Eric Hovde Concession Speech (Video)

Eric Hovde, like Mark Neumann, threw his support behind Tommy Thompson when conceding the primary race.

It was the right thing to do.

In his concession speech, after Hovde chided negative campaigners, Hovde said, "I implore all of you to get involved and stay involved."

Next, Hovde said, "This is the end of my political career."

I thought that was an odd declaration, following his imploration to "stay involved."

Why would Hovde, this new face in Wisconsin politics, announce that he's through with politics?

He came out of nowhere and did very well.

After burning through millions of dollars out of his own pocket, I can see why he would reassess his political ambitions for the near future. I just don't understand why he would make such a definitive statement and call it quits.

Does Hovde want to move back out of state?
________________

Here's video of his concession speech:

Eric Hovde: The Sleaze Factor

There is no question that Wisconsin's Republican primary race for U.S. Senate has become a slime fest.

Three of the four candidates, Eric Hovde, Mark Neumann, and Tommy Thompson, have launched negative attacks and responded to negative attacks.

There's been a whole lot of negativity.

Jeff Fitzgerald has been spared wallowing in the ugliness. The other three Republicans are leaving him alone, probably because he's not seen as a threat. That puts him in the position of not having to defend himself. Would he be running such a positive campaign if he were under attack? I don't know. But the fact remains that only Fitzgerald is running a positive campaign.

Back to the negative nature of the race--

In early May, Eric Hovde went on the attack. I was put off by Hovde's decision to attack Tommy Thompson when most of Wisconsin was focusing on the recall of Governor Scott Walker.

I found Hovde's decision to go ugly so early very disappointing, especially since so much was at stake in the recall election.

It was inappropriate and distracting. The timing was terrible.

Here's Hovde's email, subject line: "Tommy the Taxer?"

Friend,

At a U.S. Senate candidate forum earlier this week, Governor Tommy Thompson was asked about government spending.

His response?

RAISE TAXES.

Believe it or not, Governor Thompson said:

“I advocate that we start drilling in America…put a fee on the drilling…”

Because I’m not a career politician and I will call things as I see them, I called out Governor Thompson for wanting to raise taxes because the government already gets enough of our hard-earned money.

Just minutes later in a classic example of political double speak from a Washington insider, Governor Thompson claimed he had never advocated for a fee on drilling but instead wanted a permitting process.

Given that as governor, Tommy Thompson raised taxes and fees by $400 million and grew state spending by 118 percent, this should come as no surprise.

And this is exactly why we cannot afford to send another career politician to Washington.



The problems we face are too great to elect folks who will say and do anything to get elected—just to turn around and change their minds once they’re in office.

We need a leader accountable to you and not the Washington insiders, and you can show that you’re tired of politics as usual by contributing today.

With a donation of $5, $10, $25 or $50, we can send a message that we’re fed up with career politicians like Governor Tommy Thompson and Congressman Mark Neumann by sending a private sector, citizen legislator to our nation’s capital.

Please, donate today so that we can right America’s financial ship and provide a better future for our children and grandchildren.

Sincerely,

Eric Hovde

P.S. You can read about Governor Thompson’s textbook political flip flop by checking out this news article. If you agree that we simply cannot afford any more of this nonsense, please contribute today!

So it was back in early May that Hovde chose to send out an email called "Tommy the Taxer."

Did Hovde go negative first? He certainly went negative at the wrong time, when conservatives were rallying together to defeat Tom Barrett and secure a victory for Scott Walker.

It truly bothers me that Hovde is pretending that all along he's been running a clean, positive campaign. It's so disingenuous. It's sleazy.

I can't stand it when someone lies to me. Don't lie to me.

That's exactly what Hovde is doing when he denies that his campaigning is or has been negative.

His comments smack of dishonesty.

I expect campaigns to get rough. I expect candidates to go on the attack. I don't like it, but that's the way it is. That's politics.

I'm very concerned about Hovde's lies about his own tactics, very sleazy.

Listen to Charlie Sykes interview Eric Hovde, August 7, 2012.

At about 7 minutes into the interview, Sykes asks Hovde about the negative campaign.

