THANKS FOR HAVING ME.
>> A LOT OF REPUBLICAN
CANDIDATES WANT TO BE THE NEXT
GOVERNOR OF WISCONSIN.
ONE OF THEM HAS TO WIN THE
AUGUST 9 PRIMARY TO TAKE ON
INCUMBENT DEMOCRAT TONY EVERS,
BUT THERE'S A PERCEPTIBLE SPLIT
AMONGST THE REPUBLICANS TO THE
EXTENT THAT NONE OF THE
CANDIDATES GOT THE ENDORSEMENT
OF DELEGATES.
REBECCA KLEEFISCH CAME CLOSE TO
THE 60% THRESHOLD, BUT TIM
RAMTHUN, KEVIN NICHOLSON AND TIM
MICHELS FELL WAY SHORT.
IS THE FRONTRUNNER CONSIDERED
THE ESTABLISHMENT CANDIDATE WITH
THE OTHERS LIKE TIM RAMTHUN WHO
WANTS TO DECERTIFY THE LAST LEK
SHOULD BE CONSIDERED FIRE
BRANDS?
WE CHECK IN WITH WISCONSIN
PUBLIC RADIO CAP T CAPITOL BUREU
CHIEF SHAWN JOHNSON WITH THE
GOINGS ON.
NICE TO SEE YOU, SHAWN.
>> HEY, FREDERICA.
>> IS THIS BREAKING DOWN THAT
REBECCA KLEEFISCH IS KIND OF THE
ESTABLISHMENT CANDIDATE AND THE
OTHERS ARE ANTI-ESTABLISHMENT?
>> I THINK IF YOU LOOK AT THE
POSITIONS THEY HOLD ON POLICIES,
THERE'S NOT A HUGE AMOUNT OF
DAYLIGHT BETWEEN THEM.
THEY'RE PRETTY SIMILAR.
I THINK IF YOU LOOK AT WHO IS BY
DEFINITION KIND OF THE
ESTABLISHMENT CANDIDATE IN TERMS
OF WHO'S SUPPORTING THEM, IT
WOULD HAVE TO BE REBECCA
KLEEFISCH.
I MEAN, SHE HAS THE SUPPORT OF,
FOR EXAMPLE, WISCONSIN
MANUFACTURERS IN COMMERCE,
STATE'S LARGEST BUSINESS LOBBY,
SCOTT WALKER, MIGHT REMEMBER
HIM, GOVERNOR FOR EIGHT YEARS,
ROBIN VOS, ASSEMBLY SPEAKER HAS
VOICED STRONG SUPPORT FOR
REBECCA KLEEFISCH, AND SHE'S
BEEN RUNNING FOR THIS THE
LONGEST.
SO KIND OF JUST BY THE
DEFINITION, SHE IS THE
ESTABLISHMENT CANDIDATE, EVEN IF
WHAT SHE SAYS AND BELIEVES
DOESN'T DIFFER GREATLY FROM THE
OTHERS.
>> SO WHAT'S THE EFFECT OF THE
DELEGATES AT THE CONVENTION
VOTING NOT TO ENDORSING THIS
RACE, INCLUDING REBECCA
KLEEFISCH?
>> I WOULD SAY IT'S NOT JUST A
POPULARITY CONTEST.
SO KLEEFISCH GOT CLOSE TO THE
60% THRESHOLD SHE WOULD HAVE
NEEDED TO WIN THE PARTY'S
ENDORSEMENT.
HAD SHE WON THAT, THE PARTY
COULD CAMPAIGN ON HER BEHALF,
YOU KNOW, THEY COULD PRESENT HER
AS THE ENDORSED CANDIDATE OF THE
REPUBLICAN PARTY OF WISCONSIN,
WHICH IS OBVIOUSLY WOULD HAVE
BEEN A GOOD THING FOR HER IN A
DIVIDED PRIMARY LIKE THIS,
ESPECIALLY ONE WHERE TIM MICHELS
CAN THROW SO MUCH OF HIS
PERSONAL WEALTH AT THE RACE AND
HE'S BEEN ON TV A LOT.
KEVIN NICHOLSON HAS THE BACKING
OF BILLIONAIRE RICHARD UIHLEIN,
SO IT'S NOT LIKE SHE CAN JUST
WALK AWAY WITH THIS. WOULD HAVEY
HELPFUL TO PROBABLY TONY EVERS
THAT SHE NOT GET IT, BUT IT'S
NOT LIKE IT'S A DEAL BREAKER FOR
HER CANDIDACY EITHER.
