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Joel Brennan: “We came out of COVID stronger than we had gone in.”

Featuring: Joel Brennan, Democratic | Candidate, Governor of Wisconsin

Who's Joel Brennan? He might be Wisconsin's next governor

Published June 21, 2026 | Video Starts at 21:03

But I think it's clear for us that there were things that we could do better and we could learn from. But I'll tell you what, like, I am absolutely proud of what we did during COVID We came out of COVID stronger than we had gone in. And that was as a result of doing things that there was not a playbook for. You know, I worked alongside the governor, the cabinet. We did lots of stuff. (21:03–21:07)

CLAIM

Asserts that Wisconsin emerged stronger from the COVID-19 pandemic.

This is an excerpt from a raw transcript. The assertions have not been audited or verified. Tap the video to view the source footage and understand the context.

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Joel Brennan

“The legislature didn't meet for something like 300 days during [the COVID-19 pandemic].”
Who's Joel Brennan? He might be Wisconsin's next governor | Uploaded June 21, 2026 | 21:15-21:19
“Wisconsin measured 33rd out of 38 in math and 30 out of 35 in reading [in studies measuring recovery from COVID in the K12 space].”
Who's Joel Brennan? He might be Wisconsin's next governor | Uploaded June 21, 2026 | 21:26-21:40
“A state that's a 50, 50 state that has a 6 to 2, you know, Republican domination and only one seat that's competitive really in most years…”
Who's Joel Brennan? He might be Wisconsin's next governor | Uploaded June 21, 2026 | 27:42-27:59
“Wisconsin's like this, you know, one of only six states that hadn't spent any money, any state money on childcare.”
Who's Joel Brennan? He might be Wisconsin's next governor | Uploaded June 21, 2026 | 35:57-36:04
“Statewide, 25% of daycares are in danger of closing.”
Who's Joel Brennan? He might be Wisconsin's next governor | Uploaded June 21, 2026 | 36:13-36:18
“We lose $40 million at the border to Illinois [due to marijuana legalization].”
Who's Joel Brennan? He might be Wisconsin's next governor | Uploaded June 21, 2026 | 37:19-37:26
“Conservatively we can say that we're losing $100 million or more, you know, somewhere 100 to $150 million every year [due to marijuana…”
Who's Joel Brennan? He might be Wisconsin's next governor | Uploaded June 21, 2026 | 37:28-37:38
“They built submarines there in World War II. It was the only place that was not on the sea that was making submarines at that time.”
Who's Joel Brennan? He might be Wisconsin's next governor | Uploaded June 21, 2026 | 49:02-49:13
“I kind of was responsible for helping run the executive branch and that's kind of what the governor does.”
Who's Joel Brennan? He might be Wisconsin's next governor | Uploaded June 21, 2026 | 01:36-01:43
“It's human resources for 35,000 people doing the state budget procurement, IT, the executive residents working with local governments.”
Who's Joel Brennan? He might be Wisconsin's next governor | Uploaded June 21, 2026 | 01:43-01:53
“Doing things like negotiating the compacts with the Native American tribes around Indian gaming.”
Who's Joel Brennan? He might be Wisconsin's next governor | Uploaded June 21, 2026 | 01:52-02:00
“For 20 years, I've had nothing but executive experience running complex organizations.”
Who's Joel Brennan? He might be Wisconsin's next governor | Uploaded June 21, 2026 | 03:22-03:28
“I did that especially in state government during the time of COVID.”
Who's Joel Brennan? He might be Wisconsin's next governor | Uploaded June 21, 2026 | 03:33-03:38
“I took an unpaid leave to do this job.”
Who's Joel Brennan? He might be Wisconsin's next governor | Uploaded June 21, 2026 | 04:47-04:50
“I started spending money on my own television advertisement a week ago.”
Who's Joel Brennan? He might be Wisconsin's next governor | Uploaded June 21, 2026 | 04:59-05:04
“Governor Evers decided not to run again. I thought he had a clear path to winning.”
Who's Joel Brennan? He might be Wisconsin's next governor | Uploaded June 21, 2026 | 09:19-09:24
“He's the most popular in the Democrat, you know, running statewide.”
Who's Joel Brennan? He might be Wisconsin's next governor | Uploaded June 21, 2026 | 09:24-09:29
“I was the head of the Greater Milwaukee Committee.”
Who's Joel Brennan? He might be Wisconsin's next governor | Uploaded June 21, 2026 | 09:56-09:59
“The most important experience I ever had in government was during COVID when there were family farms, when there were small businesses…”
Who's Joel Brennan? He might be Wisconsin's next governor | Uploaded June 21, 2026 | 12:39-12:54
“For 11 years. I was the CEO at the largest science and technology museum in Wisconsin.”
Who's Joel Brennan? He might be Wisconsin's next governor | Uploaded June 21, 2026 | 13:55-14:01
“I ran a department that had 1500 people in it. I made policy for 35,000.”