CHARLIE SYKES: OK, now you're saying you're responding, and there's been a lot of talk about how negative this campaign has become, how toxic this campaign has become. You obviously have been the subject of some negative ads. You've engaged in negative attack ads yourself. In fact, you have an ad where you talk about, 'Here it comes again. They're attacking me.' You're going to focus on Tammy Baldwin. But almost everything that you have been doing lately has been not an attack on Tammy Baldwin. You have been attacking Mark Neumann and Tommy Thompson. So aren't you doing exactly what you're accusing the other candidates of doing?

ERIC HOVDE: Uh, I fundamentally disagree with what you just said.

SYKES: OK.

HOVDE: Um, look, I've had two negative attack ads by the Democratic party. I've had three by Gov. Thompson with his shadow group. I've had probably two or three by Mark Neumann, two different ones from the Club for Growth. My ad was, uh, the mud ad where I'm dodging and weaving. I throw a couple little pokes back at 'em. And, uh, the only other thing is I have an ad talking about where Gov. Thompson really stands, in my view, on ObamaCare, and how he was involved in helping bring about ObamaCare because he was lobbying on behalf of a lot of the pharmaceutical industry, which the Wall Street Journal has completely documented, how they pushed it and were benefiting from ObamaCare. But other than that, Charlie, I haven't, uh, been spending my time... I've been trying to stay positive. In fact, I've got a new ad coming out today that's out with my wife and me.

But, you know, this is what happens. You know, I'm an outsider. The career politicians - what do they try to do? They try to tear you down because I was leading, and still am, fortunately, but not by a lot in the polls. And they try to tear you down.

...

SYKES: A lot of the candidates, including you, have engaged in [negative campaigning]. We just talked about that. You have an ad about Tommy Thompson, about his role in ObamaCare, in which you have a series of sound bites. You have a sound bite where he supports the individual mandate. You have a sound bite where President Obama is thanking him, and then you have a sound bite where he says that ObamaCare is not going to be repealed. And you suggest if he will not repeal ObamaCare... Now that sound bite is taken out of context because it's after the 2010 election where he's talking about as long as Obama's in the White House, as long as the Senate Democrats are in control, you're not going to repeal ObamaCare. So, you are talking about the deceptive ads aimed at you...[break in audio] Isn't that deceptive on your part, to take that comment out of context from Tommy Thompson? He's talking about a different... I mean, are you saying that Tommy Thompson would not fight to repeal ObamaCare now?

HOVDE: I don't know if he'd fight to repeal it now or not, but the simple fact is he... the talk about the mandate? He had more than a few interviews where he expressed the need for the mandate. There is no question Tommy and a lot of the pharmaceutical companies he was lobbying for with Akin Gump on the boards benefited from it.

Now let's take [sic] about that sound bite that you're saying I may be taking out of context, that it said, well, because President Obama would veto it. That doesn't mean you cannot continue to fight to defund aspects of it. If Scott Walker took that same approach, Scott could have decided, 'I'll implement it here in the state of Wisconsin.' Scott said, 'No.' And there's a lot of senators out there trying to fight tooth and nail to defund certain aspects of it. So, I don't think it's taken out of context.

This is sleazy.

Hovde's actions speak volumes.

I'm so sick of Hovde yapping about "career politicians," as if choosing public service is necessarily something bad. There's a disturbing inconsistency with that. Hovde often praises Scott Walker, trying to ride his coattails, I presume.

Hey, Eric! Our great Governor Walker is a "career politician."

And when it comes to being negative, even Mark Neumann asked Hovde to show some decency and apologize to Tommy Thompson for the negative remarks.

Also, I don't like the fact that Hovde DIDN'T BOTHER TO VOTE when he lived in DC.

HE DIDN'T PARTICIPATE IN ELECTIONS.

That's not good. That's really, really not good.

This "I'm not going negative, I'm Mr. Clean" routine from Hovde is ridiculous.



He's insulting the Wisconsin voters by insisting he's not doing what he blatantly is.

I don't like it. It's so dishonest. He's being condescending.

