Assembly Speaker Robin Vos' refusal to decertify 2020 election pushes Donald Trump to endorse primary opponent
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MADISON – Donald Trump on Tuesday took his most aggressive step yet in a one-sided war the former president has waged for more than a year against Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, endorsing the Republican leader's little-known primary opponent because of Vos' refusal to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
In a statement to his supporters, Trump said Vos' opponent, Adam Steen, was a "rising patriotic candidate" and blasted Vos on a number of fronts, including for publicizing a photo the two had taken together on Trump's plane in campaign literature.
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"Speaker Vos had 17 years to prove to Wisconsin residents that he has their best interest in mind, but even in his own campaign efforts, Vos has tried to mislead his constituents, sending out mailers that feature a picture he took with me — trying to make voters believe I am a Vos supporter, which I am not," Trump said in his endorsement of Steen.
Vos has emerged as a target of Trump and his supporters for their ire over Trump's loss to Joe Biden in Wisconsin by about 21,000 votes. Vos launched a taxpayer-funded review of the election, which has cost more than $1 million since it began last year, but he has refused to entertain Trump's claims that the state Legislature can decertify the 10 electoral votes cast for Biden.
"As a conservative, I believe in upholding the constitution. That's why I won't take the impossible step to overturn the 2020 election. My opponent is singularly focused on winning this primary so he can overturn the 2020 election," Vos said in a statement.
"This endorsement changes nothing because the only endorsements that matter are the ones that come from the voters in Racine County. I will continue to knock on doors and discuss the issues they care about."
Steen did not return a phone call.
The announcement comes days before Trump is scheduled to visit Wisconsin to stump for his endorsed candidate for governor, Tim Michels, in a Waukesha County rally.
Trump's now-estranged vice president Mike Pence also will visit the conservative-leaning county on behalf of Rebecca Kleefisch.
Kleefisch and Michels are locked in a tight primary race for governor and in recent days have distanced themselves from Trump, even ahead of the former president's visit.
During a town hall candidate forum in Milwaukee, Kleefisch, Michels and state Rep. Tim Ramthun declined to say they would back Trump for president in two years when. The candidates were responding to a question from a Republican voter over whether they would support another Trump run for president in light of his actions during the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
"It hasn't changed a single thing that I've been doing since I've been in this race," Michels said at the forum hosted by WISN (Channel 12) about his endorsement from Trump.
"Now, 2024 — I'm focused on this election right now. I have made no commitments to any candidates in 2024. What I'm focusing on is beating Tony Evers."
Michels reversed course on Tuesday, promising in a tweet to back Trump in 2024.
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: Donald Trump endorses Robin Vos primary opponent Adam Steen
