Burke said that, looking across the country, there was a Republican wave that many people didn’t expect. But she added that the attacks against her in the final weeks of the campaign likely didn’t help her.

Burke also said she doesn’t regret spending $5 million of her own money on the race, adding it was what was needed to be competitive.

When asked if she expected to get any of her money back, she joked about how popular she is in Madison these days.

“People are buying me drinks every time I go out, but it’s going to take a lot of free drinks to get up to $5 million,” Burke joked. “It’s good going out with me in Madison. You basically can count on a round of drinks wherever I go. Not that I’m spending all my time drinking.”

Burke added that she doesn’t consider herself to be a political person.

“I really like policy, but I’m not an overly political person,” she said.

As for the School Board run, she said she’s “strongly leaning” toward running for re-election in April.