Hovde is not taking on Tammy Baldwin. He's slinging mud, and in a very pompous fashion. That's the reality.

Bottom line: I don't want Tammy Baldwin, a radical Leftist, to represent me in the U.S. Senate. If Hovde wins the primary, I will vote for him in November. No question about it.

However, I'm definitely NOT going to vote for Hovde in the primary.

Eric Hovde: Negative Ads

Eric Hovde claims that he's staying above the fray in the U.S. Senate Republican primary race.

Hovde claims that he's running a positive campaign.

He insists that he's continuing to stay focused, attacking Democrat Tammy Baldwin while refusing to stoop to slinging mud at his primary opponents.

That's disingenuous. It's dishonest. It's nuts.

Hovde is slinging lots of mud at his primary opponents and not talking about Tammy Baldwin.

In a radio ad currently bombarding the air, Hovde refers to "negative Neumann." He chastises Thompson, charging Thompson with disgracing himself.

It's so pompous. Hovde's lying. The ad is a complete joke.

If Hovde is going to criticize his opponents and resort to childish name-calling, I don't want him to claim in the next breath that he's just focusing on Baldwin.

This sort of thing is exactly what bothers me about Hovde.

He seems to be selling himself as someone he's not.

I don't trust him.

PPP Poll: Hovde Leads

Wisconsin's Republican primary for the U.S. Senate is less than two weeks away.

Public Policy Polling has bad news for Tommy Thompson.

His strong lead in the race appears to have evaporated.

Close 3 way contest for GOP in Wisconsin

PPP's newest Wisconsin poll finds Eric Hovde leading with 28% to 25% for Thompson and Mark Neumann, and 13% for Jeff Fitzgerald.

Thompson's seen a precipitous decline in his standing with GOP voters over the last 5 months. In February he was at 39%. By early July he had dropped to 29% in our polling and he's continued to decline now to his 25% standing. His personal image has taken a big hit as well. Where his favorability with primary voters earlier in the year was a +47 spread at 66/19, it's now declined 41 points to only +6 at 47/41.

It's concern about whether Thompson is sufficiently conservative that is driving a lot of his problems. 58% of primary voters now say they want someone more conservative than him to be the nominee, compared to only 29% who are content with him. And he's posting extremely weak numbers with voters identifying as 'very conservative,' getting 21% to 28% each for Hovde and Neumann.

The momentum in this contest is on Neumann's side. He's gained 10 points over the last month to go from 15% to 25%. His strength is coming from the most conservative wing of the GOP electorate. In early July he trailed Hovde by 20 points, 32-12, with those voters describing themselves as 'very conservative.' Now he's pulled into a tie with him at 28%.

Hovde remains the unexpected leader in this contest but his momentum has stalled a good bit over the last month. His share of the vote has dropped from 31% to 28%, and his favorability has gone from a 50/9 spread to a 50/3o spread. At one time it seemed like everybody was forming a positive opinion as they became familiar with him but that trend has reversed itself to some extent in the last month.

There is no question that on Election Day in November I will vote for the winner of the Republican primary. Anybody but radical Leftist Tammy Baldwin.

I'm hoping the winner of the primary is the candidate most likely to defeat Baldwin.

The question: Who is that candidate?

Hovde has a slight lead in the PPP poll.

Full results here.

I have serious doubts about Hovde. He's no Ron Johnson, even though he tries to play him on TV and radio.

I have concerns about both Thompson and Neumann.

This primary process has left me unenthusiastic about the top three contenders.

Frankly, the only candidate who doesn't bug me at the moment is Jeff Fitzgerald.

Thompson Leads - Marquette Poll

The numbers released by Public Policy Polling on Tuesday showed Eric Hovde with a slight lead, within the margin of error, over Tommy Thompson in the Republican primary race for U.S. Senate.

On Wednesday, the Marquette University Law School poll was released, this one showing Thompson with a 12-point lead over Hovde, his closet rival.

Wisconsin's U.S. Senate race is tightening as next month's primary election approaches, according to a poll released Wednesday.

The new Marquette University Law School poll showed former Gov. Tommy Thompson still leading both his Democratic rival and Republican challengers, but by a smaller margin than previous polls.

