WI-SEN 2022 Megathread: Who stole my cheese?

[S019]

https://wisconsinexaminer.com/brief/johnson-pushes-ivermectin-and-vaccine-conspiracies-while-local-officials-look-for-help-on-infrastructure/

Johnson is still probably a (very slight) favorite, but he's really not doing himself any favors. What's he even getting at with all of these insane comments?

He's a true believer, we already knew this, I think he'll be fine because Wisconsin is a state that should lean red, even in a neutral year, and also it almost voted for Trump after all of the crazy stuff that he said.

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

Really,arch poll had Evers and Nelson leading 48/44 the star voted F for ever Prez and he he only won by 300K, most Ds on Atlas including Pittsburgh has D's winning this race and it's part of blue wall


Jim Jordan and Ron Johnson have been an Insurrectionists

[RussFeingoldWasRobbed]

Yall sound like the people saying Cunninghams scandal wouldn't matter. Johnson has always been quite conservative and outspoken but it wasn't until recently(2020ish) that he really started putting his foot in his mouth. I highly doubt these comments are going to play well in a swing state. (Of course, if Barnes is the nominee it doesn't really matter)

[SnowLabrador]

Yall sound like the people saying Cunninghams scandal wouldn't matter. Johnson has always been quite conservative and outspoken but it wasn't until recently(2020ish) that he really started putting his foot in his mouth. I highly doubt these comments are going to play well in a swing state. (Of course, if Barnes is the nominee it doesn't really matter)

Scandals only matter when Democrats are involved.

[Telesquare]

Kevin Nicholson, who lost the nomination to Vukmir in 2018, says he will run for either Governor or the US Senate depending on whether Johnson runs again.
https://mobile.twitter.com/KevinMNicholson/status/1432145908188188676

[S019]

https://twitter.com/lawindsor/status/1432766974354931719

Ron Johnson says Trump lost due to ticket splitting, perhaps this is an attempt to moderate his image ahead of a re-election bid?

[MT Treasurer]

RoJo's culture warrior shtick has always been fairly performative (with all sides buying into it), so I’m not at all surprised by this. He’s about as much of a 'Trumpist' as Jon Tester is a 'populist.'

[Devils30]

Barnes is a really mediocre looking candidate, he'll appeal to the high dollar donors in NYC but I have real doubts he has a good shot in the general election.

[Brittain33]

Ron Johnson says Trump lost due to ticket splitting, perhaps this is an attempt to moderate his image ahead of a re-election bid?

Or he doesn't want his voters discouraged and not turning out because they believe the vote is rigged.

[Progressive Pessimist]

RoJo's culture warrior shtick has always been fairly performative (with all sides buying into it), so I’m not at all surprised by this. He’s about as much of a 'Trumpist' as Jon Tester is a 'populist.'

And that actually makes him even more reprehensible.

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

Barnes is a really mediocre looking candidate, he'll appeal to the high dollar donors in NYC but I have real doubts he has a good shot in the general election.

Barnes isn't an automatic Insurrectionist, Johnson is in the same position as Collins he protected the Proud Boyz

[MT Treasurer]

RoJo's culture warrior shtick has always been fairly performative (with all sides buying into it), so I’m not at all surprised by this. He’s about as much of a 'Trumpist' as Jon Tester is a 'populist.'

And that actually makes him even more reprehensible.

It’s more effective than (solely) running on stadard conservative economic policy, especially in a state in which base turnout is paramount and the GOP is so reliant on maximizing rural/small-town R votes to offset the unfavorable metro trends and a very energized D base. Granted, if he promotes conspiracy theories about the vaccine while privately believing in its safety, then yes, that would absolutely be reprehensible given that literal lives are at stake and the worst fears are being stoked by such rhetoric. I’d prefer it if politics wasn’t such a dirty business, but alas...

It’s generally not easy to run against candidates who are so skilled at dragging you into their preferred campaign arena and capable of overwhelming you with their branding — you always run the risk of reinforcing your opponent's themes/brand (in this case turning the election into a culture war clash against an 'authentic' warrior who tells it like it is). If I was running against him or against any other politician (including Baldwin) whose appeal is so grounded in their perceived authenticity, I would try to exploit the "Ron Johnson is playing politics with all of us" / "Ron Johnson can’t be trusted to fight for us" / "Ron Johnson never put you ahead of politics" angle more (this episode/recording is emblematic of that). I can certainly see why others would choose a different approach, but continually tying Johnson to the insurrection/Trump also risks playing into his hands if it’s not executed carefully.

