The Republican National Committee is standing firmly behind U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson’s reelection bid, promising its backing and resources in what will be a contentious battle as Republicans try to win back the Senate.
“We’re glad he’s running and we’re going to be supporting him,” RNC national spokesman Paris Dennard said on WISN’s “UpFront,” produced in partnership with WisPolitics.com. “There is a path to victory. So, having someone like your senator saying, ‘I’m going to recommit myself to public service because of all the things that are going on,’ is important because he is an important voice. He’s someone who can win, and he’s someone who’s going to help us take back the Senate.”
Democrats, meantime, are wasting no time in what will be a fast-paced and expensive campaign. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee launched television ads this past week and the Democratic Party of Wisconsin is already up on digital alongside new billboards in Oshkosh, Milwaukee, Kenosha and Beloit.
“I think it’s good for democracy for Ron Johnson to be soundly defeated in a general election in the state of Wisconsin,” Democratic Party of Wisconsin chair Ben Wikler said. “We called for him to resign after he tried to whitewash the Jan. 6 insurrection after feeding the ‘big lie’ that led up to it. But the fact is voters decide who win elections in our state.”
Dennard said it will be up to Johnson to determine a specific campaign strategy and how to respond to the criticism from Democrats.
“That’s up to the senator,” Dennard said. “We know that he is a man of conviction and we know that he is standing on principles and policies that matter.”
Wikler said it’s those policies Democrats will focus on.
“More than anything, this race will be a referendum on whether voters support Ron Johnson’s self-serving ways or whether they want someone who works for them.”
Sunday’s show also included a look inside Wisconsin’s only hospital with a military team deployed by FEMA to assist staff amidst a surge in COVID-19 patients.
“When the spike goes up in the ER, I know the spike is up all around, and the spike is up in the ER,” said Lt. Colin Clark, a critical care nurse with the Navy working at Bellin Hospital in Green Bay as part of the 30-day deployment.
President Biden said Thursday more teams will be deployed nationwide in the coming days.
The White House also launched a program this weekend and put pressure on insurance companies to successfully begin covering the cost of at-home COVID 19 tests.
“There’s been a lot of folks looking for tests over the past few weeks,” Dr. Cameron Webb, a member of the White House COVID-19 response team, told WISN’s Matt Smith. “I don’t think that’s going to change this weekend in particular, but I think for insurance companies, it’s kind of up to them to figure out how to make this as smooth a process as possible for the folks that are insured.”
See more from the show: https://www.wisn.com/article/upfront-recap-rnc-backs-johnson-reelection-bid-democrats-call-race-a-referendum/38773810
