Here are the Republicans who are seeking to unseat Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers in the 2022 election
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Four Republican candidates are vying to defeat Democratic incumbent Gov. Tony Evers, Wisconsin's first-term governor.
The winner of the Aug. 9 primary will face Evers in the general election Nov. 8.
Here are the Republicans you'll see on the primary ballot:
Rebecca Kleefisch
Kleefisch, 46, is running for governor after serving eight years as lieutenant governor to former Republican Gov. Scott Walker. She survived a colon cancer diagnosis during her first campaign in 2010 and fended off a recall in 2012 over Walker's signature law known as Act 10, which effectively eliminated collective bargaining for most public employees.
Now, Kleefisch is running on a platform of abolishing the Wisconsin Elections Commission, expanding the state police force, breaking up the Milwaukee public school district, allowing firearms to be carried in a concealed manner without a license, and expanding private school vouchers in the state.
Tim Michels
Michels, 59, last ran statewide in 2004 for U.S. Senate when he was defeated by the then-incumbent Russ Feingold. Michels now seeks the governor's office after leading his family's construction business, Michels Corp., which is now the largest of its kind in the state.
He served 12 years in the U.S. Army as an Army Ranger. Michels has said if elected he would sign bills that would ban election officials from using private funding, expand taxpayer-funded school vouchers to all students, and bar classroom lessons on systemic racism.
Tim Ramthun
Ramthun, 65, is serving his second term in the state Assembly representing District 59 in eastern Wisconsin. He has worked as a consultant and is running for governor largely on the platform of overturning the results of the 2020 presidential election in Wisconsin.
Ramthun has called to decertify the results of the election, despite it being legally impossible. He also supports keeping abortion illegal in all cases, allowing concealed carry of firearms without licenses, overhauling election rules, and expanding school vouchers to all students.
Adam Fischer
Fischer is a real estate business owner and hobby farmer from Oak Creek who worked as a police officer and describes himself as a "Christian Republican."
Fischer has called for bans on mask and vaccine mandates and the teaching of the academic concept of critical race theory, as well as punishing municipalities that move to cut police funding. He has also called for eliminating all electronic voting machines and implementing 10-year mandatory minimum sentences for felons who commit crimes with firearms, according to his campaign website.
Who's out of the race
Kevin Nicholson
Nicholson, 44, is a management consultant and U.S Marine veteran. He ran in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate in 2018, losing to then-state Sen. Leah Vukmir who ultimately lost the general election to U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin. Nicholson is running for governor as an anti-establishment candidate who has criticized Republican Party leaders and legislative leaders.
He supports banning classroom lessons on systemic racism, making abortion illegal in all cases, allowing the concealed carry of firearms without licenses, expanding private school vouchers and breaking up the Milwaukee public school district.
More: Tommy Thompson won't launch a fifth campaign for Wisconsin governor
Contact Molly Beck at molly.beck@jrn.com. Follow her on Twitter at @MollyBeck.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Republicans running in 2022 Wisconsin governor primary election
