The Republican Party of Wisconsin wrapped up its state convention Saturday with a strong show of unity behind U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany’s bid for governor amid a behind-the-scenes effort to oust RPW Chairman Brian Schimming that spilled out into the open in the days leading up to the event.
Delegates at the Kalahari Resort gathered amid recent electoral setbacks, including a 20-point Supreme Court loss last month that intensified calls for leadership change. However, efforts to force a no-confidence vote against Schimming at the convention did not materialize, keeping the focus of the three-day event on rallying conservative voters to turn out for the November midterms.
“We have no room for division,” Sen. Ron Johnson told delegates in an impassioned convention floor speech Saturday. “We have no room for the circular firing squad, which we are very good at. End it. End it now.”
Delegates formally endorsed Tiffany for governor, avoiding the bruising primaries that have divided the party in past cycles. He received a standing ovation and used his address to focus Republicans’ attention squarely on stopping Democrats’ leftward march.
“Wisconsin is too great, too strong, and our future is too important to surrender to the failed liberal agenda,” he said, pledging to immediately undo Evers’ 400-year veto and undo the resulting spike in property taxes and audit state agencies for waste, fraud, and abuse.
Former Gov. Tommy Thompson, who had been rumored to be mulling a primary challenge to Tiffany but instead endorsed him, electrified the crowd by doing a few push-ups on stage before beginning a speech that focused on staying united as a party.
“If Republicans stay united beyond the convention, Democrats can’t lick us,” he said, “and we will not go back!”
Delegates also voted to give the party’s endorsement to Attorney General candidate Eric Toney, Secretary of State candidate Nate Pollnow, and incumbent State Treasurer John Lieber. No other candidates in those respective thresholds met the minimum criteria for consideration for the party’s endorsement.
In the only contested endorsement vote—for Lieutenant Governor—Will Martin won easily with more than 73% of delegates backing him.
The party’s endorsement is a significant advantage for candidates who win it, as it allows for the coordination of resources and often prompts donors to coalesce behind that candidate.
Tiffany’s uncontested win marked a sharp departure from the 2022 convention, at which none of the three candidates won the endorsement and spent the summer engaged in a bitter primary feud that paved the way for Governor Tony Evers to win re-election that fall.
Now, however, it seems that Republicans are headed out of the 2026 convention solidly behind Tiffany and motivated to put intraparty squabbling behind them and focus all of their attention on getting him elected in November.