With the Aug. 14 Republican primary less than five weeks away, Thompson continues to lead his GOP rivals with 35 percent support. But millionaire hedge fund manager and political newcomer Eric Hovde had surged into second place, the poll found, jumping 9 points to win 23 percent support among those polled. Hovde, who has been advertising heavily and has had the most prominent TV ad presence among the candidates, had just 14 percent support in mid-June. That previous Marquette poll showed Thompson with a far more commanding lead of about 20 percent over Hovde.

Both led Republican challengers former U.S. Rep. Mark Neumann, who had about 10 percent support in the recent poll, and Assembly Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald, R-Horicon, who trailed with 6 percent.

A quarter, or 25 percent, remain undecided, the poll said.

...When it came to the general election in the race, Thompson continued to lead U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin, Marquette pollsters found, but Baldwin appears to be closing the gap between them. Thompson had 45 percent support compared to Baldwin's 41 percent support, a difference within the polls margin of error. In June, Thompson had 49 percent support compared to Baldwin's 41 percent, according to the polls.

Looking at both polls, it does appear that people are embracing Hovde as an alternative to Thompson.

He may not be leading in the Marquette poll, but his progress in the race is evident.

At present, I am among the undecided.

For each of the Republican candidates, I can make the case for and against.

Each has strengths and weaknesses. Without question, each Republican is by far the superior candidate in a match-up with Tammy Baldwin.

Defeating Tammy Baldwin is the goal. First and foremost, that's what matters to me.

Mark Neumann - 'Kicked Off'

Eric Hovde for Senate

Eric Hovde, Wisconsin businessman, is running for the U.S. Senate.



Read about Eric Hovde on the issues.

Based on the positions detailed on his website, Hovde is conservative.

Is Hovde another Ron Johnson, a successful private sector individual interested in SAVING THE COUNTRY?

Eric Hovde or Tommy Thompson or Mark Neumann - all would represent Wisconsin well.

Let's see. One of the above Republicans or radical Leftist Tammy Baldwin?

No contest.

Rand Paul and Mark Neumann

Rand Paul believes that Mark Neumann should be Wisconsin's next U.S. senator.

Paul writes:

Let me tell you a story you need to know about my friend Mark Neumann.

He went to Congress as part of the Republican Revolution as one of the leading anti-spending warriors in Congress. He served on the Appropriations Committee, fighting government spending every single day. Well, as you can imagine Mark voted against bills that contained "pork barrel" projects every week, and it angered the Republican leadership--so much so that they kicked Mark off the Committee! Mark didn't care. In a letter to the rest of the Republicans, Mark wrote, "If I’m kicked off this committee for voting my conscience, my only regret is that I don’t have more committees to get kicked off of." I love that story!

Fast forward to today: Mark Neumann is back running for Senate in Wisconsin and he needs our help. That is why I have endorsed him, and I hope you will join me by helping him immediately with the largest gift you can for his campaign.

I'm backing Mark Neumann because we need people up here in the Senate who are conservatives first and Republicans second. We need people who are not here just to be another generic GOP vote, but who want to really change the way business is done in Washington. That's the kind of person Mark Neumann is.

Some people love to talk about cutting spending and smaller government because they think that's what folks want to hear. But Mark Neumann has actually walked the walk; he is tough as nails and we can rely on him.

Mark Neumann is in a primary and the moderate "establishment" is trying to pick another candidate. In fact, Barack Obama actually praised this Republican for his early support of ObamaCare.

Think about that for a second! What is our party going to be about? Are we going lie down and take what the Obama Administration has done to our country? Or are we going to do the hard work of dismantling the Obama agenda and taking this country back? If that is going to happen, Mark Neumann needs to win in Wisconsin.

Now, let me tell you about Mark's Democrat opponent Tammy Baldwin: she is the most liberal member of the House of Representatives. She is one of the leaders of the Union Boss "Recall" movement that has raged against government spending restraint and reform in Wisconsin this year. And nearly every liberal special interest group you can think of is backing her campaign. She's already raising millions across the country from groups like MoveOn.org, Daily Kos, and Hollywood liberals. I hope you can see why Mark Neumann needs our help.

