Wisconsin 2024 election updates: DeSantis not interested in being Trump's running mate
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
Ahead of the 2024 presidential election, Wisconsin is again one of the most closely watched battleground states. Here are the latest updates in the races to watch:
July 11: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis not interested in being Donald Trump's running mate
In a podcast interview with the conservative news website Wisconsin Right Now, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis told listeners he is the best choice for Wisconsin Republicans in the 2024 GOP presidential primary because he "will beat Joe Biden."
But he also said if he ends up coming up short in the presidential race, he would likely not agree to be a running mate for former President Donald Trump who is polling just one percentage point ahead of DeSantis in a recent survey conducted by Marquette University Law School.
"I'm not a No. 2 guy," DeSantis said in a Tuesday interview. "I think I could probably do more staying (governor of Florida) than being VP which doesn't really have any authority."
DeSantis made the comments the same day he visited the Badger State for two fundraisers held on his behalf, one in Hartland and one in Lake Geneva.
Marquette polling shows 31% of GOP voters surveyed are backing Trump while 30% are supporting DeSantis. Former Vice President Mike Pence and U.S. Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina are trailing with 6% and 5%, respectively.
If the general election were held in June and DeSantis was the Republican nominee, 49% of voters surveyed said they would pick President Joe Biden, who is seeking a second term, according to June polling from Marquette. Forty-seven percent said they would choose DeSantis. Biden's lead widens in a hypothetical matchup against Trump, to 52% for Biden and 43% for Trump.
− Molly Beck
May 16: Democrats launch first attack ads against Derrick Van Orden in 3rd Congressional District reelection bid
National Democrats this week took their first shot at Republican U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden as the freshman lawmaker aims to hold onto the swing district seat he won last year.
House Majority Forward, a non-profit affiliate of Democrats’ House Majority PAC, launched a digital ad Tuesday attacking Van Orden for supporting Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s debt ceiling proposal.
“Defaulting on our debt would crash the economy, and Derrick Van Orden is playing with fire,” the ad says.
The ad claims the House Republican debt ceiling proposal would cut veterans’ benefits by 22% and result in the loss of jobs for schoolteachers and law enforcement officials. It features a picture of Van Orden as the narrator says the bill would “incinerate 800,000 jobs” and eliminate healthcare for millions.
The two parties have sparred for weeks over the impacts of the McCarthy bill, with Democrats accusing Republicans of cutting benefits for veterans and Republicans vehemently denying the accusations.
Those attacks largely stem from the bill’s move to roll back spending to levels in line with fiscal year 2022, which the Office of Management and Budget has said would result in a 22% cut to non-defense discretionary spending. The bill does not detail exact spending cuts by department, and it does not explicitly protect certain programs.
Van Orden, a retired Navy SEAL, has denied the plan would cut veterans’ benefits. He tweeted earlier this month: “The Biden Admin is trying to use our vets as political pawns… Biden is lying and we will not sit by and let him get away with this.”
Democrats and the Biden administration have pushed back on McCarthy’s plan to raise the debt ceiling, and negotiations between the groups is ongoing as a default deadline looms.
House Majority Forward’s digital ad is one of 12 this week that will target Republican districts that Democrats see as vulnerable. It is part of a “$1 million digital, research, and messaging campaign” hitting Republicans for support of the GOP debt ceiling plan, according to a spokesperson.
The move could indicate a renewed focus from Democrats on Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District after the seat flipped red in 2022.
– Lawrence Andrea
April 17: Mike Gallagher is attending a Ron DeSantis event, but aide says that doesn't signal an endorsement in presidential race
U.S. Rep. Mike Gallagher will be among a number of congressional Republicans to meet with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in Washington on Tuesday as DeSantis prepares for an expected run for president.
But an aide to the Green Bay Republican told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that Gallagher’s attendance at the event billed as a “meet and greet and policy discussion” with DeSantis is not an endorsement of the man expected to be a Republican frontrunner in 2024.
“The congressman is briefly attending the event to talk with the Governor about the threat posed by the Chinese Communist Party and update him on the Select Committee’s work,” the aide said, referencing Gallagher’s leading role on the new select committee on China.
