A few dozen people were enjoying Reuben sandwiches and bottles of Budweiser in the Bristled Boar Saloon and Grill in Middleton, waiting to hear Michels deliver his speech.
Prior to Michels taking the stage, Lieutenant Governor candidate Roger Roth took the stage to pump up the crowd.
“He has heard first hand from moms and dads from across the state that kids are falling behind in their education. Tim Michels is going to sign into law universal school choice, and give parents a choice in education in Wisconsin,” Roth says.
Michels then took the stage, applauding Roth’s work in the state Senate, where he has represented the Appleton area since 2014.
“He knows all the games and tricks they play in the capitol square, so when people come in and go, ‘You know Governor Michels, you can’t do that,’ I’m going to go to him and ask ‘Can we do that?’ And he is going to say ‘Oh yes we can,’ and we are going to get stuff done,” Michels says.
After discussing the latest Marquette Law School poll, which found Michels and Tony Evers in a dead heat less than a week before election day, Michels then took on Wisconsin’s $5.8 billion surplus.
“Because we know that everyone in this bar, and across the state is overtaxed. How do we know? Wisconsin currently has a $5.8 billion surplus, and Tony Evers is running around saying this is a good thing! It’s burning a hole in his pocket, ‘what kind of program can I spend this on?’ As a fiscally conservative businessman, I think that’s a bad thing, because that means you all have been overtaxed. I want to put that money in your pocket, so you can spend that money on goods and services that will benefit you and your families,” Michels says.
Governor Evers has repeatedly called on state lawmakers to return that money to the people, through a massive tax cut and even giving Wisconsin residents a $150 tax rebate, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The Republican-led legislature shot down both of those ideas.
Ending his speech, Michels brought up Wisconsin’s expensive gubernatorial race, which is the most expensive in the nation.
“They have spent, Tony Evers and George Soros, has spent tens of millions of dollars radicalizing my position. Here’s another one that’s annoying and should concern all of us. Have you seen the TV ads? ‘Numerous and multiple harassment allegations against the Michels Corporation…’ Let me give you the numbers, so you can arm yourself. There have been five allegations over the 62 year history of the company, and zero have been proven true,” Michels says.
According to campaign finance records, George Soros has not given any money directly to the Evers Campaign. Soros has been the subject of conspiracy theories for decades, according to reporting from the Associated Press, and has often been used as an anti-semitic dog whistle.
After the speech, Michels took a few questions from reporters. Michels was asked how he would replace the Wisconsin Elections Commission, which he has repeatedly called to be dismantled.
“I’m going to replace with what I call the Wisconsin Election Integrity Group. It will have representation from all 8 congressional districts, and we are going to make sure that the people of Wisconsin are confident that we have election integrity in the state of Wisconsin,” Michels says.
The fall election is in just five days on November 8. Early in-person voting will run until Sunday, but there will not be any voter registration over the weekend. You will still be able to register to vote on election day.
Photo courtesy: Nate Wegehaupt / WORT News Team
