GOP Fall Fest rallies party faithful
Walker urges voters not to let Evers undo policies, Vukmir decries ‘smear tactics’ against Kavanaugh
BURLINGTON - With five weeks to go before Election Day, Wisconsin Republicans gathered Saturday to fire up the party faithful — and warn their supporters that Democrats are ready to put up a fight.
“My big worry is that the Democrats, who really don’t like our president, are going nuts. They’re moving way hard to the left,” House Speaker Paul Ryan told the crowd at the annual First Congressional District Republican Party Fall Fest.
“Here is what they’re counting on — they’re counting on Republican complacency,” Ryan added. “I see a left that is enraged. A left that has gone off the rails. But a left that is motivated. And so we cannot allow this complacency to occur.”
Ryan, who announced earlier this year that he was retiring from Congress, became emotional at times during the event, which was held at Brightonwoods Orchard. The Janesville Republican told the crowd of about 300 supporters how much Fall Fest had grown since the inaugural event 18 years ago, when only about 40 people gathered in a nearby barn.
This year’s Fall Fest came after a week filled with turmoil surrounding Supreme Court nominee Brett
Kavanaugh.
Ryan, Gov. Scott Walker and Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch all steered clear of the topic.
But state Sen. Leah Vukmir, who is running against Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, railed against the sexual assault allegations leveled against Kavanaugh.
“Lies. Smear tactics. Look what they have done to Judge Kavanaugh,” Vukmir said to boos from the crowd. “I don’t know about you, but I am ready to have Judge Kavanaugh be the next justice on our United States Supreme Court. Let’s get the confirmation process done.”
She and other Fall Fest speakers portrayed Kavanaugh as the target of unfair attacks.
“The Democrats have promised that the radical agenda that they are advancing in Washington at this time — showing what unfortunately Mr. Kavanaugh has to go through — they want to bring it right to Wisconsin too,” Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said. “They are not done.”
And Republican Party of Wisconsin Chairman Brad Courtney praised Kavanaugh, saying his testimony was “riveting.”
“It brought me almost to tears, the way he said I hold no ill will towards my accuser, and in fact my 10-year-old daughter Eliza said we ought to be praying for this woman,” Courtney said. “What wonderful parenting from Judge Kavanaugh.”
He called on the crowd to help Kavanaugh get confirmed, saying “I’ve been so proud of that man.”
And conservative radio host Jay Weber called on the crowd to keep fighting.
“I think we all know it’s going to be a tough fight in November,” Weber said. “We cannot allow Democrats to win with the sort of ugly smears that we are seeing against Judge Kavanaugh right now. We cannot allow that to be successful.”
Walker focused on his race against Democratic challenger Tony Evers.
Walker noted that he was behind in the latest poll by 5 percentage points, and urged the crowd not to let Evers win and undo his policies that have overhauled Wisconsin over the last eight years.
“Sometimes I think we’ve been the victims of our own success so much that we forget how bad things were in 2010,” Walker said.
Speakers also included Attorney General Brad Schimel, former White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, state Supreme Court candidate Brian Hagedorn, and Bryan Steil, the Republican running for the seat now held by Ryan.
Steil, a former Ryan staffer and the member of a powerful longtime Janesville political family, is facing Democratic opponent Randy Bryce, a union ironworker known as “Iron Stache.”
Steil, who walked onto the stage to “Jump Around,” told the crowd that it was the start of the fourth quarter in the election.
“It’s the start of the fourth quarter. It doesn’t matter what the polls say today,” Steil said. “We’ve got the fourth quarter to play. It matters what the polls say on Nov. 6.”