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Wisconsin
Governor
| WISCONSIN |
Nov. 8,
2022 Governor |
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WI Elections Commission
Notes: Gov. Tony Evers (D, seeking a second term, defeated Tim Michels (R), vice president of Michels Corp. and the 2004 GOP nominee for U.S. Senate, in the most expensive governor's race in state history. Joan Ellis Beglinger (I), a nurse and hospital administrator, was on the November ballot as well, but she ended her campaign on Sept. 4, 2022 and endorsed Michels. Cook Political Report and Sabato's Crystal Ball both rated this race as a toss up. In 2020 Wisconsin was the third closest state in the presidential election; Biden won by 20,682 votes (0.63 percentage points). In the post-election period, Trump put a major focus on Wisconsin in his effort to overturn the election (+). More than a year and a half later, state Republicans were continuing to investigate the 2020 election [PDFs1, 2], making claims filled with "many inaccuracies and misrepresentations (+)." Much was at stake. In the 2021-22 legislative session, Evers vetoed a record number of bills passed by the Republican-controlled legislature. Morning Consult's survey showed Evers was the second most unpopular governor seeking re-election in 2022 (>). Evers and Michels participated in just one debate, hosted by the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association, as the studios of WISC-TV in Madison on Oct. 14 (>). Former President Trump did not make a fall appearance in Wisconsin, but Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis headlined a Turning Point Action rally with Michels and Sen. Ron Johnson in Green Bay on Sept. 18 (>) and Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin campaigned with Michels in Waukesha and Green Bay on Oct. 26. Former President Barack Obama campaigned with Wisconsin Democrats at North Division High School in Milwaukee on Oct. 29 (+). On Nov. 3, Wisconsin Democracy Campaign reported its preliminary review put total spending by candidates and groups at $114.6 million, including in the primary. The Evers campaign spent $37.0 million and the Michels campaign $24.5 million. Michels had the benefit of significant self-funding; including the primary he put more than $15 million into his campaign. Express advocacy groups spent $45.3 million, led by the Republican Governors Association aligned Right Direction Wisconsin PAC at $9.3 million. In his victory speech, Evers declared "boring wins" (>). While Republicans maintained control of both chambers of the state legislature, Democrats staved off their efforts to gain a supermajority, which would have allowed them to override Evers' vetoes. August 9 Primaries [primary literature] Evers was unopposed in the Aug. 9 Democratic primary. Democrats nominated Assemblywoman Sara Rodriguez (District 13, Wauwatosa/Brookfield) as their candidate for lieutenant governor. Five candidates sought the Republican nomination for governor in a closely fought race. Election security was one of the top issues during the GOP primary campaign. There was even some support for "de-certification" of the 2020 results, which legal experts said could not be done. Former Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch entered the race on Sept. 10, 2021 (>). Kleefisch was elected lieutenant governor in 2010, prevailed in the 2012 recall election, and won re-election in 2014, serving with Gov. Scott Walker. Kevin Nicholson, a management consultant and Marine Corps combat veteran who ran for U.S. Senate in 2018 losing to Leah Vukmir, considered running for U.S. Senate again—if Sen. Ron Johnson retired—or for governor. Nicholson formed a nonprofit No Better Friend Corp. that laid the groundwork for his campaign including running ads on TV and Facebook. (The ostensible mission of the 501(c)(4) was "growing the conservative movement and advocating for conservative policies in Wisconsin.") Nicholson announced he would run for governor on Jan. 27, 2022. He suspended his campaign on July 5 but remained on the ballot. State Rep. Timothy Ramthun announced on Feb. 12, 2022. He has worked as a business consultant since 2010 and has extensive experience in business and IT. Ramthun argues that the 2020 presidential election was hijacked. On Jan. 25, 2022 he introduced a resolution, AJR120, describing the 2020 election