Wisconsin

Tony Evers’ ‘jazzed as hell’ DNC roll call speech leads to awkward stumbles

Published

3 months ago

August 21, 2024

Tony Evers’ ‘jazzed as hell’ DNC roll call speech leads to awkward stumbles

CHICAGO — Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers on Tuesday declared himself to be “jazzed as hell” that 94 of the state’s 95 delegates had thrown their support to Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic Party’s nominee — perhaps so jazzed that he stumbled awkwardly through his ceremonial roll call speech during the second night of the party’s national convention.

Surrounded by Wisconsin Democrats sporting cheeseheads as “Jump Around” played in the background, Evers ran through the highlights of the state’s athletic teams and thanked Wisconsinite Jason Rae, secretary of the Democratic National Committee, who called the roll at the convention for the second time in that post.

“As the proud governor of the great state of Wisconsin, we’re home of the Green Bay Packers. We’re home of the Wisconsin Badgers. We’re home of the Milwaukee Brewers and the Milwaukee Bucks as well as U.S. senator— our best U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, and our great congressional folks Gwen Moore and Mark Pocan,” Evers said.

“I’m here because I’m jazzed as hell to announce that Wisconsin has one vote ‘present’ and 94 votes for —” the second-term Democrat said before pausing and laughing after seeming to lose his place in his remarks.

The “jazzed as hell” line was a reprisal from his 2022 victory speech, having secured a second term after fending off a challenge from Republican businessman Tim Michels.

“You got me going here,” he said. “Former Wisconsinite, former state — oh my God,” he said.

More: Tony Evers’ adventurous roll-call moment at DNC got social media buzzing

Democratic Party of Wisconsin chairman Ben Wikler, standing alongside him, cheered, “We love you, Tony!”

“Ninety-four votes for—” Evers continued, looking down at prepared remarks as Wisconsin delegates chanted his name, “I’ll get there, Jason, I’ll get there.”

“Ninety-four votes for former Wisconsinite, Vice President, and our next president of the United States of America, Kamala Harris,” he said.

From the ages of 3 to 5, Harris lived on the west side of Madison, before leaving in 1970. Harris visited her childhood home when she campaigned in Madison in March. Both of her parents worked at the University of Wisconsin-Madison during her childhood.

Asked about the roll call flub, Evers spokesperson Britt Cudaback said, “Tony Evers isn’t a slick or polished politician — and that’s what Wisconsinites love about him.”

“He’s a former teacher from Plymouth who’s got the good grace and humility to laugh if he misspeaks and still be jazzed as hell,” Cudaback said in a statement.

Evers isn’t the first prominent Wisconsinite to slip up during a DNC roll call. During the 2020 convention, held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic, former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes represented Wisconsin and cast 67 Wisconsin votes for “Joseph Bidens.” He quickly corrected the glitch by saying “Joseph R. Biden” before the broadcast cut away.

The governor’s roll call speech came on the same night Harris rallied more than 15,000 supporters at Fiserv Forum, breaking away from the DNC to speak to a raucous crowd in the packed Milwaukee arena that hosted the Republican convention last month.

That event was the biggest rally the campaign has had in Wisconsin to date, and among its largest nationally.

Jessie Opoien can be reached at jessie.opoien@jrn.com.

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Wisconsin

Obituary for Joseph "Joey" Van Dinter at Picha Funeral Home

Published

2 hours ago

November 7, 2024

Press Room

Obituary for Joseph "Joey" Van Dinter at Picha Funeral Home

Courage is defined as strength in the face of pain or grief. After bravely fighting cancer for over two and a half years, Joseph John Van Dinter Joey, age 60, of Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin, passed away surrounded by his loving family on Monday, November 4, 2024. A Mass of Christian

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Wisconsin

Gov. Evers Proclaims Wisconsin Saves Day

Published

10 hours ago

November 7, 2024

Press Room

Gov. Evers Proclaims Wisconsin Saves Day

MADISON, Wis. (WISCONSIN DEPARTMENT OF FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS PRESS RELEASE) – The Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions (DFI) today announced Gov. Tony Evers proclaimed November 7, 2024, as Wisconsin Saves Day in Wisconsin. The proclamation is part of a statewide effort promoting automatic saving through the workplace with the Wisconsin Saves program to improve financial well-being. The Wisconsin Saves program is an employee-focused savings initiative, which started as a pilot program in 2020. The program provides Wisconsin employers with resources to encourage their employees to save for emergencies and the future with their paychecks by using the automated saving strategy of split deposit.

“By working with our Wisconsin employers to help workers save automatically through their paychecks, the Wisconsin Saves program helps folks build toward a more secure financial future while preparing for unexpected or emergency expenses,” said Gov. Evers. “I encourage Wisconsin employers to get involved in the Wisconsin Saves program by signing up today so we can work together to build a stronger, more resilient Wisconsin for everyone.”

Participating employers receive free resources and a digital toolkit to educate their employees on the importance of building emergency savings, as well as the ease and benefits of saving automatically through split deposit. The research-based program uses the principles of behavioral economics and social marketing to change behavior. More than 100 employers in Wisconsin, representing approximately 15,000 employees, are already signed up for the Wisconsin Saves program and are actively using the program’s resources to educate their employees about split deposit and encourage the use of the automated savings strategy today.

“Wisconsin Saves is a timely program aimed at helping Wisconsin employers recruit and retain the best talent particularly during this ultra-competitive job market,” said DFI Secretary Cheryll Olson-Collins. “Employers can distinguish themselves from other businesses by offering this easy-to-use financial wellness benefit that helps their employees save in the easiest and most effective manner by saving automatically through split deposit. Through this program, we are helping Wisconsinites save money, reduce debt, and build wealth through automating their savings.”

Employers can sign up for the Wisconsin Saves program on the Wisconsin Saves website, or on the DFI’s Wisconsin Saves webpage, to receive a suite of resources to help them promote split deposit as a way they support their employees in reaching their personal savings goals. All Wisconsin employers are eligible. For more information on the Wisconsin Saves program, contact DFI Office of Financial Literacy Director David Mancl at David.Mancl@dfi.wisconsin.gov.

PRESS RELEASE: DFI News Release

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