I am honored to stand shoulder to shoulder in the Senate with people like Jim DeMint, Ron Johnson, Tom Coburn, Marco Rubio, and Pat Toomey. We're fighting every single day in the Senate, but we need reinforcements. We need Mark Neumann up here in the Senate with us.

This could be the biggest Senate race in America this year. Mark Neumann has to win it. I'm all in for Mark Neumann. I hope you are too. Will you join me?



In Liberty,

Sen. Rand Paul

Mark Neumann 2012

It now IS official. Mark Neumann is in the race for the U.S. Senate.

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Former congressman Mark Neumann said Monday he would run for the U.S. Senate seat held by retiring U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl.

Neumann, who lost a Republican gubernatorial primary to Scott Walker last year, said the time was right for him to run again, work to balance the federal budget and bring jobs back to Wisconsin.

Neumann made his announcement on the Charlie Sykes show on WTMJ-AM (Radio 620).

A Nashotah home builder, Neumann served two terms in Congress, winning elections in 1994 and 1996. He lost a challenge to then-Sen. Russ Feingold in 1998.

Neumann is the first prominent candidate to officially enter the race. Earlier this month, former Gov. Tommy Thompson announced the co-chairmen of his campaign, an indication he planned to run for Senate. Thompson's co-chairmen are Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen and Jim Klauser, a longtime aide and adviser to Thompson.

In his radio appearance, Neumann said he believed his opponent would be U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.). He said he would seek to contrast his conservative record against the record of Baldwin, a liberal.

If Tammy Baldwin is the Democrats' nominee, and Neumann is the Republicans' nominee, Neumann is a lock.

He'll join Sen. Ron Johnson.

How refreshing it would be to have another conservative from Wisconsin in the Senate!

Herb Kohl was smart to retire instead of suffering the humiliation defeat that Russ Feingold did.

Wisconsin is swinging to the Right.

Mark Neumann - Senate Announcement

It's official. Well, not really official quite yet.

It should be official at 8:45 this morning.

On Sunday, Mark Neumann announced that he has an announcement to make today.

Although Politico reported that Neumann would be running for the U.S. Senate, Neumann wouldn't confirm the story.

However, a Neumann consultant did confirm that Neumann would announce his candidacy on Monday.

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Former congressman Mark Neumann said Sunday he would announce on Monday his plans for the seat held by U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl (D-Wis.).

"We are clearly going to announce a decision on Monday," Neumann said in a brief telephone interview.

Neumann declined to comment on a Politico story that said he planned to jump into the race and would make the announcement at 8:45 a.m. on Charlie Sykes' show on WTMJ-AM (620).

Neumann, who lost a Republican primary last year against Scott Walker in the race for governor, confirmed he would make an appearance in the studio Monday morning about his political future.

Tim Cogswell, a GOP consultant working with Neumann, told Politico that Neumann would confirm his candidacy on Sykes' show.

"He will confirm his run and I expect we will have a more formal announcement later," Cogswell told Politico. "I think this was a big decision for him. I think this was a really big jump for him after having lost to Scott Walker."

...Assuming Neumann enters the race, he would be the first to formally announce for the seat, which is up for election in 2012.

Neumann lost to Scott Walker in the Republican primary in 2010. So what?

Plenty of candidates lose a race and go on to be elected to office.

Abraham Lincoln and Ronald Reagan come to mind.

...Earlier this month, former Gov. Tommy Thompson announced the co-chairmen of his campaign, an indication he was moving ahead and planned to run. Thompson's co-chairmen are Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen and Jim Klauser, a longtime aide and adviser to Thompson.

Other possible GOP candidates besides Thompson and Neumann include Assembly Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald (R-Horicon), Sen. Frank Lasee (R-De Pere) and former state Sen. Ted Kanavas.

On the Democratic side, U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin of Madison, U.S. Rep. Ron Kind of La Crosse and former U.S. Rep Steve Kagen of Appleton are close to making decisions on whether to run for Kohl's seat.