Who's Joel Brennan? He might be Wisconsin's next governor | Uploaded June 21, 2026 | 15:14-15:20
“The Milwaukee to Chicago line is one of the most popular for Amtrak.”
Who's Joel Brennan? He might be Wisconsin's next governor | Uploaded June 21, 2026 | 17:29-17:34
“The biggest single gift that Tony Evers is leaving to the state of Wisconsin is a legislature that looks like the state.”
Who's Joel Brennan? He might be Wisconsin's next governor | Uploaded June 21, 2026 | 18:09-18:18
“I expect we're going to have a Democratic majority in the Senate.”
Who's Joel Brennan? He might be Wisconsin's next governor | Uploaded June 21, 2026 | 18:38-18:42
“You would probably find a half dozen or 10 or 15 Republican legislators whose cell phones I have and who have mine.”
Who's Joel Brennan? He might be Wisconsin's next governor | Uploaded June 21, 2026 | 19:05-19:15
“We've lived with gerrymandered maps over the last 16 years.”
Who's Joel Brennan? He might be Wisconsin's next governor | Uploaded June 21, 2026 | 23:07-23:11
“We better be prepared to stand up and ensure that early voting is still a possibility.”
Who's Joel Brennan? He might be Wisconsin's next governor | Uploaded June 21, 2026 | 24:02-24:08
“I would do what Governor Evers did in 2020, which is call up members of the National Guard and ensure that they are there on Election Day.”
Who's Joel Brennan? He might be Wisconsin's next governor | Uploaded June 21, 2026 | 24:31-24:40
“We should, after the census, ultimately, we need to get to the Iowa model [for redistricting].”
Who's Joel Brennan? He might be Wisconsin's next governor | Uploaded June 21, 2026 | 25:53-25:59
“If we have fair maps, we have everybody able to participate. We have, you know, more people participating. Guess what? Democrats win.”
Who's Joel Brennan? He might be Wisconsin's next governor | Uploaded June 21, 2026 | 26:39-26:48
“Democrats are bound to be more successful than the maps that have been built in order to protect a Republican majority here.”
Who's Joel Brennan? He might be Wisconsin's next governor | Uploaded June 21, 2026 | 28:15-28:23
“I will ensure that the governor has strong rights to a line item veto.”
Who's Joel Brennan? He might be Wisconsin's next governor | Uploaded June 21, 2026 | 29:09-29:14
“The power has been checked and restrained, as you know, over the course of the last 30 years.”
Who's Joel Brennan? He might be Wisconsin's next governor | Uploaded June 21, 2026 | 30:12-30:18
“Legislative Fiscal Bureau had said that, you know, you do all this stuff and, you know, it's likely you start the next biennium with a $3…”
Who's Joel Brennan? He might be Wisconsin's next governor | Uploaded June 21, 2026 | 32:21-32:30
“This is a surplus that they say will exist next June 30, one year and two months from now.”
Who's Joel Brennan? He might be Wisconsin's next governor | Uploaded June 21, 2026 | 32:36-32:44
“Those 300 or $600 checks they don't go to people who are living on a fixed income.”
Who's Joel Brennan? He might be Wisconsin's next governor | Uploaded June 21, 2026 | 33:24-33:30
“We have lived for 16 years under the damage that Scott Walker did starting in 2010.”
Who's Joel Brennan? He might be Wisconsin's next governor | Uploaded June 21, 2026 | 34:30-34:35
“We spent $110 million of state money on early childhood [in the last year].”
Who's Joel Brennan? He might be Wisconsin's next governor | Uploaded June 21, 2026 | 35:34-35:49
“We did the same thing and got $200 million more savings in the second year of the biennium.”
Who's Joel Brennan? He might be Wisconsin's next governor | Uploaded June 21, 2026 | 39:14-39:20
“I think you would see that in the report that came out on December 31st. I think he had already given the max and my sister had given the…”
Who's Joel Brennan? He might be Wisconsin's next governor | Uploaded June 21, 2026 | 42:55-43:04
“I'm a fifth generation Wisconsinite.”
Who's Joel Brennan? He might be Wisconsin's next governor | Uploaded June 21, 2026 | 44:40-44:43
“My father was born to a single mother in 1927 in Manitowoc.”
Who's Joel Brennan? He might be Wisconsin's next governor | Uploaded June 21, 2026 | 44:46-44:51
“There are nine of us left, so we've lost two over the years. But every one of us is a Democrat.”
Who's Joel Brennan? He might be Wisconsin's next governor | Uploaded June 21, 2026 | 47:22-47:30
“I have a sister who runs a federally qualified health center in Massachusetts.”
Who's Joel Brennan? He might be Wisconsin's next governor | Uploaded June 21, 2026 | 47:48-47:54
“I have a sister in New York City who works in law enforcement. She's the chief special narcotics prosecutor for all of the five boroughs of…”
Who's Joel Brennan? He might be Wisconsin's next governor | Uploaded June 21, 2026 | 47:56-48:05
“These are communities that's probably been there for 75 years or maybe 100.”
Who's Joel Brennan? He might be Wisconsin's next governor | Uploaded June 21, 2026 | 49:42-49:47