Rebecca Kleefisch was not surprised by how easily she won the GOP nomination for lieutenant governor Tuesday. But many political observers were.
Going into Tuesday, insiders were split on whether the former TV newswoman or state Rep. Brett Davis would win the race. Kleefisch, a first-time candidate and wife of state Rep. Joe Kleefisch, removed all doubt by beating Davis 47 percent to 25 percent.
"We worked our same plan from the very beginning. Our strategy has never changed," Kleefisch told WisPolitics after Davis conceded. "From the very beginning, I’ve been talking about true conservatism, and I think that’s the only way we take back our state. I think the voters saw that, it resonated with them."
Kleefisch says as lieutenant governor she would see herself as "VP of marketing for the state of Wisconsin." The office traditionally hasn’t utilized by governors to push policy, but Kleefisch said she expects that to change under a Scott Walker administration.
"Our problems are way too big to have a part of the administration sit around in the closet," she said.
For the next seven weeks, she said, her job will be to get Walker elected.
"I’m going to be his biggest advocate," she said. "I think we’re going to be a great ticket."
Conservative talk radio host Charlie Sykes of AM-620 WTMJ likened Kleefisch to a Wisconsin version of Sarah Palin. Both Palin and Kleefisch like to tout that they are conservative mothers who drive mini-vans, shoot firearms and oppose gay marriage.
– WisPolitics.com and BizTimes Milwaukee
