Kleefisch Concedes To Michels; Barnes Set To Face Johnson: WI Primary

WISCONSIN — After a close race Tuesday night for the Republican nomination for governor, Rebecca Kleefisch conceded, she told her election night party, leaving Tim Michels set to take on incumbent Gov. Tony Evers, according to reports.

As for the U.S. Senate race, Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, a Democrat, is the projected primary winner. Come November he will face Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson. Democratic candidates who dropped out and endorsed Barnes still garnered thousands of votes.

The results of Tuesday night remain unofficial and have yet to be certified. In conceding the election, Kleefisch told her election party the fight is truly against Tony Evers "and the liberals."

Sen. Johnson reacted to the results in part by going to Twitter, writing: "The leaders of the Democrat party have chosen their most radical left candidate for the U.S. Senate race."

"These are the same elite leaders who want to 'fundamentally transform' America," Johnson wrote, casting comments about inflation, gas prices, crime and the baby formula shortage.

Barnes also went to Twitter, saying "We’re going to the Senate to rebuild the middle class. We’re going to protect the right to choose. We’re going to fight to make the American Dream an American reality."

In an impassioned speech claiming victory after Kleefisch's concession, Michels recounted his initial thoughts on making a bid. He also thanked former President Donald Trump for his endorsement, calling it a "tremendous validation of a meteoric rise."

"We're going to get an outsider and a veteran and a businessman in the governor's office," Michels told the crowd, which then briefly broke into a "U.S.A." chant. Both speeches from Kleefisch and Michels were aired by FOX6 and other outlets.

Notably, Michels mentioned Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson and Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley and expressed hopes to work with them in his speech.

While Michels took home the most ballots statewide, Kleefisch still managed to win Waukesha, Milwaukee and Jefferson Counties, according to the latest unofficial counts.

The Republican primary for governor emerged as one of the most contentious, with the heat ratcheting up in the days leading up to the election. Frontrunners included businessman Tim Michels and former Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch. Also running was State. Rep Tim Ramthun and Adam Fischer.

The Democratic primary for U.S. Senate started out with a crowded field. But after several frontrunners dropped out, Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes appeared likely to take the primary. Steven Olikara, the founder of the Millenial Action Project, remained in the running alongside Barnes.

Key Election Results

Republican Gubernatorial Primary

Unofficial results via The New York Times last updated 11 p.m.

Rebecca Kleefisch: 252,119

Tim Michels: 278,435

Tim Ramthun: 33,444

Adam Fischer: 6,383

Democratic U.S. Senate Primary

Unofficial results via The New York Times last updated 10 p.m

Mandela Barnes: 323,316

Steven Olikara: 4,845

Sarah Godlewski (dropped out): 32,496

Alex Lasry (dropped out): 34,663

Tom Nelson (dropped out): 8,361

How Milwaukee County Voted

Unofficial results last updated 11:09 p.m.

In Milwaukee County, 150,708 people cast ballots, or about 30 percent of registered voters. Of those ballots, 86,786 people voted on the Democratic ticket and 40,651 voted Republican.

Kleefisch gained 25,981 votes from Milwaukee, while Michels gained 23,722 votes. Mandela Barnes took the lion's share of Milwaukee Democrat votes so far, 78,499, but notably, 4,397 ballots were cast for Godlewski, and 6,619 ballots were cast for Alex Lasry.

How Waukesha County Voted

Unofficial results last updated 11:12 p.m.

Kleefisch led with 42,402 ballots over Michels' 37,103 in Waukesha County. When it came to party preference, 29,816 people selected Democratic and 68,787 selected Republican.

Barnes received 24,932 votes, while 2,218 people voted for Godlewski and 3,034 voted for Lasry.

Setting The Stage For The Fall General Election

The primary election will decide which of each party's candidates face off in the November general election. The results come fall will have impacts across the state and nation.

The Race For Wisconsin Governor

Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, has served since he won the 2018 fall election. The race to unseat him after his first term brought heat to the Republican ticket. Kleefisch, who served alongside former Gov. Scott Walker, has cast her former experience in Madison as a plus. Meanwhile, Michels, who co-owns a Wisconsin construction company that according to Forbes garnered $3 billion in revenue last year, has asserted he is not inside "the bubble," PBS Wisconsin reported.

Ads for and against both Michels and Kleefisch flew on the airwaves ahead of the primary. Notably, Kleefisch obtained support from former Vice President Mike Pence, while former President Donald Trump threw his backing to Michels, according to The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

State Rep. Ramthun has largely campaigned by questioning the integrity of elections and has backed overturning the results of the 2020 presidential election. Ramthun has also vowed to conduct a "cyber audit" of the 2022 election, including his own race, regardless of the results.

Adam Fischer, a former police officer who hails from Oak Creek, told Patch he was disappointed in the current Wisconsin government.

"I can no longer sit idly by and watch the continued deterioration of families, businesses and society as a whole in the Great State of Wisconsin," Fischer wrote Patch for a profile. "As a result, given the values that I was raised with from a working-class family, I have made the decision that I am the best candidate to lead the State of Wisconsin back to a level of respect and integrity."

Republican Gubernatorial Candidates Question Election Integrity

Despite the results of the 2020 election surviving partial recounts and a conservative law firm's audit, all three front-running Republican candidates for governor expressed doubts about election integrity.

Kleefisch has claimed that the 2020 election was rigged, but has said that "decertifying" the results isn't possible under the constitution. Instead, Kleefisch has outlined plans to change voting in Wisconsin.

In March Kleefisch said she would ban "ballot harvesting" and unattended drop boxes. She also outlined plans to dismantle the bipartisan Wisconsin Elections Commission to replace it with a law enforcement agency with the power to investigate fraud and audit elections.

Michels, endorsed by Trump himself, at first said overturning the results from 2020 wasn't a priority. But in the weeks leading up to the primary, Michels said "everything will be on the table." during a WISN12 town hall.

In a debate hosted by TMJ4 News in July, Michels vowed to end indefinitely confined status and unmanned ballot boxes.

Ramthun has remained steadfast in doubting the results of the 2020 election.

Abortion

Michels, Kleefisch and Ramthun all expressed support for Wisconsin's current abortion ban. The law, which has been challenged, holds that anyone other than the mother who kills an unborn fetus may be criminally charged. There is an exception in the law when a woman's life is threatened. Kleefisch has said she doesn't believe procedures for ectopic pregnancy and miscarriage are abortions.

The Race For A Seat In The U.S. Senate

Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, the frontrunner among the Democrats vying for U.S. Senate, has his eyes set on U.S. Sen Ron Johnson's seat. Leading up to primary day, many of Barnes' competitors dropped out of the race. State Treasurer Sarah Godlewski, Milwaukee Bucks Executive Alex Lasry and Outagamie County Executive Tom Nelson endorsed Barnes as they announced the ends of their campaigns.

In July, a shared goal among the top Democratic candidates became apparent: unseating Johnson, who has held his seat in Washington since being elected in 2010. Beyond possibly flipping Johnson's seat, Barnes has announced several priorities.

At a debate held by TMJ4 in July, Barnes said he supports ending the senate filibuster to codify abortion rights. Barnes also has a "plan for democracy," and believes legalizing marijuana is "long overdue." More information about Barnes is available on his website.

More election coverage:

WI Primary Election 2022 Voter Guide: Governor, Senate Races

The Associated Press contributed to the reporting and writing of this article.