REBECCA KLEEFISCH

In battleground Wisconsin, Donald Trump’s pick for governor defeated the favorite of the Republican establishment.

Donald Trump reasserted his grip on Republicans in Wisconsin’s primary, but both Democrats and Republicans say that the former president’s involvement in the state’s key races for governor and U.S. Senate could come back to hurt them in the swing state.

Special elections can be predictive of the general election, and so far Democrats have been performing better than expected.

Tim Michels defeated former Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch and will face Democratic Gov. Tony Evers in the November midterm elections.

(AP Photo/Morry Gash, File) (Morry Gash)MADISON, Wis. — (AP) — Tim Michels, a wealthy businessman endorsed by former President Donald Trump, won the Republican primary for Wisconsin governor on Tuesday and will face Democratic Gov. In his victory speech, Michels said the race will be about “standing up for the hardworking people of Wisconsin. Evers' campaign called Michels “the most extreme and divisive nominee possible, one that will tell Donald Trump anything just to keep his endorsement. Wisconsin's most powerful Republican, state Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, held off a Trump-backed challenger. He lost the 2004 Senate race to Democratic Sen. Russ Feingold, and has been a major donor to GOP politicians.

The GOP primary in Wisconsin one of four of states where voters cast ballots Tuesday in primaries highlighting internal divisions.

Mandela Barnes won the Democratic Senate primary on Tuesday and will face two-term Republican Sen. Ron Johnson in what is expected to be one of the country's most competitive races for control of the U.S. Senate. But the most-watched races are in Wisconsin, where Trump has kept up his pressure campaign to cancel President Joe Biden's 2020 victory. Both Michels and Kleefisch have said overturning the 2020 election results is not a priority. He lost the 2004 Senate race to Democratic Sen. Russ Feingold, and has been a major donor to GOP politicians. The race for Senate already was seen as a fight between Johnson and Barnes, who would be Wisconsin's first Black senator if elected.

Election 2022-Wisconsin Mandela Barnes leaves the voting area after casting his vote Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022, at GreenTree Preparatory Academy in Milwaukee. Barnes is the Democratic candidate running for U.S. Senate. Mandela Barnes won the Democratic Senate primary on Tuesday and will face two-term Republican Sen. Ron Johnson in what is expected to be one of the country's most competitive races for control of the U.S. Senate. He lost the 2004 Senate race to Democratic Sen. Russ Feingold, and has been a major donor to GOP politicians. The race for Senate already was seen as a fight between Johnson and Barnes, who would be Wisconsin's first Black senator if elected.

Wisconsin, Minnesota, Vermont and Connecticut are holding primary elections Tuesday to decide who's on the ballot for the November midterms.

Wisconsin's Republican primary for governor between Tim Michels and Rebecca Kleefisch could determine the future of the GOP in the state and whether the party can defeat Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat.

Election 2022 FILE - From left, Rebecca Kleefisch, Tim Michels and Timothy Ramthun participate in a televised Wisconsin Republican gubernatorial debate on July 24, 2022, in Milwaukee. Both candidates falsely claim the 2020 election was rigged, though Kleefisch has said decertifying the results is "not constitutional," while Michels said "everything will be on the table." But the most-watched races will be in Wisconsin, where Trump has kept up his pressure campaign to cancel President Joe Biden's 2020 victory. Both Michels and Kleefisch have said overturning the 2020 election results is not a priority. In the Senate race, Barnes is the overwhelming favorite after rivals including Milwaukee Bucks executive Alex Lasry quit the race.

Businessman Tim Michels has won Wisconsin's Republican nomination to take on Democratic Gov. Tony Evers.

Wisconsin is one of four states holding primaries on Tuesday, along with Connecticut, Vermont and Minnesota.

The Republican gubernatorial primary is one of the biggest races on Tuesday’s ballot, which also includes a Democratic primary for U.S. Senate. (AP Photo/Scott Bauer) (Scott Bauer)MADISON, Wis. — (AP) — Republican candidate for governor Rebecca Kleefisch downplayed Donald Trump's endorsement and rally for her opponent during her final campaign push across Wisconsin Monday, and declined to respond to the former president's criticisms. Kleefisch faces Trump-endorsed Tim Michels in Tuesday's primary, with the winner advancing to face Democratic Gov. Trump derided Kleefisch as "a career politician and a political insider" during a rally for Michels in suburban Milwaukee on Friday night. Both Kleefisch and Michels say decertifying the 2020 presidential election won by President Joe Biden in Wisconsin is not a priority.

Republican candidate for governor Rebecca Kleefisch is downplaying Donald Trump’s endorsement and rally for her opponent on a final campaign push across Wisconsin, declining to respond to the former president’s criticisms.

Unlike most Trump-endorsed candidates for governor, Tim Michels has avoided addressing whether he would certify the 2024 presidential election or attempt the legally impossible feat of reversing Trump’s 2020 loss.