The Republican possibilities are dramatically better than the pool of potential Dem candidates.

Tammy Baldwin?

There's no way she'd win.

In order to pull off a Baldwin victory, there would need to be massive voter fraud the likes of which we've never seen in Wisconsin.

The woman is a Leftist extremist, and Wisconsin .

We are talking about filling the seat occupied by the sedate/sedated Herb Kohl.

I don't see Wisconsinites choosing someone as radical as Baldwin.

I don't think Ron Kind would do well either. He has that pesky liberal voting record in the House weighing him down.

And of course, Kagen is too strange to even be considered.

So Neumann is the first to jump in, assuming that his announcement this morning goes according to Sunday's announcement of Neumann's announcement.

GOP Unity Breakfast

Now that the Wisconsin primary is over, it's time to unite.

The Republican Party of Wisconsin cordially invites you to the

2010 UNITY BREAKFAST

With Republican Governors Association Chairman Haley Barbour, WI State Party Chairman Reince Priebus And Republican Candidates Including: Scott Walker, Ron Johnson and others!

Thursday September 16, 2010

· 9:00am – 10:00am – Gathering (Monarch Room)

· 9:30am – 10:00am – Press Conference ( Mitchell Room )

· 10:00am – Early Afternoon – Brunch (Monarch Room)

Hilton Milwaukee City Center
509 W. Wisconsin Avenue
Milwaukee, WI 53202


Contribution: $40
Please make checks payable to the Republican Party of Wisconsin

To RSVP and for more information, please contact Jon Waclawski at the Republican Party of Wisconsin: (608) 257-4765 or jwaclawski@wisgop.org

It would be very nice if Mark Neumann attended.
_____________________

UPDATE: Neumann did attend the event and pledged his support to Walker. Good.

Walker, Neumann mend fences at unity event

Scott Walker Wins

The primary didn't work out the way Tom Barrett and the Democrats had hoped.

Mark Neumann lost.

Barrett will be facing Scott Walker in November.

From the Wisconsin State Journal:

It was a victory more than four years in the making.

Scott Walker got in the race early, built a grass-roots army, and won over Republican Party leaders long before their spring convention.

And on Tuesday, the Milwaukee County executive beat challenger Mark Neumann to become the Republican nominee and early favorite for Wisconsin governor.

Walker handily defeated Neumann, a homebuilder and former U.S. representative who spent millions of his own money on his campaign.

Calling Neumann "a good and decent man," Walker told the cheering crowd gathered at his victory celebration that the primary race has made him a better candidate.

"Because of this primary, we are tested and we are ready to take on the liberals in Madison," Walker said during his speech at American Serb Hall.

That's true. Mark Neumann threw everything he had at Walker.

Tom Barrett and the Democrats pummeled Walker in the primary to no avail. The liberal media assisted in trying to take down Walker but their attacks failed.

Walker scored a decisive victory over Neumann. Although Walker was forced to spend a lot on this primary race, he has benefited in that he came out relatively unscathed.

Walker not only survived the primary but has emerged as the clear winner.

Neumann Endorses Walker

Just before Mark Neumann took the stage to make his concession speech, his campaign issued this press release:

For Immediate Release

Wednesday, September 14, 2010

WAUKESHA, Wis. - September 14, 2010 - Tonight I am keeping my word and endorsing Scott Walker.

I am sending Scott a copy of my book and hope he will use it as he sees fit.

I wish him the best in the general election.

Short but not too sweet.

I realize what a tough loss this had to be for Mark Neumann.

I think it would have been more classy if Neumann had enthusiastically and vocally thrown his support to Scott Walker in his concession speech. That didn't happen. He didn't even mention Walker's name.

MARK NEUMANN: We have issued a press release this evening fulfilling my promise and my commitment as it relates to the general election. That is, I believe, already out. So that will be out to the press momentarily if it's not already there.

That's it.

The "we've issued a press release" was cheesy. Neumann wasn't as gracious as he should have been in defeat.

If he truly cared about the state and the future of Wisconsin and conservative principles, Neumann would have stressed to his supporters how important it is that they back Scott Walker.

