With frontrunner Tim Michels skipping event, 3 GOP governor candidates vow to enforce Wisconsin abortion ban
Molly Beck
GREEN BAY – Three Republicans vying to defeat Democratic incumbent Gov. Tony Evers this fall pledged to bar transgender teenagers from undergoing gender reassignment surgeries and to preserve the state's abortion ban and fire any prosecutor or sheriff who refuses to enforce it.
But the focus of the first major public forum in the GOP primary for governor was on what was missing: the candidate leading in state polling.
Tim Michels, a wealthy construction executive who is endorsed by former President Donald Trump, skipped the Monday night forum at the private Green Bay Christian school Providence Academy just days after a new statewide survey conducted by the Marquette University Law School showed him leading the field.
"I'm as frustrated as you all are. We showed up because we care about the voters of Green Bay," said former Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch, who is trailing Michels by one percentage point in the Marquette poll. "We care about the people of Wisconsin and we want to have a debate on the issues but unfortunately, Tim Michels does not."
Instead of attending the forum, Michels held a campaign rally in his hometown of Lomira at Midwestern Shooters Supply.
"Some candidates think the path to victory is to tear other Republicans apart and divide the party. I’m a builder. I’m building a strong collation of voters from all across the state to beat Tony Evers, and that’s what I’m focused on," Michels said in a statement.
Kevin Nicholson, a management consultant from Delafield, suggested Michels' absence was disqualifying.
“If you aren’t here tonight in front of a moderator who wants a Republican to win in November, then you’re not prepared to go through what you have to go through to win the general election,” Nicholson said.
The rally was scheduled weeks after he was invited to the Monday forum, according to moderator Joe Giganti, who hosts a conservative radio show on WTAQ in Green Bay.
Kleefisch, Nicholson and state Rep. Tim Ramthun largely agreed on the issues Giganti brought forward but a notable difference was in their answers to whether they believed the 2020 election was "stolen," referring to Trump's false argument that voter fraud led to his loss to President Joe Biden.
Ramthun was unequivocal and said yes. Kleefisch and Nicholson attempted to evade a yes or no answer with explanations but Giganti cut them off.
More:GOP governor candidate Tim Michels won't say whether he would certify the next presidential election
The top four candidates running the GOP primary for governor have embraced Trump's distortions about the election and have called for overhauling the state's system of elections and voting rules. Ramthun has also put forward resolutions to decertify the 2020 election, which is legally impossible.
Biden defeated Trump in Wisconsin in 2020 by about 21,000 votes — a victory that has been confirmed by two Trump-financed recounts, lawsuits and nonpartisan state audits.
The three candidates on Monday all agreed to sign legislation that would ban transgender children and teenagers from undergoing gender reassignment surgeries, and ban employers from requiring staff to get vaccinated.
They also suggested they would not sign legislation that provides more exceptions to the state's abortion ban, an 1849 law that is back in effect following Friday's ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade.
The three candidates also said they would fire any county district attorney or sheriff who does not enforce the law, as the district attorneys in Milwaukee and Dane counties have promised not to do.
"The lack of accountability in our state and in our nation has caused much of our dilemma and our problems today and to have public officials state they are in full opposition to a law and they will violate it any chance and all chance they get, means they need to be removed from that seat yesterday,” Ramthun said.
The position stands in contrast to incumbent Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, who has vowed to extend clemency to any physician prosecuted for performing an abortion.
Republicans have the political winds at their back heading into the 2022 midterm elections as rising inflation and gas prices have contributed to historic low approval ratings for Biden, which Democrats are bracing to feel down ballot.
Kleefisch said to address rising costs' effects, she would sign into law massive tax cuts in an effort to put Wisconsin at a 3.4% flat income tax. Ramthun said he would shrink the size of government.
Nicholson said one measure he would push for is the repeal of the minimum markup on gasoline. Under the law, retailers must mark up the price of gas by 6% over certain costs or 9.18% over the average wholesale price, whichever is greater.
Kleefisch, Nicholson and Ramthun also said they would not sign legislation legalizing marijuana for recreational or medical use, and would sign bills giving Wisconsin residents the ability to obtain the anti-parasite drug ivermectin to treat COVID-19.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not approved the use of ivermectin to prevent or treat COVID-19 infections and has warned users about its potential risks to those who are infected.
In the GOP primary for governor, Michels was backed by 27% while Kleefisch received 26% support in a Marquette poll released last week.
Nicholson was at 10% while Ramthun was at 3%. Some 32% of Republican primary voters remained undecided.
Michels joined the race in April and wasn't part of the April Marquette Poll, which showed Kleefisch leading the field at 32%.
The winner of the Aug. 9 primary will go on to face Evers, who is seeking a second term, in the Nov. 8 election.
Contact Molly Beck at molly.beck@jrn.com. Follow her on Twitter at @MollyBeck.