[Pericles]

What were those comments he made a few months ago where he sounded really Randian and out of touch? That certainly should be a line of attack, and there are a lot more popular that would be won over by populist economic messaging than turned off by it.

[walleye26]

It would be really nice for everybody if RonJon actually announced something now. Any day now Ron...

[Flyersfan232]

what happen first johnson retires or run for another them or shaprio announce his bid for governor???

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

Johnson is too polarizing to run for Gov don't Rs know what he said praising Proud Boys he praised them, Evers would run all over him

It's hypocritical that Conservates have always maintained Johnson can get reelected and Evers can't and they are elderly

[NewYorkExpress]

Chantia Lewis was indicted on charges of embezzling more than $20,000 in campaign funds and false travel reimbursements from the city of Milwaukee.

Milwaukee Ald. Chantia Lewis, who is running for the U.S. Senate, was charged Tuesday with five criminal counts that accuse her of taking more than $20,000 in campaign funds and false travel reimbursements from the city.   

Lewis is accused of taking money from her campaign account and using it to attend a Florida worship conference, pay tuition for classes at Agape Love Bible College and go on a family trip to the Wisconsin Dells. She also allegedly used campaign funds for basic expenses, such as car and credit card payments, vehicle repairs and rent on a Milwaukee apartment, according to the criminal complaint.

On top of that, the complaint accuses Lewis of making more than 20 inappropriate cash withdrawals from ATMs  totaling $5,590.50 from 2016 to 2020.


In all, the 43-page complaint, filed by Milwaukee County prosecutors, states that Lewis "defrauded the City of Milwaukee and her campaign, collectively, of at least $21,666.70."

Lewis, the vice-chair of the Public Safety and Health Committee, makes a base salary of $73,222 a year as a Common Council member

[walleye26]

Chantia Lewis was indicted on charges of embezzling more than $20,000 in campaign funds and false travel reimbursements from the city of Milwaukee.

Milwaukee Ald. Chantia Lewis, who is running for the U.S. Senate, was charged Tuesday with five criminal counts that accuse her of taking more than $20,000 in campaign funds and false travel reimbursements from the city.   

Lewis is accused of taking money from her campaign account and using it to attend a Florida worship conference, pay tuition for classes at Agape Love Bible College and go on a family trip to the Wisconsin Dells. She also allegedly used campaign funds for basic expenses, such as car and credit card payments, vehicle repairs and rent on a Milwaukee apartment, according to the criminal complaint.

On top of that, the complaint accuses Lewis of making more than 20 inappropriate cash withdrawals from ATMs  totaling $5,590.50 from 2016 to 2020.


In all, the 43-page complaint, filed by Milwaukee County prosecutors, states that Lewis "defrauded the City of Milwaukee and her campaign, collectively, of at least $21,666.70."

Lewis, the vice-chair of the Public Safety and Health Committee, makes a base salary of $73,222 a year as a Common Council member

Dang, you beat me to it

[Drew]

Barnes internal poll shows him as the preferred candidate among primary voters w/37% , compared with single digit percentages for other candidates.  The poll suggests much higher name recognition and favorability as well.  Huge grain of salt, of course, especially with 38% undecided.

https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/571297-internal-poll-shows-barnes-with-29-point-lead-over-democratic-field-in?fbclid=IwAR0Fnu89Ko6A-AZJm1-gGmxjzIhL1hvrv0aKbxdVSy9HMSYeVu1Ee90Tf7I

On a side note, I got a campaign voicemail from Tom Nelson himself today.

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

Great news Sen Barnes

[Mr. Smith]

Yall sound like the people saying Cunninghams scandal wouldn't matter. Johnson has always been quite conservative and outspoken but it wasn't until recently(2020ish) that he really started putting his foot in his mouth. I highly doubt these comments are going to play well in a swing state. (Of course, if Barnes is the nominee it doesn't really matter)

It didn't.

Biden couldn't generate the enthusiasm needed to flip the state, which in turn would've propelled him over, or even given him the goodwill to outrun him.

You could've had  Bowl of Frosted Flakes (D) vs. Punch in the Nose (R) in this race, and as long as Biden couldn't win the entire vote by at least 6, the Punch in the Nose was going to win no matter what.

