MILWAUKEE — The TV advertisements, text messages, phone calls and knocks at the door will soon be over.
On the eve of Election Day, incumbent Democrat Tony Evers and Republican Tim Michels wrapped up their campaigns by asking voters not just for their support but to show up at the polls.
The closing arguments from each candidate for governor were not vastly different from what they have told voters on the trail over the last several weeks.
That is not a surprise considering poll after poll shows the same thing: Wisconsin's race for governor is going to be tight.
Both candidates have traveled the state widely over the last week, all the while knowing there is only one poll that matters: the one that happens on Election Day.
Evers, who celebrated his birthday over the weekend, spent a lot of his time with canvassers.
“We are going to win it by a small margin, but we are going to win it, so thank you so much,” Evers said during a lunch for canvassers on Sunday in Madison.
During the event, the governor was joined by U.S. Dept. of the Interior Secretary Deb Haaland. As expected, Evers touted his stances on the environment, as well as three of his top priorities: abortion, education and voter rights.
“I feel great. We have been all across the state,” Evers told reporters afterward. “We had a 10-day tour all across the state. Lots of big crowds, lots of energetic crowds, so I think we are going to win. I know we are going to win.”
Evers was scheduled to join his running mate, Sara Rodriguez, for another event with canvassers in Milwaukee on Monday, followed by a Get Out the Vote (GOTV) rally with members of the Teamsters on the Capitol steps in the evening.
Meanwhile, Michels also feels as though victory is on the horizon, but for different reasons than his opponent.
“We should all have reason to be optimistic and upbeat,” Michels told a crowd of supporters Monday in De Pere. “The polling looks really good. We got our last polling numbers Friday morning, the strongest numbers yet.”
Similar to Evers, Michels also laid out his top three priorities while making a final pitch to voters who he said are ready for change.
“They are frustrated about inflation being up,” Michels told reporters. “They are frustrated about crime being up. They are frustrated about education test scores being down and their 401K values being down. I'm going to provide bold leadership that is going to make life better.”
Michels had more stops on his schedule Monday than Evers did, with plans to visit bars, restaurants and supper clubs in Weston, Eau Claire, La Crosse and Kenosha.
It is also worth noting how much money has been put into Wisconsin's race for governor. Between Evers, Michels and special interest groups, the total is nearly $115 million, according to the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign.
The group, which tracks spending, reported the figure, which did not account for spending in the final days of campaign season, broke a previous recording of $93 million set in 2018.