Scott Walker is firing back at Liz Cheney for accusing the former GOP governor of “stunning” comments and saying “basically people are over Jan. 6.”
“I think this is just a reflection of now, she’s appealing to an audience in Washington who seems focused on that,” Walker said on WISN’s “UpFront,” which is produced in partnership with WisPolitics. “When I talked to voters around the state, I’ve been all over the state of Wisconsin the last several years, I even said this two years ago before the midterms, people were concerned on Jan. 6 about what happened. But they’re more concerned right now about filling up their grocery cart, filling up their gas tank, paying their mortgage and their rent along the way.
“I’m always amazed when people come from Washington into Wisconsin and they want to lecture us about what people really care about,” Walker added. “Those are the things people care about.”
When asked if he believes people are really over Jan. 6, Walker said, “Yeah, I mean, I think the bottom line is they were concerned that day. They want to make sure that we have strong safeguards going forward. But again, the bottom line is people ask that question over and over again. And I’ll tell you, even with the students we work with at Young America’s Foundation, a nationwide poll we did, the number one issue wasn’t any of the things people expected. It was the economy.”
Walker, a one-time presidential candidate in 2016, attended Donald Trump’s recent rally in Dane County last week.
“I said making the case, as I’ve talked with voters there as well, I said you know not everybody may be comfortable voting for him, and they need to be clear about that,” Walker said. “You may not like everything he says or every way he does it, but life was better when Donald Trump was president.”
Walker also responded to comments Trump made in Milwaukee ahead of the election, saying, “We have lots of lawyers watching. We’re doing it early rather than late. That’s why you see the lawsuits filed, and we’re going to try to say ‘too big to rig.’
“I think President Trump is right, the time to talk about it is not, it’s not after the election,” Walker said. “It’s, you know, after the elections like spitting into Lake Michigan. It’s not a lot you can do about it, but beforehand, we can make sure that everyone follows the laws and we have good elections.”
Former Brown County GOP Chair Mark Becker says he’s voting for Kamala Harris because “it’s about left versus right, it’s about right versus wrong.”
“When I was a Republican, I would do speeches about how we are the party of the big tent,” Becker told “UpFront.” “Now, it’s not the Republican Party. They’re unrecognizable. They’re the party of litmus tests and unity pledges. And the Democrats are the ones that are inviting people like me.”
Becker attended a recent event in Ripon with Harris and Cheney.
“I’m a fiscal conservative with a social conscience,” Becker said. “I still believe in things like limited government and all that kind of stuff. But I also believe that a woman should have their right to do with their own body what they choose. And my brother, who’s gay, he should get married to the person they love.”
The Harris campaign has touted two dozen Republicans from across Wisconsin who have endorsed Harris.
“It’s unrecognizable that they have to gloss over the fact that the leader of their party is convicted of dozens of felonies and tried to overturn and overthrow a free and fair election,” Becker said. “That’s it. It should be as simple as that.”
The Wisconsin Department of Justice is now the lead agency investigating Wausau Mayor Doug Diny after he moved the city’s ballot drop box into his office two weekends ago.
“You know the 15 minutes of fame isn’t all it’s cracked up to be to be honest with you,” Diny told “UpFront” in an interview last week. “As it originally happened, it was unsecure. I brought it in, took a little photo. I sent it to the council president who ended up sending it out there. It went viral. Quite a crazy event.”
The move prompted a week-long standoff between Diny and the city clerk before the drop box was eventually moved back outside City Hall.
DCI agents were inside City Hall last week, and in a letter to city staff, City Council President Lisa Rasmussen urged staff to cooperate with DOJ investigators.
“I don’t see any criminal intent here,” Diny said. “There’s nothing really, you know, again, the box is in the charge of the clerk and the council will weigh in on this, so I really see that we’re on the path to resolution that involves everybody who should be involved.”
A resolution is expected to be brought before the city council tomorrow, but the clerk has maintained her authority whatever the council may vote.
“It’s either go nuclear and make the stand or try to find the right path,” Diny said about his decision to return the drop box. “All along it was about bringing it to the council so that the council can weigh in with their residents.”
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