[Progressive Pessimist]

Yall sound like the people saying Cunninghams scandal wouldn't matter. Johnson has always been quite conservative and outspoken but it wasn't until recently(2020ish) that he really started putting his foot in his mouth. I highly doubt these comments are going to play well in a swing state. (Of course, if Barnes is the nominee it doesn't really matter)

It didn't.

Biden couldn't generate the enthusiasm needed to flip the state, which in turn would've propelled him over, or even given him the goodwill to outrun him.

You could've had  Bowl of Frosted Flakes (D) vs. Punch in the Nose (R) in this race, and as long as Biden couldn't win the entire vote by at least 6, the Punch in the Nose was going to win no matter what.

I actually agree. Cunningham wasn't winning if Biden wasn't either, and vice-versa.

[RussFeingoldWasRobbed]

Yall sound like the people saying Cunninghams scandal wouldn't matter. Johnson has always been quite conservative and outspoken but it wasn't until recently(2020ish) that he really started putting his foot in his mouth. I highly doubt these comments are going to play well in a swing state. (Of course, if Barnes is the nominee it doesn't really matter)

It didn't.

Biden couldn't generate the enthusiasm needed to flip the state, which in turn would've propelled him over, or even given him the goodwill to outrun him.

You could've had  Bowl of Frosted Flakes (D) vs. Punch in the Nose (R) in this race, and as long as Biden couldn't win the entire vote by at least 6, the Punch in the Nose was going to win no matter what.

I actually agree. Cunningham wasn't winning if Biden wasn't either, and vice-versa.

Tillis got less votes than Trump literally everywhere. Heck, Paul Newby who won by .0 got more votes than Tillis. The only reason Cunningham underperformed Biden is because people voted third party who couldn't stomach voting for Tillis, but couldn't bring themselves to vote for Cunningham because of the scandal.

[💥💥 brandon bro (he/him/his)]

Yall sound like the people saying Cunninghams scandal wouldn't matter. Johnson has always been quite conservative and outspoken but it wasn't until recently(2020ish) that he really started putting his foot in his mouth. I highly doubt these comments are going to play well in a swing state. (Of course, if Barnes is the nominee it doesn't really matter)

It didn't.

Biden couldn't generate the enthusiasm needed to flip the state, which in turn would've propelled him over, or even given him the goodwill to outrun him.

You could've had  Bowl of Frosted Flakes (D) vs. Punch in the Nose (R) in this race, and as long as Biden couldn't win the entire vote by at least 6, the Punch in the Nose was going to win no matter what.

I actually agree. Cunningham wasn't winning if Biden wasn't either, and vice-versa.

Tillis got less votes than Trump literally everywhere. Heck, Paul Newby who won by .0 got more votes than Tillis. The only reason Cunningham underperformed Biden is because people voted third party who couldn't stomach voting for Tillis, but couldn't bring themselves to vote for Cunningham because of the scandal.

Comparing vote totals is one thing but I've never seen anybody ever, you know, talk to any of these supposed moralistic anti-Cunningham voters.

Most Senate D candidate ran behind Biden and to my knowledge none of them were having publicized affairs.

[ElectionsGuy]

RoJo's culture warrior shtick has always been fairly performative (with all sides buying into it), so I’m not at all surprised by this. He’s about as much of a 'Trumpist' as Jon Tester is a 'populist.'

And that actually makes him even more reprehensible.

It’s more effective than (solely) running on stadard conservative economic policy, especially in a state in which base turnout is paramount and the GOP is so reliant on maximizing rural/small-town R votes to offset the unfavorable metro trends and a very energized D base. Granted, if he promotes conspiracy theories about the vaccine while privately believing in its safety, then yes, that would absolutely be reprehensible given that literal lives are at stake and the worst fears are being stoked by such rhetoric.

The only thing I've heard him say regarding vaccines is that nobody should be forced to take it, and that not every single person needs it equally. Up until mid-2021, that was a very mainstream position outside of upper-class liberals and not at all a conspiracy. However, it was very much a conspiracy in 2020 to say they were going to mandate vaccines for basic recreational activities like restaurants, or if you work for a company with 101 employees (not 99 though, covid doesn't infect those). Is there something else I'm missing? (asking anyone)