MADISON, Wis. — With just one week to go until the August primary, the field of Republican candidates vying to be governor will soon be narrowed to just one.
Who that will be is ultimately up to you — the voter.
With the former president and vice president backing candidates in the race, a lot of attention is on who advances to challenge Democratic Gov. Tony Evers in November.
Former Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch, who served in the Walker administration, is trying to become the first female governor in Wisconsin history. Kleefisch jumped into the race early last September.
“We’re having this primary, everybody’s getting vetted, but what I can honestly say is you know, I have been through this before,” Kleefisch said.
Kleefisch, who is no stranger to public life, is a bit of an open book.
“I was a news reporter before I was a stay-at-home mom and small business owner before I was lieutenant governor, and so my entire life has kind of been shared with the people of Wisconsin from the time I was on the news,” Kleefisch explained.
She also shares her life with her husband and two daughters.
“I am a mom and a wife,” Kleefisch said. “Our family is on a budget. We’re middle class, live in the middle of the country.”
While that experience may resonate with a lot of Wisconsinites, Kleefisch said she believes her previous public service is what sets her apart from her opponents.
“There’s a good shared experience there, but the experience actually having reformed government is going to be really useful on day one when we need to undo a lot of bad things that have happened under Gov. Tony Evers,” Kleefisch said.
For Kleefisch, there are three main priorities on her to-do list if elected.
“Affordability and getting crime under control, and education — universal school choice,” Kleefisch said.
There isn’t just one thing that got Kleefisch into the race for governor. However, with her daughters at home while schools were shuttered, the pandemic put things into perspective.
“I got frustrated,” Kleefisch explained. “The same as so many other moms across the state, and one day, when my kids ask me, ‘Mom, what did you do when the world was on fire?’ I can honestly say everything I could.”
Former Gov. Scott Walker has been one of Kleefisch’s longest, most loyal supporters. However, she has also picked up endorsements from former Vice President Mike Pence and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who won Wisconsin in the 2016 presidential primary.
It’s also full speed ahead for Tim Michels and his team at their campaign headquarters in West Allis.
Michels refers to himself as a “political outsider.” However, he is no stranger to Wisconsinites either.
“Tim Michels is a 59-year-old man who was born and raised in a small town in northern Dodge County,” Michels said when asked to describe himself.
Michels has spent several years at the helm of his family’s construction company, the Michels Corporation, which has more than 8,000 employees.
“When you take care of your people, and you prove yourself, that you’re a problem solver, you can become a candidate for governor that is leading, and that is going to win, and that is going to provide great leadership for the next four years,” Michels said.
Michels, who entered the race in April, said the leadership experience he gained during his 12 years on active duty as a ranger in the Army has prepared him to lead.
“If we have the ability, if we have the skills and the assets, and you know, the desire to make a difference, and we don’t do that, then shame on us,” Michels explained. “So we decided that we’re going to do something about the direction we feel, the wrong direction, that we feel America is headed, and that Wisconsin is headed.”
If elected, Michels said he would put a stop to outside money and so-called ballot harvesting.
“My number one priority is to make sure that we have election integrity here in Wisconsin because it’s good for all Wisconsinites,” Michels said.
Reducing crime and universal school choice round out Michels’ top three campaign promises.
“Your word is your bond, and I sign contracts that are this thick at Michels, hundreds of pages, but if I shake your hand, and I say I’m going to do something, it’s as good as gold, and I think that’s how I got to where I am today,” Michels said.
So far, Michels has been endorsed by former President Donald Trump and former Gov. Tommy Thompson. However, Michels said that hasn’t changed what he is doing or how he is going about it.
As for the other side of the ballot, incumbent Gov. Tony Evers doesn’t have a primary challenger.