‘You got this,’ Donald Trump told Republican gubernatorial candidate Tim Michels days before midterm loss

Michels ultimately lost to incumbent Evers by about three points, thwarting what many Republicans predicted would be a national Republican victory. Michels told 1130 WISN-AM’s Jay Weber on Tuesday that he spoke with Trump about a week before the Nov. 8 election, but the former president backed Michels and said he would be back before Aug. 9. He held rallies across the state days before his victory over the lieutenant governor. Rebecca Kleefisch — Said she wasn’t coming to Wisconsin.

“He said, ‘I’m not coming in. You got this. I’ve seen all the numbers. It looks really strong, congratulations,'” Michelles recalled the conversation with Trump. .

“I never asked him for money. He added that Reince, the former chairman of the Republican National Committee, also told him leading up to the election. Priebus said he was almost certain to beat Evers.

“We were sure we had this,” added Michels.

Michels, a co-owner of Brownsville-based construction firm Michels Corp., said another major factor in his loss to Evers was the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the Roe v. Wade decision earlier this summer. ruling, which he said encouraged Democrats and young voters.

“They were upset. For whatever reason, they wanted to have an abortion just like their parents and grandparents, but they were angry that it was taken from them. I was

Michels added that the issue also affected voters who were against abortion. Michels had previously said that while the state’s 1849 abortion ban was on the books and offered no exceptions for rape or incest, it “represents my position accurately.” But in September Michels said he would sign a bill providing those exceptions if the ban was upheld in court. said he would not support such an exception if it meant leaving the .

“I think the whole abortion issue has become very messy and very compromised, and some of them were holding their hands,” he added.

Democratic strategists say abortion played a big role in staving off the prospect of a Republican red wave in Wisconsin, helping boost voter turnout to about 90% in Dane County, the state’s liberal stronghold. increase.

“If you hand out $100 bills, you can’t be sure 90% of people will come to Oconomowoc,” Michels said.

Michels said the statewide Republican campaign will need to undergo a “complete revamp” to ensure victory over the next few years, including a high-stakes race for the Wisconsin Supreme Court next April. said there is. In that election, conservative Justice Patience Roggensack is not seeking another term, leaving her to win her seat and a pivotal majority in her seven-member court.

“We can’t wait a few more months to fine-tune this thing and make it better,” Michels said. is needed.”

“I’m not trying to throw anyone on the Republican side under the bus here, but we’re operating on many sides like we probably did three election cycles ago, possibly 10 or 20 years ago. ” added Michelles.

Michels was asked to answer some of the criticisms he has faced among Republicans about his financial commitments to this year’s election. He added that Republican groups spent nearly $30 million more on the campaign. A final expenditure report will be submitted at the end of the year.

“This was the most expensive gubernatorial race in the nation,” Michels said. “In hindsight, I could have put in more. I could have put in more at any time. I’m not a bottomless pit… resources are limited.”