The Capitol Report, produced by WisPolitics.com — a nonpartisan, Madison-based news service that specializes in coverage of government and politics — provides a weekly analysis of issues being debated in Wisconsin state government. It is underwritten by the WNA and produced exclusively for its members. WisPolitics.com President Jeff Mayers is a former editor and reporter for the Associated Press and a former political writer for the Wisconsin State Journal.
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Donald Trump has been indicted.
But many state GOP activists still like him.
That’s according to a WisPolitics.com straw poll at the state GOP convention in La Crosse on Father’s Day weekend.
Just under 53 percent (169 votes) of those participating in the straw poll said they backed Trump in the presidential race. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was second with 34 percent (109 votes).
No one else was close to the two.
Wisconsin is at the center of the presidential race over the next year and a-half. This August, the first GOP primary debate will be held in Milwaukee. Next summer, the Republican National Convention will be in Milwaukee, while Democrats will be in Chicago presumably to nominate President Joe Biden. And then in November 2024 Biden will try to win Wisconsin again, as he did narrowly vs. Trump in 2020.
Evidence of Wisconsin’s importance: DeSantis is planning a July 11 visit to Waukesha for a fundraiser. It will be DeSantis’ first trip to Wisconsin since he spoke to the Marathon County GOP in early May.
The other big race on the 2024 ballot is the U.S. Senate contest. Democrat incumbent Tammy Baldwin will be seeking a third six-year term.
But no candidates have formally declared their intention to run for the GOP Senate nomination.
U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, of Minocqua, has been looking at a run. He was activists’ top choice among possible candidates. Tiffany was the choice of 35 percent of those who answered the U.S. Senate question (301), with 106 votes. Former Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke was preferred by 19 percent, with 57 votes cast in his favor.
State GOP officials reported that approximately 650 people registered for the weekend’s convention.
Earlier in the weekend Tiffany told reporters at the state GOP convention that he sees the upcoming presidential primary as a “two-way race” between DeSantis and Trump.
The Minocqua Republican declined to say his preferred candidate.
He said it’s important for candidates to be competitive in the post-primary period.
“So I think any statewide candidate, you got to be able to show that you can fund your campaign the day after that primary, and that you’re prepared to go toe-to-toe.”
He also said state Democrat Party Chair Ben Wikler has done a good job of convincing out-of-state donors that Wisconsin is “ground zero” in every election.
Tiffany conceded Baldwin will be very difficult to beat considering her ability to attract out-of-state money.
“But I think she’s also very vulnerable because she’s a career politician. People are tired of career politicians,” Tiffany, a former state rep who has held state and federal office for 12 years, said.
He argued Baldwin has offered no solutions to issues like crime and border security. He said he will make a formal decision whether to run in the coming months.
Democrats are ready if Tiffany runs. They have launched a website targeting Tiffany as an extremist with an “ultra-MAGA agenda.”
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The Capitol Report is written by the editorial staff at WisPolitics.com, a nonpartisan, Madison-based news service that specializes in coverage of government and politics and is distributed for publication by members of the Wisconsin Newspaper Association.
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