2012 Presidential Campaign Blog

Republican Party Of Wisconsin Conventioneers Favor Tim Pawlenty For President In WisPolitics.com 2012 Straw Poll #tpaw

RPW conventioneers favor Pawlenty for president, support endorsement process, Tea Party

MILWAUKEE -- Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty had a slight edge over potential GOP rivals Sarah Palin and Mitt Romney in the 2012 presidential race among Wisconsin Republican Party delegates, according to the annual straw poll of activists conducted by WisPolitics.com at the state GOP convention.

Pawlenty, who addressed the convention Friday night, was favored by 85 of the 457 delegates, alternates and registered guests who voted this weekend. Sixty-eight backed Palin, while 65 supported Mitt Romney.

U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Janesville, has repeatedly said he will not run for president in 2012 and was not included in the list of candidates for the straw poll. But 55 voters wrote him in as their favorite in the GOP primary.
 
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich was backed by 45 voters, while 32 supported U.S. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas.

Party activists also overwhelmingly said they supported the state GOP’s endorsement process for statewide candidates and also said they support the Tea Party movement.

Of those who voted, 316 said they supported the endorsement process, while 74 did not. Fifty-eight had no preference. The question was prompted by gubernatorial candidate Mark Neumann's decision to try pulling his name out of the endorsement process.

On the Tea Party question, 425 said they supported the Tea Party movement. Twenty said they did not, while 12 listed no vote.

In last year’s WisPolitics.com straw poll, state GOP activists favored Scott Walker for governor and Superior Mayor Ross for lieutenant governor. WisPolitics did not ask about those races this year because of the party endorsement process.
 
In this year's WisPolitics straw poll at the Wisconsin Republican Party convention in Milwaukee, 457 valid ballots were cast by convention delegates, alternates and official guests. There were more than 1,500 official attendees at the convention, according to state GOP officials.

Vice President Biden, Secretary Geithner To Hold Middle Class Task Force Meeting In Milwaukee

Vice President Biden, Secretary Geithner to Hold Middle Class Task Force Meeting on Financial Reform in Milwaukee

Washington, DC –  On Tuesday, April 27th, Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of the Treasury Tim Geithner will travel to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. At 11:30 AM CDT, the Vice President will chair a Middle Class Task Force meeting hosted by the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee’s Sheldon B. Lubar School of Business. The Vice President and Secretary Geithner will discuss the need for Wall Street reform and the importance of reform for America’s middle class families.

Wisconsin Policy Research Institute Announces Launch Of "Tweet Wisconsin"

Wisconsin Policy Research Institute Announces Launch Of "Tweet Wisconsin"

New website collects what elected officials, candidates, and groups are talking about all in one place

A new website launched by the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute today provides onestop shopping for followers of politics in Wisconsin. “Tweet Wisconsin” (http://www.tweetwisconsin.org) collects the Twitter feeds of Wisconsin’s elected officials, candidates, and interested political groups in one place, where fans of politics can see what they’re saying and interact with their politicians.

“A lot of what’s going on in politics is happening on Twitter,” said Christian Schneider, (@cmschneid19) senior fellow at WPRI. “Often times, politicians are talking to themselves, and updating the public in real time as to what’s happening. Now the public has easy access to all that up-to-the-minute info in one place,” said Schneider.

With Twitter, political observers can post observations of up to 140 characters. With increasing regularity, politicians have been using the service to forgo the filter of the media to communicate directly with their fans. Many times, they use the service merely to call attention to articles, pictures, or videos they find interesting. “I was skeptical of Twitter to begin with,” said Schneider, “but I quickly realized that this is where politics happens these days – and it really helps to see what politicians are really thinking.”

The list of twitter feeds currently featured on the site include as many candidates, elected officials, and groups as could be identified. If you are a candidate or group and want to be included in the Tweet Wisconsin feed, feel free to e-mail your username to [email protected].

To view the site, one doesn’t have to be a member of Twitter or any other social networking service. The Wisconsin Policy Research Institute can be found on Twitter at @wpri.

Republican Party Of Wisconsin Announces Tim Pawlenty And Paul Ryan As 2010 Convention Kickoff Speakers

RPW Announces Convention Kickoff Speakers

MADISON - Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, who has been called “the next generation of leadership in the Republican Party and in America” and Wisconsin’s own Congressman Paul Ryan, ranking member of the House Budget Committee and an emerging leader on fiscal reform, will headline a Chairman’s Reception at the Republican Party of Wisconsin State Convention on Friday, May 21, 2010.

“The Republican Party of Wisconsin State Convention is going to be an opportunity for conservatives to come together and kick off an outstanding campaign season,” said Reince Priebus, Chairman of the Republican Party of Wisconsin. “I can’t think of two better Republicans than Governor Pawlenty and Congressman Ryan to get participants motivated to actively spread our message of common-sense conservative solutions and fiscal restraint.”

As Governor, Pawlenty resolved Minnesota's historic $4.5 billion budget deficit without raising taxes. During his two terms, Governor Pawlenty has dramatically slowed the growth of state government spending. He also reduced overall spending for the first time in the state’s 150-year history.

Serving as Ranking Member of the House Budget Committee, Congressman Paul Ryan is a leading voice for fiscal discipline and accountability in the federal government. He recently introduced “A Roadmap for America’s Future,” a comprehensive reform proposal that tackles the interrelated crises in health care, Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, our job-killing and cumbersome tax code, and our exploding debt. 

The Chairman’s Reception will take place from 6 pm – 8 pm at the Harley Davidson Museum in Milwaukee on Friday, May 21, 2010. Shuttles from the RPW Convention host hotel, the Hyatt Regency, will be available for convention attendees. Admission to the Chairman’s Reception will be free of charge for paid convention attendees and will cost $20 per person for the general public.

Speaker announcements for a banquet honoring County Chairmen on Saturday, May 22, 2010 will follow in the coming weeks.

Jeb Bush To Campaign For Scott Walker In Wisconsin On March 8th, 2010

Scott Walker Campaign Announces Tickets on Sale for March 8th Jeb Bush Event

Wauwatosa, WI – The campaign for Scott Walker, Milwaukee County executive and candidate for governor, today announced that former Florida governor, Jeb Bush, will headline an event in support of his candidacy.

"I’m honored that Governor Jeb Bush is supporting our campaign and our message of lower taxes, less government, and more freedoms," said Walker.  "Jeb did a tremendous job as governor of Florida, cutting $20 billion in taxes, reducing the state government workforce by more than 13,000, and creating a low tax business climate that allowed the private sector to net 1.4 million new jobs.  He knows that the best way to get our country working again is to get government out of the way of the people.  I’m grateful for Jeb’s commitment to help us take back Wisconsin, and I’m looking forward to hosting him."

"Scott Walker believes small government is better government – and that’s exactly the type of common sense thinking Wisconsin needs to get back to work," said Bush.  "Scott has a proven record of good management – cutting the debt by 10%, the county workforce by 20%, and holding the line on taxes.  I know he’ll make a great governor."

The Governor Jeb Bush fundraiser in support of Scott Walker will take place on Monday, March 8 at the Pfister Hotel.