Three candidates vying to be Wisconsin’s Republican gubernatorial nominee (from left to right, former Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleeficsh, businessman Tim Michels and state Rep. Timothy Ramthun) gathered in Milwaukee Monday night to field voters' questions in a town hall.

Three candidates vying to be Wisconsin’s Republican gubernatorial nominee (from left to right, former Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleeficsh, businessman Tim Michels and state Rep. Timothy Ramthun) gathered in Milwaukee Monday night to field voters' questions in a town hall.

The three Wisconsin Republicans vying for the party’s gubernatorial nomination fielded questions from voters in Milwaukee on Monday, covering ground that stretched from gun rights to abortion access, student loan debt to property taxes, and the 2020 election to the 2024 election.

The televised WISN-TV town hall was the final time the candidates — former Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch, construction magnate Tim Michels and state Rep. Timothy Ramthun — were scheduled to appear together before the Aug. 9 primary. 

Although the race has been contentious at times, all three candidates pledged to unite behind the party’s winner, who will go on to challenge Democratic Gov. Tony Evers on Nov. 8. The former education official is seeking a second term after ousting Republican former Gov. Scott Walker, with whom Kleefisch served for eight years, with a margin of about 30,000 votes in 2018.

According to WISN, about 30 voters ranging from college age to retirees participated in the town hall. The order in which candidates spoke was determined by a drawing, and questions came from audience members as well as from WISN journalists Joyce Garbaciak, Matt Smith and Gerron Jordan.

The night’s first policy question came from Cyrena Martin, an advocate for victims of domestic violence from Milwaukee. Martin asked what the candidates would do to reduce repeat acts of gun violence from people with minor convictions who are still allowed to own firearms.

“You brought up the rash of domestic violence. And over the last couple of weeks, six women have died,” Kleefisch said, referencing a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel report on women who have died from domestic violence in Milwaukee County.

Kleefisch noted that when she and Walker were in office, the state allocated millions of dollars to the Sojourner Family Peace Center in Milwaukee, a nonprofit provider of domestic violence prevention and intervention services.

“But it’s clearly not enough right now, because there are clearly still bad guys, and we have faced, now, three-and-a-half years of forced isolation, which has only exacerbated this. It’s terrible,” Kleefisch said, before describing a domestic violence incident police responded to while she was on a ride-along recently.

Domestic violence is “always personal,” Kleefisch said, “but what is also personal is the fact that we today do not have leaders who are willing to stand up to these bad guys.” She pledged to enact changes to bail and sentencing, including enforcing mandatory minimums, put 1,000 more police officers on the streets and fire Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm. Chisholm’s office recommended a $1,000 bail for a previous case involving Darrell Brooks, the man accused of driving his vehicle through the Waukesha Christmas parade, killing six people and injuring dozens more.

Michels said the state needs to be “tough on crime” and ensure those who own firearms are responsible, law-abiding people. He also promised to fire district attorneys who take a “catch-and-release” approach with criminals.

“Guns haven't changed, society has changed, and I want to make sure that law-abiding gun owners aren't having their guns confiscated because an angry ex-spouse makes a complaint of, ‘He made a threat to me,’ and the police have to go confiscate his guns,” Michels said. “I will support the Second Amendment. I think what we have to do is enforce the gun laws that are on the books, and there are a lot of gun laws on the books right now.”

Ramthun also rejected the idea of changing the state’s gun laws, and said instead the focus should be on teaching respect at a young age and ensuring people who carry weapons know how to do so responsibly.

Dave Meixelsperger, of Hartford, pressed the candidates on whether they would support former President Donald Trump if, as expected, he runs again in 2024 — even after the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Michels — who has Trump’s endorsement and will join him for a rally Friday in Waukesha — said the former president’s backing hasn’t changed anything about his campaign. He noted that he, like Trump, has been successful in business and is only running for office because he wants “to serve.”

“I don’t think (Trump) did anything wrong” on Jan. 6, Michels said, adding that he does not support the people who stormed the Capitol. Michels said he is focused on the current election and has “made no commitments to any candidates in 2024.”

Kleefisch also condemned the violence of Jan. 6 and said she believes people are responsible for their own actions.

Republicans will “have an assortment to choose from, of incredibly successful people across this country” in 2024, she said, pledging to “deliver our 10 electoral votes for our Republican nominee.”

