MADISON, Wis. — Following Ron DeSantis’ lackluster presidential campaign launch, Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Ben Wikler released the following statement:

“Ron DeSantis is running on an anti-freedom platform that rips away people’s basic rights over their own bodies, tears communities apart, and puts wealthy special interests ahead of working people. DeSantis is offering the same kind of MAGA extremism that torched Donald Trump reelection in 2020 and led Republicans to an embarrassingly poor performance in 2022. Today’s announcement only turns up the temperature on what has already been a chaotic, messy primary, and ensures whoever emerges with the GOP nomination will owe it all to the most extreme ends of the MAGA fringe.

“In Congress, Ron DeSantis was a founding member of the right-wing Freedom Caucus, and pushed for Paul Ryan’s plan to slash Medicare and Social Security. As governor of Florida, DeSantis has banned nearly all access to safe and legal abortion, made it easier for criminals to carry guns, enacted book bans, and relentlessly attacked LGBTQ+ youth and their families. Obsessed with his toxic culture wars, DeSantis and his ‘Florida Blueprint’ have left working people behind. Today, Florida leads the nation in rising housing costs, ranks near the very bottom in health care access and affordability, and is locked in a costly and pointless legal battle with Disney—one of the state’s largest employers.

“Those MAGA-extremist positions are nonstarters here in the Badger State, where Wisconsinites have rejected extremism in election after election in favor of building a more welcoming, equitable, and just state. While Ron DeSantis does his best to out-MAGA Donald Trump, President Biden and Vice President Harris are focused on moving our country forward, delivering real solutions to the challenges facing working Americans, and building a future in which we all have a fair shot at the American Dream.

“There is no path to the White House without Wisconsin. The Democratic Party of Wisconsin stands ready to do everything in our power to ensure that the road stops here for both Ron DeSantis and Donald Trump. Wisconsinites have rejected MAGA extremism time and again, and 2024 will be no different.”

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