This Just In ...

My final thoughts on Tuesday's WI GOP US Senate primary

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Aug. 13, 2012

1) On Tuesday, I’m voting for Tommy Thompson.






2) My second choice would be my friend and former colleague in the state Legislature, Jeff Fitzgerald. Great guy. Super qualifications. No money to get his message out.

3) My third choice would be Mark Neumann.

4) My fourth choice would be Eric Hovde.

5)  I like Mark Neumann. I dislike immensely the campaign he has run. He hides behind his own ads holding hands with his Sunday school sweetheart and grandchild and lets third party groups do his dirty work for him.

6) Mark Neumann assumes we’re really stupid. In his latest ad, he says had he known Scott Walker would be such a great leader, he never would have run against him. That would be when Neumann made all those outright lies against our governor. C’mon Mark. You didn’t think he’d make a great governor when over one million voters did all along? Please, don’t insult our intelligence.

7) Mark Neumann is Tom Barrett. Oh, look, there’s another race I can run for…and lose!

8) I like Eric Hovde, though I’ve met him for about five seconds shaking hands at the Franklin 4^th of July parade. I dislike immensely the disgusting campaign he has waged. He rips others for going negative, then repulsively goes more negative than they do. The bottom of the barrel came when he questioned Tommy Thompson’s mental capacity. I could never vote for a guy like that. If he wins the primary, I’ll vote for him in the general, holding my nose, knowing he’s still better than Tammy Baldwin.

9) All four candidates are excellent, highly qualified to serve as US Senator.

10) I will vote for the primary winner in November. It depends on who it is on how aggressively I’ll support his candidacy.

11) Who can beat Baldwin? Think about it before you vote. The answer may be the candidate who isn’t yours. I urge you to consider going against your choice by voting for who can win in November.

On December 1st I declared my candidacy for the U.S. Senate, and as I've covered every corner of this state the one thing that has both surprised and deeply touched me is how many friends like you I have in Wisconsin.               Whether it was running into a longtime supporter on one of the four parades we did under sweltering heat on the Fourth of July or having a father bring his young children up to have a picture taken and share a word of encouragement, it reminds me of why there's no better place than Wisconsin.             This past weekend, an old friend whom the country is going to get to know like you and I do, Paul Ryan, stepped onto the national stage making Wisconsin proud. At the energetic Waukesha rally Sunday, when Paul Ryan was presented to his home state as the new vice presidential candidate, Paul took a moment to recognize my reforms using it as a rallying cry for conservatives. "We have a big choice to make," Ryan said. "If we look at the path we're on and look at all the things the president has been doing, more government, more regulations, the promise of a lot more taxes on successful small businesses, we see a president who took what we pioneered here in Wisconsin, Tommy Thompson, welfare reform, getting people off of welfare and back to working and lives of dignity and personal responsibility, on to a life of hitting their potential. If this president is going to do these kinds of things, in a very difficult, tough election year, then imagine what he would do if he never has to face the voters again?"             I couldn't have been more proud of Paul, and grateful for his kind words. You can hear the words here:             Wisconsin has no shortage of nation-leading strong conservative voices, like Gov. Scott Walker.  Gov. Walker and I have shared a friendship since his early days in the legislature and I appreciate his recent comments made in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, where he referred to me as a "hero" and said: "I still think there's a very compelling argument to be made about Thompson where you say instead of experience being a liability in the sense of being in (politics) for a while, he's got all the experience to understand what's going on, yet there's nothing more he needs to prove."             Rep. Paul Ryan and Gov. Scott Walker are two individuals whose friendship I've always valued. We've been through many battles together, and look forward to joining them again.             Tuesday, I am hoping I can count on your support, and that you tell all of our friends that we need to win in November, and there's only one candidate in this race that has won a statewide election -- And I've done it five times.             We can't take a risk in November, the stakes are too high and Rep. Tammy Baldwin and the Democrats are hoping that one of my opponents is the GOP nominee. We can't let that happen.             I'm asking for your vote. Make no mistake, every vote matters Tuesday, and know that with your vote you'll be sending the best candidate to win in November to battle. Sincerely, Tommy Thompson P.S.  Polls close at 8:00pm -- please make sure you get out and vote.