Port Washington — Ozaukee County Sheriff James Johnson has announced that he is endorsing Fond du Lac County District Attorney Eric Toney in his bid to be the next Attorney General.
“Eric Toney is a tough-on-crime prosecutor, and he’s got the experience we need to restore law-and-order in our state,” Johnson said.
Johnson joins Ozaukee County District Attorney Adam Gerol in endorsing Toney, along with 5 out of 6 sheriffs and district attorneys from Waukesha, Ozaukee, and Washington counties.
Toney said he’s honored and humbled to have earned Johnson’s endorsement.
“Sheriff Johnson is a respected sheriff and a leader in our efforts to crack down on violent criminals in Wisconsin and he has seen firsthand the dangers of Milwaukee crime spreading into our neighborhoods,” Toney said.
Johnson said, “Eric Toney is an experienced and respected district attorney that is in the trenches prosecuting violent criminals in the courtroom. District Attorney Toney’s experience is what Wisconsin and law enforcement needs to serve as our ‘Top Cop’ and sets him apart as the best choice for Attorney General.”
Toney said that Johnson and Gerol have been fighting the good fight to keep Ozaukee County safe, while Attorney General Josh Kaul has sat on the sidelines as our cities burned and violent crime surged last year. Milwaukee has seen an escalation of violent crime, reckless driving, and homicides from 2019 to 2021. That is frightening and it’s creeping into smaller communities like Mequon, Cedarburg and Port Washington and Sheboygan.
Johnson said that Toney will follow in the model of former Attorney General Brad Schimel and put fighting crime at the top of his list to keep our streets safe.
More than 50 sheriffs, district attorneys, and police chiefs have endorsed Toney’s campaign. He also has the unanimous endorsement of the Wisconsin Fraternal Order of Police.
Toney said, “When I announced my candidacy for attorney general, I pledged to restore law and order, prosecute crime and defend Wisconsin’s election laws. Now, more than ever, it’s time to send a prosecutor — not a politician — to be our next ‘Top Cop.’”
Milwaukee has become the Wild West of the Midwest. In 2020, the city set an all-time murder record with nearly twice as many murders as in 2019. In 2021, Milwaukee is on pace to set another record for murders in a single year.