Farrow poised to be next chairman of Republican Party of Wisconsin
Waukesha County Executive Paul Farrow isn’t just the front runner to become chairman of the Republican Party of Wisconsin.
He’s the only candidate.
On Sunday, Farrow is expected to be elected to the volunteer post when the party’s executive committee meets in a special session.
During an interview with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Farrow said that like his mother, former Lt. Gov. Margaret Farrow, “when you’re asked to serve, you really consider it. I know what I’m getting myself into.”
The job comes with few perks and plenty of headaches as Farrow will help oversee the party as it tries to rebound from losing the presidential race in Wisconsin in 2020 and push ahead to a crucial midterm election cycle.
Farrow, 57, will remain county executive.
He’ll replace Andrew Hitt as GOP chair. Hitt announced in late July that he was stepping down from the position to devote more time to his family and job with Michael Best and Friedrich law firm and its lobbying arm.
“Paul is steeped in political campaigns,” Hitt said. “We’ve got some pretty significant races in 2022 coming and we’ve also taken a significant turn toward local government ... Paul being a local officeholder is someone who is set up well to lead the party in this next kind of time period.”
The chairman of the Republican Party
is involved in fundraising, media and traveling the state to public events and meeting with the grassroots. The party’s executive director, Mark Jefferson, runs the day-to-day operation.
Before being elected county executive in 2015, Farrow served in the state Assembly and state Senate.
Farrow said, if elected, he’ll “bring a rational thought process to try and engage as many people as possible and then give a clear vision on where to go. I’ll work with all members of the party to try to find out what we have to accomplish in order to be successful and take back our state in 2022.”
One issue he’ll have to quickly come to grips with is the continued push by Republicans for a review of the 2020 election results in Wisconsin. President Joe Biden won the state by around 20,000 votes.
Farrow said he has “great respect” for those involved in reviewing the results, and said, “there is a lot to look at.”
“Part of my concern when I look at what I have to do I look through the windshield of a car,” he said. “I see a lot more in front of me than just the rearview mirror. We have to figure out what happened in 2020 but there is nothing we can do to change 2020. There is everything we can do to prepare for 2022.”
The party is also looking to big statewide races next year. Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson hasn’t announced if he’ll run for a third term. Farrow said he thinks Johnson will “lean toward getting back in.”
“Whatever decision, we have to have the team ready for him to get across the finish line,” Farrow said.