FOR YOUR EXPERTISE.

>> THANK YOU.

>> AND THEN THERE WERE TWO CANDIDATES LEFT TO GO UP AGAINST DONALD TRUMP IN THE REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY, AS NIKKI HALEY AND RON DeSANTIS DEBATED THIS WEEK AND TRUMP HELD HIS OWN TOWN HALL.

FOR SOME 2024 ELECTION SEASON PREDICTIONS, WE TURN TO OUR POLITICAL PANEL, REPUBLICAN BILL McCOSHEN AND DEMOCRAT SCOTT ROSS.

THANK YOU FOR BEING WI TH US, BOTH.

>> GREAT TO BE HERE.

>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING US.

>> BILL, I'M GOING TO START WITH YOU AND ASK ABOUT DONALD TRUMP.

HE CONTINUES TO DOMINATE.

WHAT IS THAT ALLURE ON THE PART OF DONALD TRUMP EVEN AS HE FACES SO MANY CRIMINAL CHARGES?

>> HONESTLY, I THINK THE CRIMINAL CHARGES HAVE HELPED HIM WITH HIS OWN BASE OVER THE COURSE OF 2023, HE GOT STRONGER, NOT WEAKER.

12 MONTHS AGO, RON DeSANTIS WAS WITHIN STRIKING DISTANCE OF THEM AND TODAY, TRUMP IS UP BY 20 OR 30 POINTS, DEPENDING ON THE POLL YOU'RE LOOKING AT.

SO WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR ON MONDAY NIGHT, FRED, IS EXPECTATION.

SO TRUMP IS UP O N THE DES MOINES REGISTER POLL BY OVER 20 POINTS.

HE RELEASED HIS OWN POLL THIS WEEK THAT HAS HIM UP BY 30.

I'M NOT SURE I WOULD HAVE DONE THAT IF I WERE HIM BECAUSE IF HE COMES IN LESS THAN THAT, HE DOESN'T MEET EXPECTATIONS.

DESCENDADeSANTIS HAS TO WIN IOWO EXCEED EXPECTATIONS.

COMING IN A CLOSE SECOND IS OKAY, BUT IT'S TOUGH TO FIGURE OUT THE CHESS BOARD FOR HIM WHAT HIS NEXT MOVE IS AFTER THAT.

FOR HAYLEY TO GET MOMENTUM, IF SHE BEATS DeSANTIS AND TAKES SECOND, SHE MIGHT POTENTIALLY WIN NEW HAMPSHIRE.

>> SCOTT, WHAT DO YOU THINK DONALD TRUMP'S ALLURE IS?

>> HE IS UNSTOPPABLE WITHIN THE REPUBLICANS.

HE'S UP 50% OVER ALL THE CHALLENGERS AND SO WHAT I THINK IS IT IS HE IS HOLDING THE PARTY HOSTAGE.

THEY HAVE READILY AC CEPTED THAT.

STOCKHOLM SYNDROME.

THAT CAN WIN HIM A PRIMARY, BUT IT AIN'T GOING TO WIN HIM IN NOVEMBER BECAUSE DEMOCRATS AND INDEPENDENTS HAVE REJECTED HIM TIME AND TIME AGAIN, PARTICULARLY IN THE BATTLEGROUND STATE OF WISCONSIN.

>> DO YOU THINK, BILL, THAT DONALD TRUMP WILL CARRY WISCONSIN IN THE PRIMARY?

>> IT'S HARD TO SAY.

HE DIDN'T WIN THE PRIMARY HERE IN' 16.

TED CRUZ DID.

HE WON THE GENERAL BUT LOST HERE IN 20.

I DON'T KNOW THAT HE'S DONE ENOUGH IN THE SUBURBAN AREAS TO BRING SUBURBAN WOMEN BACK TO HIS COALITION.

THERE'S WOK TO BE DONE.

PART OF THAT MIGHT BE WHO HE PICKS AS HIS RUNNING MATE IF HE'S STILL THE NOMINEE.

IF IT'S STILL A COMPETITIVE RACE WHEN HE GETS TO WISCONSIN, MY MONEY WOULD BE ON HIS OPPONENT.

>> SCOTT, DO YOU FEEL THAT YOUNGER DEMS ARE DISENCHANTED WITH JOE BIDEN?

