT. I NEED YOU TO CUT US TO CHECK. IT’S URGENT. AND IT’S IMMEDIATE AND IT’S UNDERSTOOD. WHEREAS WHEN YOU’RE RAISING MONEY FOR CONVENTION, YOU HAVE TO EXPLAIN IT. NO, THIS ISN’T MONEY THAT’S GOING TO A CAMPAIGN. IT’S NOT GOING TO THE REPUBLICAN PARTY. THIS IS A CHARITABLE EFFORT ON BEHALF OF THE PEOPLE OF MILWAUKEE AND WISCONSIN TO REALLY SHOWCASE THIS COMMUNITY. SO IN SOME WAYS, IT’S A HUGE POSITIVE, BUT IN SOME WAYS IT CAN SLOW DOWN THE SALES PITCH, TOO. YEAH. ARE THOSE DEMOCRATS, INDEPENDENTS OR EVEN SOME REPUBLICAN ONES LEERY? IF TRUMP MAY BE THE NOMINEE? I HAVEN’T SEEN THAT YET. IN FACT, I’VE SEEN A BENEFIT OF THIS EFFORT IN MILWAUKEE. IS THAT THE DNC WAS HERE IN 2020. SO A LOT OF THE COMPANIES IN THE AREA, A NORTHWESTERN MUTUAL, WHO’S STEPPING UP KOHL’S, WE ENERGIES, I MEAN, BIG COMPANIES. JOHNSON CONTROLS, THEY SUPPORTED THE DEMOCRATS BEING HERE, THE DNC, AND THEY’RE TURNING AROUND AND SAYING, HEY, WELL, WE WERE THERE. IT’S A THE FACT THAT THE DNC WAS HERE SORT OF FORCES THAT BIPARTISAN VIEW THAT, HEY, THIS IS ABOUT THE COMMUNITY. WE DID IT FOR FOR BOTH ENTITIES. TED KELLNER SAID THE OTHER DAY HE HASN’T BEEN REJECTED YET WHEN PITCHING FOR MONEY. HAVE YOU? I MEAN, I’VE BEEN A COUPLE OF TIMES. I MEAN, I’LL BE HONEST, BUT BUT IT’S NOT BECAUSE OF OF THE MILWAUKEE OR WISCONSIN, BUT IT COULD BE BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE PUTTING MONEY SOMEWHERE ELSE. BUT I ALSO I MEAN, I SPEND EVERY DAY ON THE PHONE RAISING MONEY. REALLY? OH, I MEAN, IT’S THAT BIG OF A DEAL. IT’S CONSTANT. I MEAN, IF I’M DRIVING UP HERE FROM THE AIRPORT, I’M ON THE PHONE WITH SOMEONE OR AN ENTITY TRYING TO TALK TO THEM ABOUT THE CONVENTION. SO, I MEAN, IT’S A IT’S A NONSTOP EFFORT. IT’S WORTH IT BECAUSE IF YOU’RE A POLITICAL PERSON LIKE ME AND YOU HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO STEP OUT OF A POLITICAL ROLE AND SAY, I WANT TO HELP THE COMMUNITY CITY, WISCONSIN IS SPECIAL TO ME. I GREW UP IN KENOSHA AND I’VE DONE A LOT OF THINGS POLITICALLY. ME. BUT THIS IS SOMETHING DIFFERENT. WHEN YOU CAN BRING A CONVENTION TO YOUR BASICALLY YOUR HOMETOWN ON THE ROAD, JUST DOWN THE ROAD AT PFIZER FORM, I MEAN, IS THERE ANY SCENARIO AT THIS POINT TRUMP IS NOT THE NOMINEE ON THAT STAGE? ANYTHING’S POSSIBLE. I MEAN, OBVIOUSLY, HE’S AT, WHAT, 55%? I THINK NIKKI HALEY IS GETTING SOME SOME MOMENTUM. AND WHAT HAPPENS IN IOWA AND NEW HAMPSHIRE, THAT WILL MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE. AND THEY HAVE THEIR OWN SORT OF INSULAR KIND