Tim Michels Hides from Tough Questions About Radical Record, While Democrats Travel the State
MADISON, Wis. — While Governor Tony Evers and Democratic leaders travel the state this week, the campaign of newly minted Republican gubernatorial nominee Tim Michels is practically invisible. Michels’ campaign is off to a rocky start as he tries to hide from his radical agenda.
Joined by Lieutenant Governor nominee, state Rep. Sara Rodriguez, and Attorney General Josh Kaul, Gov. Evers hit the ground running this week, visiting with voters from Superior to Appleton and La Crosse. Gov. Evers is committed to doing the right thing for Wisconsin from fighting for reproductive rights and protecting our democracy to funding our schools and supporting small businesses.
While Democrats have been meeting with voters and talking to reporters across the state, Michels and Wisconsin Republicans are scrambling to unite their deeply divided party.
Michels and Wisconsin Republicans have had a rough start to the general election:
- What Trump Endorsement? Just hours after winning the GOP nomination, Michels was caught scrubbing every mention of Donald Trump’s endorsement from his website. Michels quickly backtracked, but not before Wisconsin voters noticed.
- Young Republicans for Evers: In a since-deleted post, a group representing the Wisconsin Young Republicans publicly urged supporters to vote for Gov. Evers instead of Michels.
- Michels Defends Trump Stealing Classified Documents: Michels spent more time ranting on Twitter this week than meeting with voters (sound familiar?), going after law enforcement for doing their jobs, and defending Trump for stealing classified documents. Michels has no sense of urgency around the issues facing Wisconsin, but he’ll leap into action to keep his Trump endorsement and tout radical conspiracies.
- Gableman/Vos Feud: Also clouding Michels’ campaign, the ongoing drama between Michael Gableman and Speaker Robin Vos. Vos fired Gableman this week, not for conducting a completely useless investigation that eroded democracy, but rather because Gableman was featured in a political ad against Vos. Gableman has the support of President Trump, who also campaigned hard against Robin Vos. Michels’ campaign response on this mess? No comment.
Michels’ radical record can’t be wiped out that easily, even if he continues to dodge the press and refuse to answer tough questions about his positions. And no, talking to conservative talk radio doesn’t count.
Since beginning his campaign, Michels has: said the 1849 ban on abortion that doesn’t include exceptions for rape or incest is “an exact mirror” of his position; confirmed that he supports restricting the rights of LGBTQ+ Wisconsinites; opposed a bipartisan package of gun reforms that included background checks for people under the age of 21 purchasing guns; called continuing to increase education funding the “definition of insanity”; and refused to answer whether he would certify the 2024 election.
“Tim Michels can dodge the press and hide from voters all he likes – it won’t change the fact that he’s too radical for our state,” said Democratic Party of Wisconsin Rapid Response Director Hannah Menchhoff. “Michels is out of touch with Wisconsinites on every issue, from banning abortion, to defunding public schools, to undermining democracy. Governor Evers and Democrats have been hard at work this week talking to voters and reminding everyone that Tim Michels is radical and wrong for Wisconsin.”
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