>> ABSOLUTELY NOT.

THEY KNOW WHAT HAS HAPPENED WITH TRUMP BEING IN CHARGE OF THE GOVERNMENT.

ABORTION RIGHTS ARE GONE.

THERE'S AN ATTACK OVER AND OVER AGAIN ON LGBTQ PEOPLE.

PRESIDENT BIDEN IS THE ONLY PRESIDENT WHO HAS TRIED TO REALLY DO SOMETHING ABOUT STUDENT LOAN DEBT.

THEY ALSO APPRECIATE THE FACT THAT THEY HAVE ACCESS TO HEALTHCARE AS A RESULT OF JOE BIDEN.

SO, NO, I DON'T THINK THERE'S ANY SORT OF -- I DON'T THINK -- THE ALTERNATIVE IS SO FAR WORSE AND I THINK THAT STUDENTS ARE SMART ENOUGH TO KNOW THAT AND I THINK IN PARTICULAR WE'RE GOING TO SEE THAT IN THE THIRD C.D.

WHERE THEY'VE GOT SIX CAMPUSES, A BUNCH OF TWO-YEAR CAMPUSES.

I THINK THAT'S GOING TO BE THE THING THAT TAKES NOT ONLY DERRICK VAN ORDEN DOWN, BUT ALSO DONALD TRUMP.

>> WHY DO YOU THINK, BILL, YOUNG VOTERS STAND BETWEEN DONALD TRUMP AND JOE BIDEN?

>> I THINK THE WAR IN ISRAEL IS DIVIDING THEM.

RIGHT?

YOU'VE GOT LAODICEA A LOT OF PRO-PALESTINIAN VOTERS WHO WOULD SHOWING UP AT TAMMY BALDWIN EVENTS, SHOWING UP AT OTHER EVENTS AND SHOWING UP AT JOE BIDEN EVENTS.

THAT'S GOING TO BE PROBLEMATIC FOR HIM.

I'M NOT SURE THERE WILL BE AS MUCH ENERGY WITH YOUNG VOTERS IN NOVEMBER OF THIS YEAR AS THERE HAS BEEN IN AT LEAST LAST NOVEMBER'S ELECTION.

WE'LL SEE, BUT THEY'RE DISENFRANCHISED WITH WHERE THIS ADMINISTRATION IS HEADING, WHICH COULD BE GOOD NEWS FOR REPUBLICANS IF WE HAVE THE RIGHT MESSAGE TO ATTRACT THEM.

>> SCOTT, IS DEMOCRATIC SENATOR TAMMY BALDWIN UNBEATABLE?

>> WOW.

WELL, SHE HAS BEEN SO FAR, THAT'S FOR SURE, AND THERE ISN'T A REAL CHALLENGER TO HER YET.

IT'S BECAUSE OF HER RECORD.

IT'S HER RECORD OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS, BIPARTISAN AGREEMENTS ON THINGS LIKE, YOU KNOW, MANUFACTURING, BUY IN AMERICA.

SHE IS A LEADER ON R EPRODUCTIVE FREEDOMS, WHICH IS GOING TO BE HUGE FOR HER IN A SENATE RACE, ESPECIALLY WHEN SHE'S PAIRED AGAINST POSSIBLY THE MOST ANTICHOICE CANDIDATE THAT WE'LL EVER SEE IF WE GOT HOVDE OR CLARK.

REPUBLICANS ARE IN DISARRAY BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE ANYBODY TO GO UP AGAINST A SITTING SENATOR.

>> DO YOU THINK THAT TAMMY BALDWIN IS FORMIDABLE, BILL?

>> NO QUESTION HE'S FORMIDABLE.

SHE'S TOUGH.

ANYONE WHO THINKS OTHERWISE ON OUR SIDE ISN'T LOOKING AT HER ELECTORAL HISTORY.

SHE WORKS HARD, SHE DOES PHENOMENAL ON CONSTITUENT SERVICES.

I THINK HE HAS TWO VULNERABILITIES.

NUMBER ONE IS JOE BIDEN AT THE TOP OF THE TICKET.

IS SHE RUN AHEAD OF JOE BIDEN IF SHE NEEDS TO?

MAYBE.

RON JOHNSON RAN UP AHEAD OF TRUMP IN 2016, BUT IT'S RARE FOR A U.S. SENATE CANDIDATE TO RUN AHEAD OF TOP THEIR TICKET.