as "one of the most haphazard, controversial, and poorly managed elections in state history" and seeking to "reclaim" Wisconsin's 10 electoral votes. He re-introduced the measure in July. Tim Michels, vice president of Michels Corp., a family owned construction company based in Brownsville, announced on Apr. 25, 2022 (>). Michels is a U.S. Army veteran. He ran unsuccessfully for state Senate in 1998, and was the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in 2004, losing to Sen. Russ Feingold. Former President Trump endorsed Michels in a June 3 statement. Adam Fischer, a Christian Republican and "pissed off American," has worked as an account executive in laundry and uniform services and previously served as a police officer for six years. On May 21 at the Wisconsin Republican Convention in Middleton (>) delegates voted not to make an endorsement in the primary; 60% was required for an endorsement and Kleefisch obtained 54%. Kleefisch, Nicholson and Ramthun debated in Howard (Brown Co.) on June 27 (>); Michels gave the debate a miss and was represented by an empty podium. Kleefisch, Michels and Ramthun debated on July 24 at Marquette's Varsity Theatre hosted by TMJ4 (>). Former Vice President Mike Pence and former Gov. Scott Walker appeared with Kleefisch at a law enforcement event in Pewaukee on Aug. 3, while Trump rallied with Michels and other candidates in Waukesha on Aug. 5 (>). When the votes were tallied, Michels won 47.15% followed by Kleefisch (42.02%), Ramthun (6.00%), Nicholson (3.59%) and Fischer (1.17%). State Sen. Roger Roth (District 19, Appleton) topped the field of eight candidates competing for the lieutenant governor nomination. Michels had the advantage of significant self-funding, spending millions of his own money in the primary. Pre-primary campaign finance filings showed that through July 27 the Michels campaign had receipts of $10.8 million and disbursements of $10.6 million, compared to receipts of $4.1 million and disbursements of $6.1 million for the Kleefisch campaign and receipts of just under $190,000 and disbursements of about $120,000 for Ramthun. Campaign Managers: Tony Evers: Cassi Fenili (Jan. 2021...senior advisor from July 2019-Jan. 2021) Senior advisor to the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, July 2019-Dec. 2020. Director of gubernatorial appointments to Gov. Evers, Jan.-July 2019. Deputy campaign manager on Tony for Wisconsin, Aug. 2017-Dec. 2018. Party affairs director for the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, Oct. 2015-July 2017; surrogates director for the Wisconsin Coordinated Campaign, Aug.-Nov. 2016. Human resources assistant at St. Mary's Hospital in Madison, Jan.-Oct. 2015. Deputy finance director (Sept. 2013-Aug. 2014) and deputy membership director (May 2010-Sept. 2013) at the Democratic Party of Wisconsin. B.A. in political science, social welfare from University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2012. Tim Michels: Patrick McNulty Committee clerk and policy advisor to Sen. Kooyenga, 2019. Campaign manager on Assemblyman Dale Kooyenga for State Senate (WI), June-Dec. 2018. Legislative correspondent (Sept. 2017-May 2018) and staff assistant (May 2016-Aug. 2017) to Rep. Paul Ryan. B.A. in political science, communication from Valparaiso University, 2016. From Waukesha. See also: Scott Bauer. "Michels: Trump assured him no campaign visit needed." AP, Nov. 29, 2022. Tony Dabruzzi. "Tony Evers handily won reelection, so how did he do it?" Spectrum News 1, Nov. 11, 2022. Press Release. "Spending in Wisconsin Gov Race Smashes Record." Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, Nov. 3, 2022. Shawn Johnson. "Tony Evers, Tim Michels agree: Evers' veto pen is the only obstacle for more than 100 GOP bills." Wisconsin Public Radio, Oct. 18, 2022. Molly Beck and Daniel Bice. "Group reports $55 million in TV ad buys in Wisconsin governor's race, making it the most expensive in the country." Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Sept. 30, 2022. Sarah Lehr. "Wisconsin governor's race: Michels continues to pour millions of his own dollars into campaign." Wisconsin Public Radio, Sept. 27, 2022. Matt Smith. "No endorsement in Republican primary for governor at Wisconsin convention." WISN, May 21, 2022. Wisconsin Campaign Finance Information System |
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