Franmarie Metzler
Tom Tiffany.
The Republican National Committee plans to send 11 'directors' to Wisconsin to work on elections, including the campaign of Congressman Tom Tiffany, the party's endorsed candidate for governor.
Republican legislators and state party leaders outlined for GOP convention delegates the strategies they plan to use to win in Nov. 4 elections, despite high gas prices, the unresolved war with Iran, and President Donald Trump's low standing in state and national polls.
Their statements are available from the gavel-to-gavel convention coverage of WisconsinEye, the nonprofit public service network which may soon shut down because of a lack of funding.
"There are a lot of things we can't control, and there's a lot of things we can control," State Sen. Pat Testin, chair of the Committee to Elect a Republican Senate, told attendees of the Republican Party convention on May 16. "We can create as much insulation [from national issues] for our candidates as possible."
Republicans had an 18-15 margin of control in the Senate last session. But, Testin said, which party controls the Senate in the 2027-2028 session will be decided by elections in four regions — southwest Wisconsin, the Racine and Eau Claire areas, and the Milwaukee suburbs. There is no incumbent in two of those four districts; four other incumbent Republicans are retiring.
Six retirements mean Senate Republicans can "reshape and rebrand" themselves, Testin said.
Republican candidates can't compete with Democrats "dollar for dollar" because of rich donors to that party from residents of Illinois, California, New York and Oregon, Testin said.
But, Testin said, campaign donations Senate Republicans get will go for "laser-guided bunker-buster bombs to get our message through and highlight how radical Democrats are."
This year, Testin said Republicans will be "up on the air sooner" with ads and campaign messages that "define the Democrats before they have the opportunity to define us." Republicans will remind voters that all 15 Senate Democrats voted against a $1.8-billion tax cut and school-aid package, Testin added. (He did not mention the three Republican lawmakers who helped kill the bill in the Senate.)
Another campaign message is "don't Minnesota our Wisconsin," Testin said. "The more that we can highlight that, we're going to be victorious."
Testin is overseeing Republican campaigns because Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu is retiring. If Republicans keep their majority, Testin would be a candidate for majority leader.
Rep. Tony Kurtz, who represented the Assembly's 54-member Republican majority at the convention, conceded that "affordability" is a major campaign issue. "Let's not sugarcoat that."
Kurtz also said Republican candidates will remind voters that Democrats killed the tax cut and school aid package. "We are collecting too much money in this state. We are trying to give some of that money back."
Kurtz said another winning issue for Republicans will be utility rates rising because of solar and other clean-energy projects and a new sales tax exemption on utility bills. "We do need to focus on that."
Republican candidates also want to abolish taxes on tips and overtime pay, Kurtz said.
Overall, Kurtz said, "These are small gestures, but they do make a difference. These are the things we need to talk about when we do doors."
Terry Dittrich, the Waukesha County party chairman who also serves on the Republican National Committee (RNC), said Wisconsin's Nov. 4 elections are a priority for President Trump, who remembers that carrying the state in 2024 elected him president.
Dittrich said the RNC will be sending 11 "directors" to work on Wisconsin elections, which include the campaign of Congressman Tom Tiffany, the party's endorsed candidate for governor.
Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson and state party Chairman Brian Schimming noted that conservatives lost their third straight election for a state Supreme Court seat in the April election, giving liberals a 5-2 majority on the court.
Conservative Judge Maria Lazar lost in April because of the "pitiful" turnout by voters who had supported Trump, Johnson said.
He said Wisconsin Republicans must not engage in a "circular firing squad" — something the party has been "very good at." Johnson said, "If we're going to win, we've got to unify...now."
"April is not November," said Schimming, who promised that the state party will be sending "dozens" of staffers to help local Republicans on campaigns.
Unlike four years ago, Schimming said, "This convention is unified behind one person [for governor] — Tom Tiffany. This convention is unified behind attorney general candidate Eric Toney," the Fond du Lac County district attorney.
President Trump remembers how Wisconsin helped him win the presidency, Schimming added. When he makes pre-election stops in Wisconsin, "I'll be waiting for him on the runway...How many times has Donald Trump been counted out?"
Democratic Party Chair Devin Remiker, in a statement, dismissed the idea of Republican victories this fall. “The GOP is a sinking ship, and Tom Tiffany and every Republican on the ballot this November are going to go down with it. Democrats have proven we know how to win, and Wisconsin voters are going to finish the job by sweeping Republicans out of state government and breaking the GOP's House majority.”
Democrats hold their state convention June 13-14 in Madison.
Steven Walters started covering the Capitol in 1988. Contact him at stevenscotwalters@gmail.com.
