Every political debate needs a bingo card! Especially in Wisconsin. Especially in times like these.
Whether you have been following the candidates every step of the way, or you just tuned in, we hope the Wisconsin Argus Republican Gubernatorial Primary Debate Bingo card helps make your debate watch experience a little more lively and informative!
WARNING! If you decide to make the Wisconsin Argus Bingo Card a drinking game, DO NOT drink every time State Rep. Ramthun calls for the 2020 Election to be decertified! You will die! And everyone from Speaker Robin Vos to Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty's lead attorney says it can’t be done anyway… so don’t die for a lost cause!
What to Watch for in the Republican's Gubernatorial Primary Debate
With the recent withdrawal of Kevin Nicholson from the GOP Primary, the field hoping to unseat incumbent Governor Tony Evers is narrowed to three, all of whom are slated to participate in the debate tonight:
Rebecca Kleefisch, former Lt. Gov. and previously a local TV news anchor
Tim Michels, businessman, co-owner of Michels Corporation
Timothy Ramthun, State Representative
On the whole, all three candidates are remarkably similar on the issues. Three staunch conservatives that are in near lockstep on policy. Any intra-party jabs traded on the debate stage are likely to be over perceived blemishes on their professional records.
A few examples of their similarities:
All 3 candidates are pro-life with NO exceptions for rape, incest, or health of the mother.
All 3 candidates are strong supporters of Donald Trump and his policies (although Michels is the only Trump endorsed candidate, none of the candidates are "never Trumpers" or even remotely shy away from approving of his presidency.
All 3 candidates are strong supporters of the 2nd Amendment and opposed to any talk of gun control legislation.
All 3 candidates are anti-masking and anti-shutdowns
Before announcing his candidacy, Michels was on the board of directors for the Rebecca Kleefisch launched nonprofit group "The 1848 Project" which some would argue was simply a front or "shadow" group for her to unofficially campaign for Governor before she formally announced her candidacy. It goes to show their agreement on issues even though they are now opponents.
All 3 candidates can be expected to criticize incumbent Governor Tony Evers on just about everything but most notably on his handling of the pandemic to the Kenosha Riots, crime in general, and his lack of support for law enforcement.
All 3 candidates call for significant election reform from Voter ID or Photo ID to dropboxes to ballot harvesting and other similar so-called "voter integrity" issues.
Primary Debate: Jabs or Body Blows?
Last week's Democratic Senate Primary Debate saw a few light jabs traded between opponents but most of the haymakers were thrown towards Republican incumbent Senator Ron Johnson.
Republican President Ronald Reagan once said the 11th Commandment was "Thou shalt not speak ill of a fellow Republican." Look for that Commandment to be broken tonight. All 3 of the candidates are not afraid to be aggressive. Michels and Kleefisch in particular are looking for any opportunity to gain an advantage over the other. Both talk a tough game and will not be shy in trading punches with each other. With fewer candidates on stage there will be more time to punch and counterpunch. Look for both frontrunners to use this free TV time to land some body blows! Expect Ramthun to swing big, but mostly miss.
Early Polling
While the candidates are similar on paper, Michels and Kleefisch are the clear frontrunners polling in the high 20's to low 40's depending on the poll. Meanwhile Ramthun regularly polls in single digits and is considered by many to be an outlier candidate.
While many of the Kevin Nicholson supporters may already have decided which candidate to support, the Primary may very well be decided by whether Michels or Kleefisch is more successful in wooing Nicholson supporters into their camp. This debate will be a prime vehicle for each candidate to earn the support of those voters.
Rebecca Kleefisch Strengths
Kleefisch, who was the candidate to beat before Michels entered the race, earned the strongest support from GOP delegates at the Republican Party Convention. While that support doesn't always show up on Primary Election Day, it does mean she has strong support from the most active grassroots Republicans in the state.