Crime has emerged as the biggest issue in Rep. Omar's Democratic primary. In the GOP primary to take on Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal, the party has endorsed former state House Minority Leader Themis Klarides. Democratic U.S. Rep. Peter Welch, the state's at-large congressman, quickly launched his Senate bid after Leahy revealed he was stepping down. Molly Gray and state Senate President Pro Tempore Becca Balint, are the top Democratic candidates in the race. The winner of the Democratic primary will be the heavy favorite to win the general election in the liberal state.

The Republican matchup in the Wisconsin gubernatorial race in Tuesday's primary elections features competing candidates endorsed by former President Donald Trump and his estranged vice president, Mike Pence.

Election 2022 Wisconsin Governor FILE - From left, Rebecca Kleefisch, Tim Michels and Timothy Ramthun participate in a televised Wisconsin Republican gubernatorial debate on July 24, 2022, in Milwaukee. Now Tim Michels is in a competitive race against Kleefisch heading into Tuesday's primary to decide who will face Democratic Gov. A third Republican candidate for governor, state Rep. Tim Ramthun, has repeatedly called for decertification and made it the centerpiece of his longshot campaign. Wisconsin is the third state where Pence and Trump have been on opposite sides in governor's races that highlighted deep divisions about the GOP’s future. Both Kleefisch and Michels support the ban and the law, which is being challenged in court by Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul.

Republican hopes to reclaim a crucial governor’s seat in swing-state Wisconsin this year long appeared to rest on Rebecca Kleefisch.

Trump plans to hold a rally Friday for Tim Michels just miles from where Pence appeared for Kleefisch in conservative Waukesha County, a Milwaukee suburb that's long been key to Republicans. Kleefisch served as Walker's lieutenant governor for eight years, and Pence and Walker have been close political allies for years. “There is no candidate for governor in America who is more capable, more experienced, or a more proven conservative than Rebecca Kleefisch," Pence said. “Your next governor needs to be a proven conservative who has stood in the pocket for Wisconsin in the past and that's Rebecca Kleefisch.”The Pence visit comes during a sprint leading up to Tuesday's primary. Wisconsin is the third state where Pence and Trump have supported different candidates in Republican gubernatorial primaries.

Former Vice President Mike Pence is campaigning with his pick in battleground Wisconsin’s Republican gubernatorial primary, calling Rebecca Kleefisch “a proven conservative” as she faces an opponent endorsed by Donald Trump.

In May, Cruz also endorsed Mo Brooks, the Alabama congressman and former Trump diehard who once had the former president's backing.

The debate between Trump-backed Tim Michels, Rebecca Kleefisch and state Rep. Tim Ramthun came just over two weeks before the Aug. 9 primary. A Marquette University Law School poll last month showed Michels and Kleefish in a tight race, with the winner advancing to take on Democratic Gov. Tony Evers.

Swing state contests could shift the party balance and give the GOP more power, but election deniers could be the face of the party in some key races

Wisconsin Democrats gathering for their annual state convention this weekend are focused on reelecting Gov. Tony Evers and defeating Republican Sen. Ron Johnson.

The bipartisan Wisconsin Elections Commission voted unanimously to allow construction company co-owner Tim Michels to appear on the ballot. Michels entered the race in late April, joining three other candidates vying for the Republican nomination: former Lt. Gov. Trump endorsed Michels this month, calling him in an email an "America First Conservative" who will support gun rights and police and stand against what Trump called "the woke mob." Two days later, the state Democratic Party filed a complaint with the elections commission alleging that Michels used the wrong address on his nomination papers. Michels has called for eliminating the elections commission.

Wisconsin Republican Convention Gubernatorial candidate and former Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch addresses the audience during the Republican State Convention in Middleton, Wis., Saturday, May 21, 2022. (Ebony Cox/Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel via AP) (Ebony Cox)MIDDLETON, Wis. — (AP) — Wisconsin Republicans voted Saturday not to endorse anyone for governor ahead of the GOP primary in August, with former Lt. Gov. The Republican endorsement has been highly sought after because it unlocks funding from the state party, which can then spend as much as it wants on the winner. A Republican governor would give the GOP the power to enact any laws it wished.

Wisconsin Republicans agreed Saturday to have a “no endorsement” option when voting on whether to throw the party's official backing behind a candidate in the hotly contested governor's race. The top candidates in the governor's race were slated to make their pitch later Saturday for an endorsement to more than 1,500 delegates attending the annual convention near Madison. Winning the endorsement requires support from 60% of delegates.

Turmoil over the 2020 election has split Republicans in both Upper Midwest battlegrounds, putting voting issues front and center. But will voters care more about that than inflation?

