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.

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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.