Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin at a rally for GOP guv candidate Tim Michels said the guv’s race will have “dire consequences” for the state if Gov. Tony Evers is reelected, calling Evers and other Dems “agents of chaos.”
Meanwhile, U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., ripped Michels at a Madison rally and accused the GOP construction exec of having “crawled into bed” with election deniers and conspiracy theorists.
Michels and Dems had competing GOTV rallies yesterday afternoon as the parade of surrogates continued to pour into Wisconsin ahead of the Nov. 8 election.
In Waukesha, Youngkin spoke alongside U.S. Reps. Bryan Steil, R-Janesville, and Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, as well as state Senate candidate Rob Hutton.
“At this time in the nation, the whole country is standing up and recognizing that Tony Evers, that Joe Biden, that Nancy Pelosi — they are agents of chaos,” Youngkin said. “They are agents of chaos. Everything they touch, they make worse.”
Youngkin cited issues such as crime, inflation, border security and fentanyl spreading through communities.
Evers spokesperson Sam Roecker slammed Youngkin and Michels as “two East Coast, radical politicians that are out of step with Wisconsinites” on issues such as funding public education and abortion.
“Instead of coming up with common-sense solutions for the challenges facing Wisconsin, Michels is continuing to campaign with divisive politicians whose radical ideas mirror his own,” Roecker said. “Wisconsinites want a leader who will bring people together — Michels’ agenda for Wisconsin would only further divide our state.”
Youngkin said while Dems might think an Evers’ win is in the bag, they will eventually realize it isn’t and “bring everything they’ve got” against Michels.
“That’s when your work has to be the toughest. You got to knock doors, you got to make phone calls. Every head should have a hat, every yard should have a sign, every car should have a bumper sticker,” Youngkin said.
Youngkin called on Michels’ supporters to find 10 friends and make them promise to vote, an effort he called “10 for Tim.”
“It is not about Republicans versus Democrats, this is about Wisconsin’s future coming together, coming together to elect Tim your next governor,” Youngkin said.
Michels in his remarks slammed Evers’ record on crime and education.
Crime has been a key issue in the governor’s race as Michels has repeatedly criticized Evers for his response to the Kenosha protests in 2020 and parole grants by the state Parole Commission.
“Joe Biden and his liberal cronies in Washington, D.C., Tony Evers’ little cronies in Madison, they want to coddle criminals and I believe that they like having weak law enforcement,” Michels said.
On education, Michels blamed Evers’ for test scores he said aren’t where they should be and said he would put parents in charge of their children’s education.
“He’s been an educational leader his entire life. If he can’t do education well, I maintain he can’t do anything well and it’s time to fire him as governor,” Michels said.
At a rally on the UW-Madison campus, Warren blasted Michels and U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Oshkosh, as “extremists.”
The Massachusetts Dem touted Evers as a defender of democracy, access to abortion, the planet and the economy before laying into his opponent. She called this election a “monumental fight for the future of Wisconsin and the future of our nation.”
“Wisconsin, America turns to you,” she said. “And when there is this much at stake, we can whimper, we can whine, or we can fight back. Me, I’m in this to fight back.”
She blasted Michels for voicing support for the state’s 1849 abortion ban and Republican-authored election bills Evers vetoed last session.
“Tim Michels crawled into bed with the election deniers, and the conspiracy theorists, and offered to use his office to undermine our democracy,” she said.
Evers, his running mate Rep. Sara Rodriguez, D-Brookfield, AG Josh Kaul, and U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, and Rep. Francesca Hong spoke ahead of Warren.
Warren also slammed Johnson for co-sponsoring federal abortion bans, voting against capping insulin costs and proposing to switch Social Security and Medicare from mandatory to discretionary spending.
“Ron Johnson is for Ron Johnson and for extremist Republicans, and he wants a partner in the governor’s office,” she said.
Evers knocked Michels on abortion and election issues before criticizing his stance on laws.
“Michels does not believe in any sort of gun safety issues, whether it’s red flag laws or universal background checks,” he said. “He wants to actually sign a bill to allow people to carry a loaded gun on a public school playground.”
