MADISON, Wis. — In the nearly six months we’ve gotten to know Republican candidate for governor Tim Michels, one thing has become abundantly clear: Michels doesn’t quite know what he’s doing on a number of important issues. From televised flubs during debates to evasive answers on the campaign trail, we’re taking a look back at the times when Tim Michels clearly didn’t know what was going on.
On Education:
- September 2022: Michels admitted he was “not an expert at education” at a Republican County Party event, which was obvious enough. Instead of investing in public schools and supporting students, parents, and teachers to ensure education is the best that it can be, Michels has called continuing to fund education the “definition of insanity” and supports slashing funding for neighborhood public schools and directing them toward a plan that could raise property taxes by hundreds of millions of dollars.
On Taxes:
- September 2022: Michels admitted that he still doesn’t “have the answer” to tax reform two months after first being asked for his tax plan. Instead of providing real solutions to lower costs for working families, Michels said he would “bring the smart people in a room. We’re going to come in, and we’re going to solve that.”
On Elections:
- August 2022: When asked if he would overturn the results of the 2020 election as governor, Michels dodged the question, saying “everything will be on the table” but that he’d figure out what to do “when I’m sworn in, in January.” That was the wrong answer. Michels is too concerned with pandering to Donald Trump to understand that decertifying a past election is not only impossible – but also illegal.
On Public Safety:
- June 2022: Michels was unable to give a direct answer on how he would keep Wisconsinites safe from gun violence, instead saying “I will bring in all the proper people, we’ll sit down, and we’ll look at all the proper issues.” [5:15]
- September 2022: Michels was caught lying about Governor Evers’ commitment to public safety and had to be told that he was confusing paroles with pardons.
On… DACA?:
- July 2022: During a Republican primary debate, Michels was asked about supporting DACA students in Wisconsin public schools and it became obvious that he didn’t know what DACA meant:
- CHARLES BENSON [00:20:21]: “Yes or no for DACA students as well? The incentives.”
- TIM MICHELS [00:20:24]: “What kind of students? “
- SHANNON SIMS [00:20:25]: “DACA.”
- CHARLES BENSON [00:20:26]: “The dreamers.”
- TIM MICHELS [00:20:26]: “DACA, DACA students. You know, I want to look at the details on everything before I agree to anything.”
On… Everything:
- September 2022: Michels consistently dodges answering questions when he doesn’t know the answer, instead saying that he will “listen to all ideas and then we figure out what is best to do.” At an event in September, Michels took his avoidance a step further, admitting that he is “not an expert at anything” including taxes, health care, and elections.
“Tim Michels has told us, in his own words, time and again that he is unprepared to be governor of Wisconsin,” said Democratic Party of Wisconsin Rapid Response Director Hannah Menchhoff. “Michels’ refusal to answer basic questions coupled with his own admission that he doesn’t have common sense solutions for Wisconsinites is extremely concerning. Still, we know from experience that Michels’ proposals will be just as radical as the rest of his agenda, proving once and for all that Tim Michels is the wrong choice for Wisconsin.”