I hope when the sting of the loss is less intense Neumann will work to take our government back and help elect a conservative governor.

Sensenbrenner Ad for Scott Walker

The campaign for Scott Walker today released a new radio ad entitled, ‘Record,’ featuring Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner. The ad, launched today, recounts Sensenbrenner’s time serving with Congressman Neumann in Washington, and Neumann’s vote for a bill containing $9 billion in pork barrel spending.

JIM SENSENBRENNER: Hello, I’m Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner.

Over the last few days, you have been hearing a lot about Mark Neumann’s vote for pork barrel spending in Congress.

Let me set the record straight. I served with Mark Neumann.

Mark Neumann voted yes for $9 billion in pork projects when he was in Congress. He voted yes to wasteful transportation spending.

I voted against that bill because it was full of waste and payoff to special interests.

Like me, Scott Walker opposed the bill and the 9 billion of wasteful spending.

That’s why I am voting for Scott Walker . He’s the conservative choice for Governor.

Scott Walker has cut spending, held line on property taxes, reduced debt, and made his county government smaller.

I’m Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner. If you want lower taxes and less government, I hope you’ll join me in voting for this Tuesday for the conservative candidate for Governor, Scott Walker.

It's very simple.

If you want lower taxes and less government, vote for Scott Walker.

Barrett, Dems, and Media Aid Neumann

Mark Neumann is a lucky guy.

Neumann has Tom Barrett and his team working to take out Scott Walker.

Neumann has Jim Doyle contributing $1,000,000 to the shameless, slimy, ruthless hit squad, the Greater Wisconsin Committee, to assist his effort to become the Republican nominee for governor.

More on the Greater Wisconsin Committee here.

Neumann has the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel tearing down Walker.

In a press release, the Neumann campaign circulates the Journal Sentinel's determination that a Walker TV ad is false. The release includes this quote from Mark Belling:

"As it stands right now… if Walker does not get the message out between now and next Tuesday that he's the Republican who can beat Barrett… I think Neumann is going to win the primary... that would be far more effective than the message that they have at the moment about trying to rip on Mark for a 12 year old vote."

It's taken out of context, but Neumann makes it sound like Belling is ripping candidate Walker as well.

In addtion, Neumann is benefiting from TMJ4 and FOX 6 doing their part to attack Walker.

Yes, Neumann is a lucky guy. He has Barrett, Doyle, the media, and the Democrat attack machine working to destroy Walker.

Now why would that be? Why are Neumann's Democrat opponents in his corner before the primary, doing Neumann's dirty work? Why are they helping him.

Clearly, Barrett, Doyle, the Democrats, and their liberal media allies want Neumann to win.

Why are they, in effect, endorsing Neumann?

They want Barrett to run against Neumann because they know that Walker is the stronger candidate.

Mark Neumann, the wannabe but failed career politician, shouldn't be wallowing in this support from the Democrats. It's very temporary. He should be embarrassed that they've chosen him as their preferred opponent in November. He doesn't seem to care.

Neumann is putting his own ambitions ahead of the people of Wisconsin. We can't be subjected to the disaster of a Tom Barrett administration, a third term of Jim Doyle.

Unfortunately, Neumann appears content to keep the reins of Wisconsin's government in the hands of the Democrats. I don't like it.

Mark Neumann: Career Politician

Mark Neumann plans to do a 12-city, 2-day, post-Labor Day barnstorm.

NEUMANN ANNOUNCES 12-CITY, TWO-DAY 'FREEDOM TOUR'

Neumann Joined by Polka Band - the "Conservatones" - Complete with Banjo, Clarinet, and Accordion

Thursday rally in Milwaukee, 'Main Streets' part of agenda; more cities to be announced soon. Public and press invited to come out and meet Mark before Election Day

Post-Labor Day Barnstorm

WAUKESHA, Wis. - September 7, 2010 - Mark Neumann is adding a polka band and a yellow school bus to the campaign as he kicks off a post-Labor Day barnstorm of Wisconsin.

With the primary election just days away, Neumann has announced a 'Freedom Tour' of 12 Wisconsin cities. The public and press are invited to meet up with Mark at any stop along the way.

