Middleton, Wisconsin (AP) – Wisconsin Republicans voted Saturday not to support anyone for governor ahead of the Republican primary in August, with former Lt. Gov. Rebecca Cliffish missing the 60 percent needed to get approval – and money – that comes with winning the party’s official support.
This was the first time delegates did not approve a gubernatorial candidate. Many activists and one of Cliffish’s rivals have said they disapprove of anyone, saying it would break up the party.
Republican support is in high demand because it unlocks funding from the state, which can then spend as much as it wants on the winner. Now the best candidates will fight without any official support from the party.
Kleefisch received 55%, while “without approval” received 43% in the final vote. All other candidates were in single figures.
The winner of the primary election on August 9th will face Democratic Gov. Tony Evers in a race that is a top priority for both parties at the national level. In addition to Kleefisch, which according to research is a leader in the field, other candidates are co-owner of the construction business Tim Michels; business consultant and former Marine Kevin Nicholson; and U.S. Representative Timothy Ramtun.
After the vote, Cliffish declared victory, saying he felt “great” with the support of the majority, even though it lacked the approval.
Cliffish, the only woman to run for governor, served eight years under former Governor Scott Walker between 2011 and 2019.
She described herself at the annual convention outside Madison as a “tea party mother” and highlighted her victory in the 2011 recall election and her opposition to abortion.
“I’m not a biologist now.” Said Cliffish. “But I’m a woman and I won’t let a man like Tony Evers tell me how I should feel about Rowe. I will win this because I can speak with a mother’s heart. “
She portrayed herself as a fighter against vaccine mandates in support of school choice and the only candidate “tested against the liberal mob”, targeting protesters who demonstrated against Walker’s termination of collective bargaining for most public workers.
Michels, the last candidate to run, rejected attacks on him for living part-time outside the country for years, calling them “garbage” and “political slander.”
“I’m in it to win, but I’m not here to overthrow this convention or any other candidate for governor,” Michels said. He did not ask for direct approval, saying he wanted the votes of those present in August and November.
Nicholson, a former Marine, advocated a lack of approval, but he kept his name in mind.
“I want the Republicans to win, and we can’t do that if our party falls apart,” he said. “Approval does not put us in a position today.”
Delegates approved a change to the rule earlier Saturday that allowed the “no approval” option.
Assembly Speaker Robin Voss, who supports Kleefisch, downplayed the importance of winning the approval, likening it to a straw poll and saying it was just an indicator of the candidate’s strength.
Evers has vetoed more than any governor in Wisconsin history to block the Republican-controlled legislature’s agenda. A Republican governor will give the Republican Party the power to pass any laws it wishes.
The Republican Party has been approving candidates since 2009, including the last three gubernatorial contests. Winning that support was crucial to US Senator Ron Johnson’s victory in his first race in 2010. Johnson, who is due to be re-elected this year, is not focusing on Democrats fighting him, but instead Defend your record and attack the media.
“I can’t even breathe without having my exhalation taken and distorted and distorted,” Johnson told the media. “My race is literally for truth against lies and distortion.”
The divisions in the Republican Party are distracting; Some Republicans have called for the removal of Voss because he does not vigorously pursue former President Donald Trump’s false allegations of electoral fraud and has refused to deny President Joe Biden’s victory.
“We don’t have the opportunity to de-certify the election and go back,” Voss said, eliciting loud booing from many in the crowd. “We need to focus on moving forward.”
All Republican candidates for governor have questioned the legitimacy of Biden’s victory in Wisconsin, although the result has withstood recounts, lawsuits, audits by the non-partisan Bureau of Legislative Audit and a review by the conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law and Freedom.
Ramtun, whose campaign for governor focuses on desertifying Biden’s victory in 2020, told congressmen that he would personally conduct a “forensic audit” in both primary and general elections.
“The integrity of the election is the number one issue in the state,” he said with a bang.
Trump did not support anyone in the primary for governor, but all the major candidates except Nicholson met with him to try to get his blessing.
In addition to running for governor, Republicans will vote in favor of running statewide for vice governor, attorney general, secretary of state and treasurer. The State Congress of the Democratic Party will be held on June 25 in La Crosse. Democrats disapprove.
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