Here & Now

Wisconsin's 2022 Republican Primary for Governor

Frederica Freyberg:

The fall primary election is next Tuesday, and the most heated race down this stretch has been the Republican primary for governor. “Here & Now” senior political reporter Zac Schultz has the story on what separates the three main candidates.

Zac Schultz:

The Republican primary candidates for governor don’t differ that much from each other in policy, but they are vastly different in terms of what elements of the modern Republican Party they represent.

Rebecca Kleefisch:

Well, I feel great about where we are.

Zac Schultz:

Rebecca Kleefisch represents establishment Republicans, the branch of the party that looks back fondly to her eight years as lieutenant governor under Scott Walker.

Rebecca Kleefisch:

I intend to lead this state into the new revolution of conservative reform.

Zac Schultz:

Tim Michels is the businessman outsider, president of a large construction company. He’s running as the millionaire who doesn’t need to ask for money.

Tim Michels:

I am not inside the bubble. The insiders did not recruit me, and they are not bankrolling my campaign. And I’m not beholden to the PACS, the lobbyists or the special interests. I refuse their money, don’t need it, don’t want it, won’t take it.

Zac Schultz:

Tim Ramthun is a different kind of outsider, one from inside the Assembly.

Tim Ramthun:

I’m being attacked and accused of things like I’m a conspiracy theorist. No, I’m not. I just want truth and transparency. Everybody else should too.

Zac Schultz:

Ramthun gained national attention for attempting to reclaim Wisconsin’s electoral votes. An effort his own party ignored as unconstitutional. He was encouraged to run for governor after repeating false claims that large scale fraud tainted the 2020 presidential election.

Tim Ramthun:

I got engaged and I got known all over the state and then while I’m going up, you need to run for governor.

Zac Schultz:

Ramthun wasn’t the first person in the race but he was the first to shake it up by injecting it with Donald Trump’s conspiracy theories about stuffed ballot boxes, hacked voting machines and counterfeit ballots.

Tim Ramthun:

In my humble opinion, with the evidence I have, I can show nefarious acts, illegal acts, fraudulent elections for the last 2 1/2 decades. I got data that goes back to Clinton against Dole in 1996.

Zac Schultz:

All of these claims have been debunked, and when pressed, he could only say the evidence is coming.

Tim Ramthun:

Judicial, prosecutions, convictions, all of that’s coming. So I’ve been on the right side of the fence the whole time. I know I have in my heart. I know I have in my head.

Zac Schultz:

In reality, as governor, Ramthun would dramatically rewrite Wisconsin election law, eliminating the Wisconsin Elections Commission, requiring a hand count of millions of ballots on Election Day, and scaling back absentee voting.

Tim Ramthun:

There’s no chain of custody when you put it in the mailbox. A lot of concerns about that. We need to have same day, you know, on paper, same day, hand count. You know, we’ve got to have that kind of stuff done.

Zac Schultz:

As for the August primary, Ramthun plans to conduct his own forensic audit.

Tim Ramthun:

I have very little confidence that we will have fair, safe and legal elections starting in August. We’ll have a rerun in November of 2022.

Rebecca Kleefisch:

Everyone needs to take things with a grain of salt until I can become governor and sign a whole bunch of reforms that Tony Evers has already vetoed.

Zac Schultz:

Kleefisch doesn’t repeat the same election conspiracy theories but hopes to capitalize on the anger among conservatives.

Rebecca Kleefisch:

That’s what we need in order to actually have a Republican wave in November. We need people who, yes, are frustrated but use that frustration as a motivation to show up.

Zac Schultz:

In a televised debate, Michels seemed to place blame on Kleefisch and Walker for creating the WEC in the first place.

Tim Michels:

I want to make sure that we don’t have these questions ever again in Wisconsin. These election fraud issues should have been fixed in previous administrations, but here we have a mess right now.

Zac Schultz:

Tim Michels did not agree to a sit-down interview for this story. He’s only done a few interviews and skipped an earlier Republican debate, something Kleefisch made sure to highlight.

Rebecca Kleefisch:

And to my opponents, Tim, thank you for being here. Tim, thank you for showing up tonight. My priorities are our first budget making sure that —

Zac Schultz:

Kleefisch does not shy away from her establishment credentials.

Rebecca Kleefisch:

You know, you hear a lot of talk about everyone running as the outsider. Well, I’m not going to apologize for knowing what I’m doing. I mean, I’ve spent eight years inside, making sure that I know how to run this state, making sure that I know how to make a budget that is going to be beneficial to all of Wisconsin.

Zac Schultz:

The legislature is expected to remain under Republican control, so any of these candidates could expect to see their agenda passed in full. One area that Kleefisch says won’t change is the 1849 abortion law. She doesn’t expect to add in new exceptions.

Rebecca Kleefisch:

We already have a life of the mother statute on the books, and as far as I can see and tell, that will stay. And that is my position, which has not changed.

Zac Schultz:

Ramthun takes a harder line and would end all exceptions and even eliminate abortifacient birth control that prevents the implantation of a fertilized egg.

Tim Ramthun:

Prolife without exception, life begins at conception, life is a gift from God. It’s not the baby’s fault in how they were conceived. We have to stop killing babies.

Zac Schultz:

Kleefisch wouldn’t clarify if she would ban any forms of birth control.

Rebecca Kleefisch:

Birth control will remain legal in the state of Wisconsin.

Zac Schultz:

All forms of birth control?

Rebecca Kleefisch:

Birth control will remain legal in the state of Wisconsin.

Zac Schultz:

Some Republican primary voters may choose simply on who they think has the best chance to beat Democrat Tony Evers in November — the electability factor. Michels and Kleefisch have been up on Ramthun in publicly released polling but he doesn’t care. He says the silent majority are voting for him.

Tim Ramthun:

The other candidates for this position for the governor’s seat, they talk grassroots. Can’t hold a candle to it compared to me. These people adore what I’m doing because I’m the fighter they wanted for decades.

Zac Schultz:

In the debate, Michels said it is his outsider status that will carry him to victory.

Tim Michels:

People come up to me all the time and say, Tim, thank you for running. I’m tired of politics as usual. I’m tired of the usual politicians. I want an outsider. I want a veteran. I want a businessman. We need change. I say, if you want to keep politics as usual, vote for the usual politicians. This is our time to make a difference and lead Wisconsin and get it headed in the right direction.

Zac Schultz:

Kleefisch has already won four statewide races for lieutenant governor and says voters should go with the proven winner.

Rebecca Kleefisch:

If they want to make their decision on electability, that’s fine by me because obviously, I am the one who can beat Tony Evers.

Zac Schultz:

Reporting from Madison, I’m Zac Schultz for “Here & Now.”