>> SO PLENTY CANDIDATES GAVE THE
SAME NOD TO OTHER CANDIDATE FOR
STATEWIDE OFFICE INCLUDING
ATTORNEY GENERAL.
I MEAN, THEY HAD THOSE KINDS OF
REBECCA KLEEFISCH NUMBERS.
>> YEAH, AND YOU SAW MANY, A
LITTLE BIT OF A THEME THERE.
ERIC TOMEY, THE DISTRICT
ATTORNEY WHO CAME CLOSEST TO THE
ENDORSEMENT IN THE PRIMARY FOR
ATTORNEY GENERAL, HE HAS THE
BACKING OF BRAD COURTNEY, THE
FORMER REPUBLICAN PARTY CHAIR
UNDER SCOTT WALKER.
SECRETARY OF STATE CANDIDATE FOR
REPUBLICANS HAS BEEN ON THE
LEGISLATURE'S BUDGET COMMITTEE
FOR SEVERAL YEARS, WORKED ON
SCOTT WALKER'S BUDGETS.
SO I'M NOT SAYING THEY'RE A TEAM
WHERE THEY PRESENTED THEMSELVES
AS A TICKET, BUT YOU SEE A
SIMILAR THREAD THERE WHERE THEY
HAD A LOT OF PEOPLE AT THIS
CONVENTION BUT THERE WAS A
SIZABLE GROUP OF PEOPLE WHO SAID
WE DON'T WANT TO ENDORSE ANYONE
RIGHT NOW, LEAVE IT FOR THE
PRIMARY.
>> SO DOES ANY OF THIS KIND OF
SUGGEST A TRUMP EFFECT, WHEREBY
PEOPLE ARE MOVING EITHER FURTHER
TO THE RIGHT THAN THEY WERE?
>> POTENTIALLY.
I THINK ONE THING YOU CAN SAY
DEFINITIVELY IS THAT YOU HAVE
THIS PORTION, AN ACTIVE PORTION
OF THE REPUBLICAN BASE WHO IS
SAYING WE WANT YOU TO FOCUS ON
US.
IF THERE'S NO PRIMARY, THESE
CANDIDATES CAN KIND OF PIVOT TO
THE GENERAL ELECTION IF THEY
THINK THAT IT IS POLITICALLY
ADVANTAGEOUS FOR THEM.
BUT WHEN THERE'S A CONTESTED
PRIMARY, AND YOU KNOW, REBECCA
KLEEFISCH, TIM MICHELS, OTHERS
HAVE TO PURSUE THESE PRIMARY
VOTERS, THEY HAVE TO FOCUS ON
REPUBLICANS AND REPUBLICAN
POLICIES.
SO THAT'S WHAT THEY'RE GOING TO
HAVE TO DO.
BUT YOU COULD SEE MAYBE A TRUMP
EFFECT HERE TOO BECAUSE THERE
WAS A SIMILAR MARGIN OF VOTERS
WHO SAID LET'S DECERTIFY THE
ELECTION AT THIS CONVENTION,
AROUND 40%, SIMILAR TO THE
NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO SAID LET'S
NOT ENDORSE.
>> SO WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH THE
WISCONSIN ELECTIONS COMMISSION
RIGHT NOW?
>> PRETTY BIG SURPRISE THIS WEEK
WHEN A REPUBLICAN MEMBER OF THE
COMMISSION WAS APPOINTED BY
ASSEMBLY SPEAKER ROBIN VOS
ANNOUNCED HE'S RESIGNING AT THE
MEETING.
THIS HAPPENS RIGHT BEFORE THIS
COMMISSION IS ABOUT TO VOTE ON
THE NEXT CHAIR.
HE'S ONE OF TWO CANDIDATE UNDER
THE COMMISSION'S RULES WHO IS
ELIGIBLE TO BE CHAIR.
THE OTHER CANDIDATE IS BOB SPINS
IS DEL, VOCAL CRITIC OF THE
AGENCY.
SO A BIG SHOCK TO I THINK PEOPLE
WHO WATCH THE ELECTIONS
COMMISSION CLOSELY AND NOW VOS
IS GOING TO APPOINT A
REPLACEMENT FOR KNUDSON AND THAT
PERSON COULD BE ELECTED CHAIR AT
THE NEXT MEETING IN JUNE.
>> WE'LL SEE WHO EL APPOINTS.
SHAWN JOHNSON, THANK YOU VERY