Posted on 07/08/2022 10:16:02 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
MADISON - Former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson endorsed construction company co-owner Tim Michels for governor on Friday, after Thompson decided against a run earlier this year.
Michels also won the backing of former President Donald Trump last month. Polls show Michels is in a tight primary race with former Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch.
Thompson, elected four times as Wisconsin governor, said in April when he opted against running for governor that he would consider endorsing in the primary because he wants a Republican to win. He said Friday he believes that Michels is the best candidate.
Thompson, in a statement said he has known the Michels family for decades and he believes Michels has the experience to “solve tough problems.” The Michels family founded and operates Michels Corp., a Wisconsin-based construction company.
″ Tim Michels knows how to lead large organizations and how-to get-tough jobs done, and that’s what Wisconsin needs,” Thompson said.
Michels said in a statement that he was “happy the governor who reformed welfare and developed the first school choice program in America is now on our team.”
Minutes after Michels revealed the Thompson endorsement, Kleefisch announced that she was being backed by 50 Republican members of the state Legislature. Republicans hold a strong majority in the Senate and Assembly, but have been stymied by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers and his veto.
A Republican governor would be able to enact a broad conservative agenda with the help of the GOP Legislature. Evers has made his ability to block the Republican agenda a cornerstone of his reelection campaign.
In addition to Michels and Kleefisch, state Rep. Timothy Ramthun is also running. A fourth candidate, Kevin Nicholson, dropped out this week and said he would not endorse anyone.
The winner of the Aug. 9 primary will take on Evers.
(Excerpt) Read more at channel3000.com ...
I was a Democrat when he was in office, but I thought both he and John Engler in Michigan were terrific governors and I believe they helped to start the economic revival in the upper Midwest in the early nineties.
I like Michels a bit more than Klefeesch, but is a Thompson endorsement any help? Tommy has gone pretty squish in his old age.
Thompson should have run for the senate after a couple of terms. Winnable but not good enough for him. Instead he had to run for POTUS in a vanity run. Conservative in the beginning he evolved into a rino. He coda beat Feingold(or something like that). I have no use for him or his opinions.
So, he went with the Trump endorsement. Good.
How many elections did Tommy lose? Four? His endorsement is worthless
It’s just Tommy being Tommy. He still needs to be in the news once a week or so. ;)
I liked him as Governor, (for 16 years; won 4 terms) he did a lot for our state as far as school choice and welfare reform. President Clinton patterned his own reforms after Tommy’s.
I’m really torn. I think Rebecca would do a great job; she knows everyone in our House and Assembly (Senate) and I know she’s a tireless worker and she and I think the same way. She’s articulate, always hits her marks when debating, but I’m concerned that her campaign is going to go negative now against Michels. Nobody likes that and it can be political suicide.
Now that President in Exile Trump has endorsed Michels, I’ll have to wait and see who my LefTard associates hate the most between Michels and Rebecca and vote accordingly, LOL!
Kleefisch has a lot of positives - but I am not sure she is the best candidate (i.e., most effective campaigner against Evers.) Evers is a poor governor and needs to be beaten, electively (and perhaps otherwise!) He has blocked two bills that sought to reform Wisconsin election practices. The election in November will be run under nearly the same rules and regulations as the 2020 general election (with the exception being today's Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling affirming a lower court holding that ballot drop boxes outside election offices are illegal.) Evers still has about $2B in the Federal Covid funds that he can dole out with his sole discretion. That slush money will be coming hot and heavy in the campaign, rewarding Democratic party voting blocs. The GOP needs its most effective campaigner. Sadly, from afar it is hard to believe that is Kleefisch.
Thompson never ran for President and he did in fact run for Senate and was defeated - polls showed him up by double digits over Tammy Baldwin, but a grueling and divisive primary destroyed his previously high positives.
I’m in IL, nearby, and watch WI politics pretty closely. Kleefisch has been walking and talking the talk for quite a few years now, and let’s be honest, a conservative woman might pull in more indies than moderates than a conservative male. But you’re right about the cheat and as long as Headmaster Evers is expelled, that’s what matters.
You are wrong on both counts. He ran for POTUS in ‘08. Openly sought the vp slot in ‘92 and ‘96. The senate was beneath him and he was not ready for prime time.
Then(you’re right) he ran for the senate in 2012. It was way past his sell-by date. A man’s got to know his limitations and he wouldn’t acknowledge them. It gave our party Fiengold.
Uhhhhhh....he did run for Senate and got slaughtered by our current Potted Plant Sen. Tammy Hey I’m Gay Baldwin.
Your final statement is accurate.
I am not from Wisconsin so I am asking this because I want to know, what is wrong with Klefisch?
Regardless of her qualifications I fear Kleefisch can’t win. In the present environment she would likely pull Leah Vukmir-type numbers in a general
Scott Walker endorsed Kleefisch.
She is great on paper. IMHO her delivery is a big turnoff
Nothing. She appears to be a godly woman. I like her. Honestly, right now I don’t know if she’s got the mettle to run a campaign aggressive enough to go after Evers and win. I don’t want a really nice person... to lose.
Wasn’t Kleefisch Scott Walker’s Lt. Governor?
“Sadly, from afar it is hard to believe that is Kleefisch.”
So you can understand my problem! I want Evers gone too, and I am FOREVER grateful to Governor Scott Walker who left a lot of fail safes in place when he left.
Either candidate would be better for our state. And no matter which (R) wins, the Socialist Democrats in Madison and Milwaukee will be beating their chests and banging their drums 24/7/365. They’ll spend all of their time and energy dogging either of them. Relentlessly! :(
Yes. Rebecca was Scott Walker’s Lt. Governor. She was a tireless advocate for our state.
You know, if anyone deserves the job, she does. I think she’d do a good job. It’s getting through this messy primary process and then actually WINNING which is the hard part!
I’d LOVE to see her debate ‘Art Teacher’ Evers on the finer aspects of, say, Wisconsin’s Constitution, or any topics that actually MATTER to Wisconsinites. (Liberty, School Choice, JOBS, the Bideneconomy, Crime, our cr@ppy roads, etc.)
That alone would be worth the price of admission! ;)
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