Kleefisch has arguably been running for Governor since the Election Day in 2018 when she and Governor Scott Walker lost to now-Governor Tony Evers and now-Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes. During that time, she has enhanced the strong connections with conservatives that she has building over the last 8 years during her two terms as Lt. Gov.
In working with Gov. Walker, her conservative street cred is incredibly strong as they gained national attention for passing Act 10, overcame the pursuant recall election, and oversaw 8 years of strong fiscal conservatism which they claim contributed to the current strong fiscal solvency of the state with a currently overflowing Rainy Day Fund.
Her greatest argument is that for 8 years she was the #2 as Lt. Gov. and is ready to take the lead role. She commonly references how she never backs down to pressure and has overcome the "insiders" to sound like a bit of an outsider who won't go soft on the issues.
As a former television news anchor, Kleefisch is extremely well spoken on the trail and at the debate podium. She can at times come off as overly folksy but she has strong command of her talking points and the conservative base loves her message.
Tim Michels Strengths
As a co-owner of an extremely successful family business, Michels has a legitimate claim to living the issues the other candidates are merely talking about. While in a leadership role at Michels Corporation, the company has grown significantly growing from growing from "a few hundred employees" to over 8,000 employees according to his website.
Michels most notable advantage is that he secured the endorsement from former President Donald Trump. While the Trump endorsement has been hit and miss so far this year in GOP primaries across the country, it is clear in this race that all 4 candidates (including Nicholson) sought and failed to secure the endorsement. So it is valuable in that Michels succeeding in securing the endorsement when it was clearly known all the other candidates wanted it.
Michels previously won the Wisconsin Republican U.S. Senate Primary in 2004 where he would later fall incumbent Senator Russ Feingold in the November Election. That experience, although nearly two decades past, gave Michels strong connections within the conservative base and Republican Party. He was a well-liked candidate, especially on the issues, arguably winning the nomination on his conservatism, not just on personality or drawing a weak slate of opponents.
Perhaps the most unsung advantage that Michels has is that his messaging has been extremely strong. His campaign has communicated clear objectives and policy positions, befitting a candidate who is involved in running a large corporation. If he can replicate his campaign commercials and social media messaging on the debate stage, he could surge to an untouchable lead with just weeks to go before the Primary.
Timothy Ramthun Strengths
As a State Representative, Timothy Ramthun has been one of several elected officials in the State of Wisconsin to keep the Donald Trump conspiracy theories alive. Supporting "The Big Lie" that Trump actually won the 2020 Election is Ramthun's only real relevance. He is a reliably conservative vote in the State Assembly, but fails to resonate with likely Primary voters beyond the single issue of calling for the decertification of the 2020 Presidential Election.
The True Test for Each Candidate?
The true test for Michels will be: Can he go toe-to-toe with Rebecca Kleefisch on the debate stage? While winning debates doesn't always translate to a guaranteed win on Election Day, it can at times shift the tides or tip a couple percentage points. Michels debate experience is quite dated, but he did have decent performances in his GOP Primary debates and against Senator Russ Feingold in the General.
The test for Kleefisch will be: Can she re-establish herself as the toughest candidate who will lead conservatively going forward? In a way, since she has been running in some capacity for nearly 4 years, her candidacy may just be suffering from voter fatigue. Michels is the new face. Kleefisch is, in a way, old news because she has been running for so long. Can she reinvigorate Primary voters or connect with undecided voters to breathe new life into her candidacy?
The test for Ramthun will be: Can he establish credibility to govern? Ramthun, as a long-shot in distant third according to all credible polling, has a last chance to resonate with voters. He has a strong base in Trump supporters who believe that the 2020 Election was stolen and equally believe that it should be decertified (even though numerous credible sources have said that decertification is legally impossible). Can he expand beyond his core supports who are too few to win the Primary? The truth of the matter is that this is highly unlikely.
Primary Election Day is August 9th. The winner will go on to face incumbent Governor Tony Evers in November.
Keep your bingo cards handy! Informed voters will make sure that we all win in November and beyond! Forward!
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