OF RACES GOING ON. HE’S CERTAINLY LIKE THE ODDS ON FAVORITE, BUT BUT I’M NOT THE PERSON TO IN THIS ROLE. I’VE GOT TO BE CAREFUL AND I AM BEING CAREFUL WITH THE TYPES OF THINGS I SAY ABOUT THAT RACE. ARE YOU WATCHING IT CLOSELY? I LIVE IT EVERY SECOND OF THE DAY. THAT’S WHAT I DO. I SAID LIKE A DISEASE. POLITICS IS IS INGRAINED IN ME. IT’S BEEN A PASSION SINCE HIGH SCHOOL. I’M HAPPY FOR A PASSION. I THINK IT’S IMPORTANT TO HAVE SOMETHING THAT YOU’RE PASSIONATE ABOUT. BUT RIGHT NOW I’M FOCUSED ON MILWAUKEE, OZAUKEE, WISCONSIN, AND THIS CONVENTION. THE LAST TIME WE TALKED WAS LITERALLY MOMENTS AFTER THE MILWAUKEE DEBATE. HAS ANYTHING CHANGED DRAMATICALLY FROM THAT FIRST DEBATE TO AS WE’RE STANDING HERE NOW, A FEW PEOPLE HAVE GOTTEN OUT OF THE RACE. THAT’S CHANGED TRUMP’S JUST IS FAR AHEAD TODAY THAT HE WAS AT THAT DEBATE. AS FAR AS THE CONVENTION IS CONCERNED, WE’VE PLODDED ALONG WITH OUR HOTELS, WITH VENUES, WITH TRANSPORTATION. WE GOT TO GET A SECURITY GRANT FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT BECAUSE THERE IS ENORMOUS SECURITY EFFORT HERE. SO THERE HAS BEEN PROGRESS ON BOTH THE CONVENTION AND THE PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE. BUT I WOULD SAY ON BOTH FRONTS, THINGS ARE JUST FURTHER DOWN THE ROAD THAN THEY WERE IN AUGUST. THE NEXT DEBATE IS, IS WEDNESDAY NIGHT. SOME OF THE CANDIDATES, AS YOU KNOW, HAVE GONE KIND OF GONE AFTER THE RNC. THAT’S NOT REALLY AN UNUSUAL WHEN YOU LOOK AT A PRESIDENTIAL RACE. IS RANA THE RIGHT CHAIRWOMAN FOR THIS MOMENT? OF COURSE SHE IS. AND RANA ROCK. RANA DOES ALL THE FUNDAMENTALS THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE. THE RNC, WHAT PEOPLE DON’T REALIZE IS THE RNC SPENDS MONEY ALL THE TIME, MEANING THE RNC IS IN CHARGE OF A LOT OF BORING THINGS, DATA, VOTER TARGETING, FIGURING OUT WHAT MOTIVATES PARTICULAR VOTERS, KNOCKING ON PEOPLE’S DOORS. ALL THAT KIND OF STUFF HAS TO BE DONE YEARS IN ADVANCE SO THEY DON’T JUST SIT ON PILES OF MONEY. SO SOME OF THIS CRITICISM ABOUT MONEY AND SPENDING, THE RNC HAS TO SPEND MONEY ALL THE TIME. SO, YES, NO, ABSOLUTELY. SHE’S WHERE SHE NEEDS TO BE. REINCE PRIEBUS THERE WITH MATT IN MILWAUKEE THIS WEEK. HE’S ALSO PART OF THE POWERHOUSE ROUNDTABLE THIS MORNING ON THIS WEEK RIGHT HERE ON ABC. UP NEXT, 2025, FORMER REPUBLICAN ATTORNEY GENERAL BRAD SCHIMEL IS IN ANNOUNCING HIS BID FOR STATE SUPREME COURT. IS THIS THE NEW HIGH PROFILE NORM IN WISCONSIN? A TOP CAMPAIGN OFFICIAL WHO RAN JANET PRO TO STAY WITH HIS CAMPAIGN IS STANDING B