Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, was loudly booed by some GOP activists on Saturday as he told the state convention the 2020 election results can’t be decertified.
Vos and Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu, R-Oostburg, were part of a panel hosted by state Chair Paul Farrow to talk about the legislative session as well as their priorities if a GOP guv is elected this fall.
As the conversation turned to election laws, Vos noted the 14 bills passed that address various aspects of election administration as well as three constitutional amendments. He also pointed out that Dem Gov. Tony Evers had vetoed the bills that reached his desk.
Vos then warned the crowd he was going to say something that would be unpopular as he said that Donald Trump’s loss can’t be decertified.
As some began to boo, Vos continued.
“We need to focus on going forward,” Vos said as the boos continued.
Farrow then interrupted and asked the crowd to be respectful.
“Let him talk, all right?” Farrow said. “We’re here to hear from everyone.”
Vos told the crowd that Republicans aren’t about “cancel culture” and don’t have to agree on everything, drawing applause.
Vos and LeMahieu have both had primary opponents register with the state ahead of the August primary. The filing deadline is June 1 for them to turn in nomination papers to qualify for the ballot.
During their panel discussion with activists, they sought to focus GOP efforts on Evers, saying he has stood in the way of Republican efforts to overhaul election laws and unemployment policies, among other things.
Both said their relationship with Evers was essentially nonexistent. LeMahieu said he “scariest thing” about the guv is that people see him as a “nice guy, a decent guy” and don’t realize the impact of his vetoes and policies.
“It’s never looking forward,” LeMahieu said of his conversations with Evers. “It’s never ‘Can we work on this together?’”
In an availability with reporters after the panel, Vos downplayed the response he received from some in the crowd.
“It says that there’s diversity of thought,” he said. “That’s what I said if you listen to my comments afterwards; Is that ‘We’re the party of free speech, we’re not the party of cancel culture. We’re not the folks who are going to leave people.’ That’s just not the way to do it. But I think for most of the people who are watching, it is crystal clear that we are focused on the future.”