SHE MAY NEED TO DO THAT IN ORDER TO WIN.

SECONDLY, I THINK THE BORDER IS A REAL ISSUE FOR DEMOCRATS AT LARGE.

IF THEY DON'T SOLVE TH AT BETWEEN NOW AND OCTOBER, FOR EXAMPLE, I THINK THAT'S GOING TO BE A STRONG VULNERABILITY FOR HER.

>> WHAT ABOUT THAT ISSUE OF IMMIGRATION?

>> I THINK THAT IT IS A RED HERRING THAT'S DESIGNED TO DIVIDE PEOPLE, WHITE PEOPLE AGAINST PEOPLE OF COLOR.

IT'S SOMETHING THE REPUBLICANS HAVE DONE FOR DECADES AND DECADES.

WHILE I DO AGREE WITH WHAT BILL SAID, SENATOR BALDWIN HAS BEEN AT THE TOP OF THE TICKET BEFORE, SHE WON BY 11 POINTS IN 2018 AND GOVERNOR EVERS HAD WON BY JUST ONE POINT, SO I THINK SHE HAS AN ENTIRE POSSIBILITY OF BEING THE LEAD OF THE TICKET.

THE PROBLEM IS THAT -- THE THING WE HAVE TO DO IS REMEMBER WHAT HAPPENED IN 2016.

HILLARY CLINTON'S CAMPAIGN GAVE UP IN WISCONSIN, THEY GAVE UP ON MICHIGAN, THEY DID A HALF-HEARTED JOB IN PENNSYLVANIA.

THAT AIN'T EVE R GOING TO HAPPEN AGAIN.

DEMOCRATS ARE GOING TO HAVE THE RESOURCES AND I THINK IT WILL BE A GOOD DEMOCRATIC VICTORY IN NOVEMBER.

>> SO I WANT TO -- >> WELL, THE THING TO REMEMBER IS ONLY ONE INCUMBENT IN AMERICA BOSSE IN 2020, THE GOVERNOR OF NEVADA.

LEADING A STATEWIDE INCUMBENT -- BEATING THEM IS VERY DIFFICULT, REGARDLESS OF PARTY.

>> I WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE RECALL EFFORT AGAINST ROBIN VOS LAUNCHED THIS WEEK FOR HIS OPPOSITION OF DONALD TRUMP AND FAILING TO IMPEACH MEAGAN WOLFE.

WHAT DOES THIS SAY ABOUT THE SCHISM IN THE REPUBLICAN PARTY IN THIS STATE?

>> I THINK IT'S A SMALL FACTION IN THE 63rd ACCEPTABLE ASSEMBLYS DISTRICT WHO DISLIKED THE SPEAKER FOR ONE REASON OR ANOTHER.

IT'S DESTRUCTIVE.

ANYONE WHO IS WATCHING THIS PROGRAM WHO LIVES IN THAT DISTRICT SHOULD NOT SIGN THOSE RECALL PAPERS.

REPUBLICANS SHOULDN'T BE FIGHTING REPUBLICANS.

THEY SHOULD HAVE THEIR AIM FOCUSED AT DEMOCRATS.

THEY'RE GOING TO BE RUNNING ON NEW MAPS THIS FALL.

THERE'S A PRESIDENTIAL RACE.

IT WILL BE COMPETITIVE CONGRESSIONAL RACE.

WE DON'T NEED TO BE WASTING RESOURCES FIGHTING OUR OWN TEAM BEFORE THEN.

>> SCOTT, 30 SECONDS LEFT.

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE VOS RECALL EFFORT?

>> I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT THE REPUBLICAN PARTY WOULD REJECT A THRICE MARRIED REAL ESTATE GUY WHO IS IN COURT ALL THE TIME.

SO IT'S SHOCKING TO ME.

IT'S TERRIBLE FOR DEMOCRACY.

VOS HASN'T DONE ANYTHING THAT'S RECALLABLE AND THE CHALLENGE WILL BE SWATTED AWAY LIKE BILL SAYS.

BUT, AGAIN, DIVISION ON THE REPUBLICAN SIDE.

>> ALL RIGHT.

WE LEAVE IT THERE.

THANKS VERY MUCH, BILL