Marotta Says Big Win No Surprise

Doyle campaign chairman Marc Marotta says he wasn't surprised by the margin of victory.

"Our numbers all along had the governor at a comfortable margin," Marotta said. "And I think people, when they look back at where we were and where we are today, think Wisconsin is in a better place today than we were four years ago."

Marotta said the difference for Doyle was that he focused on issues that make a difference in voters' lives, citing concealed carry and the gay marriage amendment.

"These kinds of things really have no impact on people's lives or future. Education, jobs, health care, the environment, those are the kinds of things people are concerned about, and those are the things Jim focused on for four years, and that's why he won by such a big margin," Marotta said.

One major issue victory for Doyle was stem cell research, Marotta said. The issue was "reflective of one guy in the campaign looking forward and the other guy kind of stuck in a very special interest sort of cage ... required by his party to oppose stem cell research, which would take the state back a significant ways.

"People, I think, once they understood this, it became a much bigger issue in the race than I ever expected it to be," Marotta said.

Marotta said he's not looking to run for political office himself in '08.

"In today's atmosphere my wife said to me, 'When everybody asks you that, you should tell them to talk to your second wife,'" Marotta said. "So I don't think so."

Listen to the WisPolitics interview with Marotta here.

-- By Greg Bump