In a fiery speech to delegates at the Republican Party of Wisconsin (RPW) Convention Saturday, Sen. Ron Johnson demanded an end to the efforts to oust Chairman Brian Schimming and called for unity within the party ahead of November’s elections.
“We have no room for division,” he said. “We have no room for the circular firing squads which we are very good at. End it! End it now!
Assembled delegates roared their approval as Johnson–easily the most beloved elected official among conservatives–dove headfirst into the controversy that has been bubbling under the surface of the RPW for months.
Behind the scenes, multiple sources told the Heartland Post that Johnson “laid into” the members of the RPW Executive Committee who were behind the most recent attempt at removing Schimming. Johnson, those sources said, was furious that they were making such a dramatic and divisive move so close to a pivotal election.
A handful of members of the Executive Committee used Schimming’s quarterly performance review last month to demand a vote on making the position of chairman unpaid, which would essentially force Schimming out. That vote failed, but the same group of members attempted to force a special meeting to vote Schimming out last week. That effort also failed.
Schimming was named chairman in December 2022 and was the first paid chairman in RPW history. He has faced substantial criticism after three double-digit Wisconsin Supreme Court losses by conservative candidates and lackluster RPW fundraising that has contributed to a major financial advantage for Democrats in the past several election cycles.
