MILWAUKEE — State Republicans have a lot to talk about when they gather this weekend for their convention. TMJ4'S Chief Political Reporter Charles Benson spoke with the GOP's chair about one change he wants to see in 2024.
Brian Schimming is no stranger to Republican politics. He has been immersed in it for decades, with many titles. But, he has a new one these days as the GOP's state chair, a full-time job he added after the November 2022 election, where Republicans went two for five in statewide elections.
"For my money, what really happened in 2022, is we re-elected Ron Johnson the top target in the country," said Schimming.
This April, Republicans watched as voters overwhelmingly shifted the balance of the state Supreme Court for the first time in 15 years, from conservative to liberal, by electing Judge Janet Protasiewicz.
Despite the setback, Schimming says the party is now focused on 2024.
"As I look at 2024, I always say Wisconsin isn't one of 50 states, we're one to five. The truth is the presidential election in 2024 is going to come down to Wisconsin, Georgia, and Arizona but Wisconsin's always in the mix," Schimming said. "And I like how we are positioned there.”
Part of that strategy for Schimming includes a major shift in getting Republicans more involved in early T voting.
In 2020 Republicans and President Trump lost court battle after court battlechallenging the election results in Wisconsin.
The State Supreme Court did end the use of drop boxes in 2022 for future elections but early voting is still an option for hundreds of thousands of voters.
"Everywhere I've gone in the state, dozens of appearances across the state in the last six months, i'm telling Republicans we cannot wait until Election Day. We cannot be 200,000 votes down on Election Day and expect to make it up in 13 hours. To me, it's not a choice."
Benson: How did you get there? Because that has not been the narrative for Republicans.
Schimming: "It hasn't been the narrative, typically, but I announced literally the first day I became state chairman, that this was going to be a high priority."
State Democrats held their convention last weekend with a 2024 focus on re-electing President Joe Biden and Senator Tammy Baldwin with a three-B strategy.
"All we do has to drive those three B's forward. Baldwin, Biden, and Blue down ballot wins," said Ben Wikler, Chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin."We can do that together when we remember our values when we remember our strengths."
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.