A number of other House Republicans, including Chip Roy of Texas and Thomas Massie of Kentucky — both of whom have endorsed DeSantis prior to the official launch of a campaign — are also expected to attend, according to an invite to the event hosted by the pro-DeSantis nonprofit “And To The Republic.”
Gallagher has yet to announce who he will support in a Republican presidential primary. He told Firing Line with Margaret Hoover last month that he does not plan to support former President Donald Trump in 2024.
“I said two years ago that he lost my support. I’m not going to change that,” Gallagher said at the time. “I think we have a ton of really good candidates. My own bias would be for a non-Boomer candidate, a younger candidate.”
“So we’ll see,” he added. “We’re going to have a debate. I look forward to seeing what the candidates have to offer.”
Other Republicans in Wisconsin have signaled their interest in a DeSantis presidential run.
Utah Republican U.S. Sen. Mike Lee and U.S. Reps. Ken Buck of Colorado, Randy Feenstra of Iowa, Bob Good of Virginia, Darin LaHood of Illinois and Laurel Lee of Florida are also expected to attend Tuesday's event.
− Lawrence Andrea
April 14: Libertarian candidate Phil Anderson launches campaign for U.S. Senate
Phil Anderson of Middleton has launched a second campaign for U.S. Senate, the last one running against incumbent Ron Johnson in 2016.
Anderson, who describes himself as "a longtime liberty advocate and torchbearer of restrained government, peace and freedom," announced his campaign at a state convention for the Libertarian Party of Wisconsin.
"The goal of my campaign is to unite people who realize that representative democracy has been broken by corruption," Anderson said in a statement. "We can have different opinions on issues and policies, and that’s healthy − however, it doesn’t matter at all if corporate interests, including and especially the war cartel, control our government, economy, and media."
Anderson said he provides a contrast to incumbent U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, a Democrat from Madison, because he opposes bringing F-35 fighter jets to Madison's U.S. Air Force base and "will fight to end the persecution" of journalists who publish leaked documents, including Seymour Hersh, Julian Assange and Matt Taibbi.
− Molly Beck
April 12: Tammy Baldwin launches re-election bid, setting up 2024 Senate battle in Wisconsin
WASHINGTON – Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin on Wednesday said she is running for re-election, officially setting up what is expected to be a high-profile race in Wisconsin as Democrats attempt to maintain their slim control of the Senate in 2024.
Baldwin, who was widely expected to seek a third term, confirmed her decision in a statement to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
“I'm committed to making sure that working people, not just the big corporations and ultra-wealthy, have a fighter on their side,” Baldwin said. “With so much at stake, from families struggling with rising costs to a ban on reproductive freedom, Wisconsinites need someone who can fight and win.”
Baldwin’s decision to seek re-election is the first major move in Wisconsin as Senate races in other states are already underway. A number of Republicans are considering a challenge to Baldwin, though none have yet declared a 2024 bid.
April 4: Ron DeSantis to visit Wisconsin in May for Republican fundraiser, continue book tour
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who is expected to be a top Republican candidate for president in 2024, will headline a GOP fundraiser in north central Wisconsin next month.
DeSantis will be the special guest speaker at the Republican Party of Marathon County’s Lincoln Day Dinner on May 6, according to an invitation obtained by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The event will be held at the Central Wisconsin Convention and Expo Center in Rothschild.
March 20: Wisconsin Democrats are already sizing up a congressional battleground district in 2024. But questions of national support still loom.
A number of familiar Wisconsin Democrats are quietly considering another bid for a battleground congressional seat that their party lost last year after 26 years under Democratic leadership.
The three top Democratic candidates for Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District in 2022 indicated to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel they were weighing making another challenge against Republican U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden in 2024.
Our subscribers make this reporting possible. Please consider supporting local journalism by subscribing to the Journal Sentinel at jsonline.com/deal.
DOWNLOAD THE APP: Get the latest news, sports and more
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin 2024 election updates: DeSantis not interested in being Trump's running mate
