Republican Jake Curtis, a Milwaukee attorney and first lieutenant in the Wisconsin Air National Guard, is passing on a bid for AG, saying it’s not the right time for his family.
Curtis called it an “excruciating” decision. He said he will be on extended military leave this spring, and “I must place my service and family ahead of politics.”
His decision leaves Fond du Lac County DA Eric Toney and former GOP state Rep. Adam Jarchow as the only announced Republicans in the race to take on Dem AG Josh Kaul. While he has registered to run for the office, Jarchow has said his main intent by filing was to oppose Toney and he hoped another conservative would get into the race. Jarchow has indicated he was holding off on taking contributions and would consider moving ahead with a bid for AG if no other conservatives ran.
Toney has drawn the ire of some conservatives because he filed and later dropped charges against those who violated Gov. Tony Evers’ original stay-at-home order during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Curtis said in his statement the attorney general must be the state’s “top cop” and its “top lawyer.” The latter includes promoting and defending issues such as parental rights, religious liberty, election integrity and Second Amendment rights while fighting “against unconstitutional mandates, the poison of cancel culture, the abuses of Big Tech, open borders and efforts to defund the police.”
“I continue to have grave concerns that Mr. Toney is none of these things,” Curtis said. “When the state was looking for leadership throughout 2020, Mr. Toney was busy charging fellow Wisconsinites for getting together with friends and family and running their respective businesses. I’m hopeful another qualified constitutional conservative joins the race.”
Curtis said Jarchow would have his full support if the former lawmaker is in the race and raising money.
Jarchow wrote in a text message to WisPolitics.com this morning that he’s “very disappointed” that Curtis isn’t running, but understands his reasons. Jarchow added he will make a decision soon on whether to fully commit to the raise and to begin raising money.
See the release:
https://www.wispolitics.com/2021/jake-curtis-statement/
