MILWAUKEE — Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson is out with his first campaign ads after announcing over the weekend he would seek a third term.
The short videos paint a dire picture of the state of America, and Johnson puts the blame on Democrats.
"Our country is in trouble," he says in the opening of one ad. He goes on to note a "growing number of murders in Milwaukee and the Waukesha Christmas parade turned into a terrible tragedy."
Events, he suggests, that are the result of Democrat policies.
The ads also play with scenes of a burning American flag, riots and crowds of people at the border.
"If you were in a position to make your country safer and stronger, would you just walk away?" asks Johnson.
Well, we know his answer now.
Democrats, in this state and nationally, contend that Johnson, and Republican Party, have actually fueled the division in America.
"Part of that path is because of his lies, his inaction and inability to lead for the constituents of Wisconsin," said Charles Manning, a Milwaukee area healthcare worker. "Ron Johnson has led us down this path. It's that simple."
Manning was one of a handful of Wisconsin voters organized by the Wisconsin Democratic Party to react to Johnson's decision to seek a third term.
Dr. Jeff Huebner is another.
"He has led the Covid-19 disinformation charge, undermining our vaccine response and encouraging people to take dangerous alternative treatments," said Hueber, a family doctor in Madison.
More than anything, so far, Johnson has been attacked by Democrats for his decision to run again — something he promised he wouldn't do.
The latest Marquette Law School pollshows just 38 percent of voters would seek to reelect Johnson, while 52 percent would vote for someone else.
But the man behind the poll, Marquette University Law Professor Charles Franklin, says it's far too soon to predict the 2022 outcome, especially as Johnson still holds strong Republican support in his home state.