Ramthun — who has been one of the state’s staunchest backers of the Trump-led effort to overturn the results of the 2020 election — said he supported Trump’s policies and would back the Republican nominee, but wasn’t sure it would be Trump.

“Our republic has a process for elections; people can throw their hat into the ring like we did. And we are going to be vetted by the people, whether there's three or 13 or 33 people running for president in 2024,” Ramthun said. “If he throws his hat in, he's going to have to go through the process again. And to be honest with you, I'm not exactly sure where the nation is right now with regard to whether or not they would vote for him again.”

Asked whether they would sign legislation to decertify the results of Wisconsin’s 2020 presidential election — something nonpartisan lawyers and analysts have repeatedly confirmed is not legally possible — only Kleefisch said no.

“No. It’s not constitutionally possible. And you talk to any constitutional attorney and you consult our constitution statute, and you'll see that there is no path to decertify an election that has already happened,” Kleefisch said. “But the deeper concern here is the fact that there are a lot of people who have deep concerns about whether they should even vote in the future. And if that is the concern then we've got to address it.”

Kleefisch said she would abolish the Wisconsin Elections Commission, noting that she previously sued the agency over guidance it issued for voting during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Michels — a retired Army Ranger — said the oath he took to defend the U.S. Constitution was a lifelong commitment. He said he’s seen movies like “2,000 Mules” and “Rigged” (which perpetuate unfounded claims of widespread voter fraud) and “certainly, there was voter fraud.

“The problem is nobody knows how many fraudulent votes that there were,” Michels said. “Everybody deserves to have the answer. … When I’m sworn in in January, eight months from now, I will look at all the evidence and everything will be on the table, and I’ll make the right decision.”

Ramthun — who has led the decertification push in the Legislature — said he would sign the legislation “the nanosecond it hit my desk.”

First-time voter Zeno Wilson, who will attend the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the fall, asked the candidates how they would convince more college graduates to stay in Wisconsin and mitigate the economic effects of “brain drain.”

“I think you provide a more exciting and vibrant economy and a more exciting and vibrant community,” Michels said. 

“I commend you for going to college. I don't know what you're going to study, but you might want to consider a vo-tech job,” Michels continued. “You know, you can make $100,000 as a welder … and as governor, I want to make sure that we do more vocational training in our high schools. … We're so good at that in Wisconsin, building things with our hands. You can make great money and support your family.”

Ramthun said he would like to see universities lower their costs and see more companies offer tuition reimbursement.

Kleefisch noted that Evers’ appointees to the UW Board of Regents have not been confirmed by the state Senate, and said she would replace them with conservative appointees “so that we keep costs low, and we keep our reputation high.”

Answering the retention question, Kleefisch said she would push the state toward a flat income tax of 3.54% with the eventual goal of eliminating the income tax entirely.

Anna Doty, of Milwaukee, asked the candidates how they can “look at the women in your life and tell them they're not capable and confident enough to make a personal, private and often painful decision.”

“Life begins at conception. Life is a gift from God. It's not the baby's fault how they were conceived. We should do everything we can to save the baby's life and the mother's life if there's a crisis situation,” Ramthun said, adding that women should consider adoption in the case of an unwanted pregnancy. “I really believe that the Lord wants us to stop killing babies.”

Michels said his opposition to abortion is rooted in his faith.

“What I want to do is not just stop abortion — being pro-life means private-public partnerships. So a young lady or a teenage girl that finds herself in an unexpected pregnancy, that she has all the options, that she knows what's going on there, as far as you can keep the baby, and you can get adoption, and there's money there for infants and toddlers to help bridge this difficult time,” Michels said.

Kleefisch said she knows lots of people are “scared and confused after the Dobbs decision (overturning Roe v. Wade) came down,” but she believes life begins at conception and would keep Wisconsin’s law, which bans abortion in virtually all cases except if the mother’s life is in danger.

She said she would also “wrap resources around moms who are facing unexpected pregnancies.”

“But one thing that I don't think women should have to choose between is something that Democrats have been telling me and my daughters our entire lives, which is, if there's an unexpected pregnancy, you must choose between the life of the baby and your own success. It is the most anti-feminist thing I have ever heard and it is a myth,” Kleefisch said. “You can do both. You can have a baby and be successful. And as governor, I'm going to assure that that's exactly what happens in our state.”