Election 2022 Wisconsin Governor FILE - Wisconsin Republican U.S. Senate candidate Tim Michels speaks before an event Oct. 15, 2004, in Oshkosh, Wis. Business owner Tim Michels filed paperwork Friday April 22, 2022, to run in the Republican primary for Wisconsin governor, arriving late to a crowded field, but with the personal wealth to back a campaign. (AP Photo/Morry Gash, File) (MORRY GASH)BROWNSVILLE, Wis. — (AP) — Republican Tim Michels, a multimillionaire construction company co-owner who last ran for office nearly two decades ago, cast himself as an outsider candidate in launching his campaign for Wisconsin governor Monday to take out Democratic Gov. Michels, who along with his brothers runs his family business Michels Corp., could inject millions of his own wealth and shake up the primary race, which early polls have shown Kleefisch leading. Michels focused on Evers, not any of his Republican challengers, in his first statement as a candidate. Michels planned his first campaign event for Monday afternoon at Michels Corp.'s maintenance facility in Brownsville, just down the road from where he grew up.

Republican Tim Michels, a multimillionaire construction company co-owner who last ran for office nearly two decades ago, has launched his campaign for governor in Wisconsin.

Republican Tim Michels, a multimillionaire construction company co-owner who last ran for office nearly two decades ago, cast himself as an outsider candidate in launching his campaign for Wisconsin governor Monday to take out Democratic Gov. Tony Evers. Michels, 59, joins a crowded field of GOP candidates, including former Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch, business owner Kevin Nicholson and state Rep. Timothy Ramthun. Michels, who along with his brothers runs his family business Michels Corp., could inject millions of his own wealth and shake up the primary race, which early polls have shown Kleefisch leading.

Election 2022 Wisconsin Governor FILE - Tommy Thompson talks in West Salem, Wis., on March 18, 2016. The winner of the Aug. 9 Republican primary will advance to face Gov. “I know I have the vision, drive and vitality to serve another term as governor,” Thompson said. Nicholson ran for U.S. Senate in 2018, losing the Republican primary to Leah Vukmir. Before that, Thompson won election four times as governor — the most in state history — and served from 1987 until 2001.

Republican former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson announced Monday that he won't run again in a bid to take on the Democratic incumbent in the battleground state.

Kleefisch, a Republican, took the unusual step of endorsing 48 school board candidates in The school board elections Tuesday, April 5, in Wisconsin. Rebecca Kleefisch, a Republican candidate for governor, took the unusual step of endorsing 48 school board candidates. It also shows that key voters in Milwaukee's suburbs, who were uncomfortable voting for Donald Trump, swung back and voted for conservatives in the school board races, he said. Republicans also saw wins beyond school board races. — Three candidates endorsed by the teachers union in La Crosse, including the incumbent school board president, defeated conservative challengers.

MADISON, Wis. — (AP) — A divided Wisconsin Supreme Court on Friday rejected Republican gubernatorial candidate Rebecca Kleefisch's request that it take her lawsuit challenging guidance over absentee ballot boxes, an issue the court is already considering in another case. The court in June also refused to take another legal challenge to ballot boxes before lower courts had heard the case, which was brought by a conservative business owner. The Supreme Court already agreed to hear a similar ballot box case filed by the conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty. An appeals court’s ruling put the lower court order on hold until after the Feb. 15 primary. The Supreme Court agreed to keep that stay in place and will hold arguments later.

Election-2022-Wisconsin-Governor FILE - Republican U.S. Senate candidate Kevin Nicholson stands at his podium during his debate with fellow candidate Leah Vukmir, Thursday, July 26, 2018, in Milwaukee. Nicholson, a former Marine and losing candidate for U.S. Senate is running for governor in Wisconsin, Thursday, Jan. 27, 2022, setting up what is expected to be a costly and contentious Republican primary. An expensive and bruising Republican primary would be good news for Gov. Nicholson has already clashed with Republicans, including both Kleefisch and Assembly Speaker Robin Vos who last week urged Nicholson not to run. But when Republican Sen. Ron Johnson announced earlier this month that he would seek reelection, Nicholson pivoted to run for governor.

The writing has been on the wall for a while. Now Republicans in some states are moving forward with actual proposals.

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers is known for his folksy demeanor, sprinkling his speeches with “by gollys” and the occasional PG-rated swear word.

The former state Supreme Court justice who is reviewing the election for Assembly Republicans said he may soon ask for more taxpayer funding.

Wisconsin Republicans are working to discredit the bipartisan system they created to run elections in the state after President Joe Biden narrowly won last year's presidential race.

An 8-year-old boy is the sixth person to die as a result of a man driving his SUV into a suburban Milwaukee Christmas parade.

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers called for peaceful protests in the wake of the verdict.

Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes has joined the crowded Democratic field for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Republican Sen. Ron Johnson.

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers is making it official, announcing his bid for a second term in the battleground state where he stands as a Democratic block to the Republican-controlled state Legislature.

Priebus would only consider running for Senate if incumbent Republican Ron Johnson did not seek a third term, the strategist said. Some began reaching out to Priebus after conservative talk radio host Jay Weber floated Priebus' name, the strategist said. Priebus served as Trump's chief of staff for the first six months of Trump's term in 2017 before being fired. Priebus last voted in Wisconsin in the 2016 presidential election, when Trump narrowly won the state. AdPriebus, a native of Kenosha, was head of the Wisconsin Republican Party between 2007 and 2009 before spending the next six years as chairman of the Republican National Committee.