MADISON, Wis. — Welcome to “Knives Out”— Rebecca Kleefisch’s favorite phrase and a weekly roundup of the infighting between the radical Republicans running for Wisconsin governor.
The GOP is locked in a heated and brutal primary for governor, where Rebecca Kleefisch, Kevin Nicholson, and Tim Ramthun are trying to prove they are the most divisive candidate in the race. What’s going on in the Republican Party is so outrageous, it’s hard to keep track of all of their blunders — so we’ve got you covered:
Kleefisch Fully Embraces the “Big Lie”
Last week, Rebecca Kleefisch flip-flopped on embracing conspiracy theories about the 2020 election. This week, she went even further — saying she may not have certified the election results if she were governor and telling radio host Joe Giganti that she believes Biden did not fairly win the election [14:13].
Kleefisch previously said Biden won the election, but has walked back her statement now that she’s facing an uphill battle to win the primary. Kleefisch will say or do anything to prove she is the most extreme candidate in the race.
Watch Kleefisch flip flop on the election here.
GOP’s Dumpster Fire Primary Makes National Headlines
The GOP primary for governor made headlines for all the wrong reasons this week. The New York Times and Politico both published scathing stories about how the primary is tearing the GOP apart, while CNN published a fact check correcting Kleefisch, Nicholson, and Ramthun’s lies.
The Times noted that Republicans are “spiraling further from reality” as the primary goes on. Every Republican running for governor in Wisconsin has radical plans for our state and has failed to accept the results of the 2020 election.
Even the Wall Street Journal editorial board, one of the most egregious offenders of embracing schemes to undermine democracy, has called this primary “out of touch with reality” and condemned Wisconsin Republicans for being so divisive.
Nicholson Continues to Stir Up Problems for Kleefisch
Kevin Nicholson continues to be a thorn in Rebecca Kleefisch’s side, with his accusations about her close associations with Robin Vos and his Republican Assembly Campaign Committee (RACC) clouding her interviews on conservative radio.
Nicholson has repeatedly accused Kleefisch and Vos of being financially entangled, since RACC paid Kleefisch’s consulting firm tens of thousands of dollars during the last election cycle. When Regular Joe Show Host Joe Giganti asked about these payments, Kleefisch called Nicholson’s accusations “BS,” twice, and dodged questions about her ties to Vos, saying, “I’m not going to debate you on what the internal flowchart is at RACC.”
Kleefisch must have missed her invite to Rob Vos’ two-day Florida fundraising extravaganza for RACC last month.
Republicans Support Disastrous Bill to Raise Property Taxes by $577 Million
A report from the Department of Public Instruction shows that one of Republicans’ signature agenda items would raise Wisconsinites’ property taxes by as much as $577 million dollars.
Kleefisch and Nicholson have both come out strongly for directing funds away from neighborhood public schools to private schools. This new report shows that would greatly increase the tax burden on Wisconsinites — the last thing working families need as they deal with rising costs.
Gov. Tony Evers has cut taxes by 15% during his first term, and has proposed giving a portion of the state’s stimulus back to each Wisconsin tax filer plus their dependents through a $150 tax credit, which Republicans oppose. Gov. Evers’ surplus plan will also improve education quality while delivering $188 million in property tax relief.
Scott Walker Tries to Get Rebecca a Trump Endorsement By Association
Former Trump admin official Sarah Huckabee Sanders endorsed Rebecca Kleefisch this week, which Scott Walker proceeded to twist into a full-on Trump endorsement for Kleefisch. You can’t rewrite history – Trump already made it clear how he feels about Kleefisch, snubbing her ask for an endorsement early on by encouraging Sean Duffy to run instead.
Click here for a reminder of how Republicans really feel about Rebecca Kleefisch.