Asked what they would do to help the state’s economy bounce back, the candidates discussed energy policy, immigration and taxes.

“We need to start becoming more energy independent,” Ramthun said, adding that he would advocate at the federal level to restart construction on the Keystone Pipeline and for increased border security.

Michels, whose company was working on building the pipeline when Democratic President Joe Biden shut down the project, argued that a lot of inflation is caused at the federal level. He blamed “bad energy policy and too many stimulus dollars.”

“It’s hard for a governor, but I will be a big advocate for having solid, reliable and cheap energy infrastructure throughout Wisconsin and throughout North America. That's good for our economy as well,” Michels said. “The best thing we can do for the people of Wisconsin directly as governor is to lower taxes. I’m putting all the taxes on the table; we're going to look at everything from income tax to sales tax to personal property tax, all of these, and we're going to figure out how we can lower taxes in Wisconsin.”

Kleefisch agreed that the federal government is primarily to blame for inflation, but criticized Evers for keeping federally provided supplemental unemployment assistance payments in place in Wisconsin.

Her answer focused on tax policy, including a pledge to never raise the state’s gas tax, implement a flat income tax rate of 3.54%, eliminate the state’s tax on retirement income and eliminate the personal property tax.

Ozaukee County Board chair Lee Schlenvogt raised concerns from county and municipalities that struggle with state-imposed limits on how much they can raise local taxes.

Michels said he understands the pressure local governments face, but “in business, we just can't raise the top line if we don't have enough money in the middle line, which is our cost line, to have a balanced budget.”

“We have to be frugal. I am a frugal conservative, and I will be very hesitant and I probably will not allow any counties to raise their sales tax,” Michels said.

Kleefisch noted that she has signed the Americans for Tax Reform pledge, which commits her to opposing any tax increases. She also said she would direct state dollars toward increasing the presence of law enforcement and emergency personnel.

Ramthun said he would sit down with local government officials to “find a solution that helps address communities and county governments so they can make ends meet.”

Matt Nink, an educator from Wauwatosa, shared his concerns about an “unprecedented exodus” of teachers, school board members and administrators. Nink asked what the candidates’ administrations would do to make sure K-12 “is set for the next generation.”

“We're going to do universal school choice when I am governor, where your education dollars actually follow the child's education and not buildings and bureaucrats, creating rewarding environments for teachers, where more schools that are better get more funding, because parents are choosing to send their children there. The schools that are failing are the schools that eventually parents are going to shut down,” Kleefisch said.

Ramthun, who is a member of the Kewaskum School Board, advocated for reducing teachers’ workload and getting “back to the basics thinking.” 

“We've got to cut down on bureaucracy and what they have to do behind the desk. I want to get them in front of kids and educate them on the basics for their academic skills so they can become something in society,” Ramthun said.

Michels said the best thing the government can do for teachers is “unencumber them, get rid of the bureaucracy.

“We will not mandate that they have to teach them these social things like CRT. We're going to get back to reading, writing and arithmetic,” Michels said, also sharing a plan to implement universal school choice and bring “competition into the education marketplace.”

To close the discussion, the candidates were asked what makes them the best candidate to defeat Evers.

“I am the people's choice,” Ramthun said. “I'm not beholden to any sort of special interest groups, or lobbying corps. I’m very independent. I am of, by and for the people and that in and of itself makes me the strongest candidate by far.”

Michels said voters need to see someone who is “the stark opposite of Tony Evers,” adding that people want “all of this left garbage to get out of their lives.”

“People are sick and tired of politics as usual. They are ready for a change, and I scream “change” — this guy's different,” Michels said. 

Kleefisch, the only lieutenant governor in U.S. history to survive a recall election, said she has “actually been up against this liberal mob.”

“I faced off against 100,000 protesters in the middle of my chemotherapy. I was willing to lose my job on principle,” Kleefisch said. “It’s that type of steel spine that we need to go up against Tony Evers. It’s that type of leader that we need to lead us into the next era of prosperity, usher in the next conservative renaissance from right here in the state of Wisconsin.”

All three candidates committed to accepting the results of the Aug. 9 primary.

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