Even though Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker appears to be entertaining a potential run for the presidency, he's still got to go through Wisconsin's Democrats one more time.
Joining MSNBC host Rachel Maddow on Wednesday night was Democrat and longtime businesswoman Mary Burke, whose team just hired top talent from President Barack Obama's campaign staff to help her take Walker down next November.
Though not the party's nominee just yet, Burke is the only officially-announced candidate, and thereby the de facto favorite to challenge Walker next November. Senator Kathleen Vinehout says she's seriously considering a run for governor as well, but has not yet announced her intentions.
Asked why she thinks she can beat Walker even though Democrats failed to do just that with the high-energy recall election, Burke explained that it's simply a matter of "who we are in Wisconsin."
"We're people who like to get along with each other, and we like to work together to move this state forward," she said. "As you mentioned, this was incredibly divisive, and I think people really want leadership that brings people together. And I've heard that as I've traveled the state. I think that actually will be a big campaign issue -- the type of leadership. Is it the leadership that brings people together, or is it the divisive leadership that we have seen over the last three years?"
She added that, in the end, her campaign will succeed if the people of Wisconsin believe she's "focused on the issues that are most important to them."
"I have a track record of 30 years in terms of addressing issues," Burke said. "In the private sector, I worked for Trek Bicycle. In the division that I ran there, we increased sales from $3 million to over $50 million in just a few short years. Then at the Department of Commerce, we had a 4.8 percent unemployment rate and 84,000 more jobs than we had today. Then I got into education and said, 'How are we going to close the achievement gap?' And I created a partnership that brought together the Boy's and Girl's Club and the Madison public schools so that high school students who would be the first in their family to graduate from college were on that path and able to realize their dreams. I think that's what the Wisconsin voters are going to care about."
This video is from MSNBC, aired Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2013.