"On September 14, folks will begin to decide the best course for Wisconsin's future, and that choice is clear. I spent 26 years building a business that has created hundreds of jobs," Neumann said. "I've written a conservative 210-page plan for Wisconsin's future that shows how we’ll cut spending, cut taxes, create 300,000 jobs, and get rid of the career politicians with term limits.

"My campaign has been about being accessible and accountable to the people of Wisconsin - not special interests in Milwaukee or Madison. That's why I've held 43 town halls and 80 'Main Streets' across Wisconsin so voters can hear my conservative message firsthand and ask me any question they want.

"This Freedom Tour will continue that tradition. It's not what career politicians do - but I'm not a career politician."

The Freedom Tour will feature a yellow school bus with supporters, a polka band - the Conservatones - and the well traveled Freedom Express.

Lee Sherman Dreyfus started this Wisconsin tradition with a yellow school bus and band of his own in 1978, when he defeated the establishment to become Governor.

Wednesday, September 8

11:15am Madison
Copper Top Restaurant
5501 Schroeder Rd.

12:40pm Watertown
Mullen's Dairy Bar
212 West Main St.

1:55pm Beaver Dam
Walker's Restaurant & Bakery
(attached to Best Western)
813 Park Ave

3:15pm Fond du Lac
Trepanier's Backyard Grill-Bar
838 E. Johnson St.

4:20pm Oshkosh
Delta Family Restaurant
515 N. Sawyer St.


Thursday, September 9

8:00am Kenosha
Danny's Cafe
6514 Green Bay Road

8:55am Racine
Kewpee Sandwich Shop
520 Wisconsin Ave

10:20am MILWAUKEE RALLY
War Memorial Park
750 N. Lincoln Memorial Dr.

12:00pm Sheboygan
Fountain Park Family Restaurant
930 N. 8th St.

1:25pm Manitowoc
Warren's Restaurant
905 Washington St.

3:00pm Green Bay
Zesty's
508 Greene Ave.

4:15pm Appleton
Copper Rock Coffee
210 W. College Ave Suite B

I really wish that Neumann would drop that "career politician" stuff. It's kind of dishonest. It's not as if Neumann has never held elected office.

Furthermore, I assume that when he ran against Russ Feingold for the U.S. Senate Neumann tried his best to win. I assume he wanted to go to Washington and represent Wisconsinites.

Neumann wanted a political career. The reason he isn't a "career politician" is because he lost.

When Neumann continuously uses the label "career politician," I'm reminded of his failure.

Neumann isn't the anti-establishment candidate he's making himself out to be.

Scott Walker Ad: 'Congressman Neumann'

Scott Walker addresses Mark Neumann's record as a U.S. congressman.

Nancy Pelosi makes an appearance in the ad.

“Congressman Neumann” Ad Script

Mark Neumann says he’s against big government spending.

But in 1998, Congressman Neumann voted for one of the largest transportation bills in history.

A bill that contained $9 billion in pork barrel spending.

Including funding for the infamous bridge to nowhere.

And a highway in Canada.

You know who else voted for that $9 billion in pork barrel spending?

Nancy Pelosi.

Take a closer look at Mark Neumann, remind you of anyone?

Neumann has responded:

WAUKESHA, Wis. - September 7, 2010 - Conservative candidate for Governor Mark Neumann released a new TV ad today in response to the last-minute negative attack campaign launched over the Labor Day weekend by Neumann's primary election challenger, Scott Walker. Neumann unveiled the ad today at news conferences in Waukesha, Madison and Green Bay.

Neumann supporters received a direct mail piece from the Walker campaign over the weekend that attempts to tie Neumann to House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi. On Sunday, Neumann called on Walker to stop his last-minute negative attacks and stressed that unlike Walker, Neumann would not release any negative attack ads in the closing days of the election.

Walker has refused to sign the pledge and today, Walker's negative attack TV ad started airing in Wisconsin. Walker's attacks come after the most recent Rasmussen poll showed Neumann to be the strongest candidate in the race for Governor and for the first time showed Mark outperforming Scott with Republicans.

"Scott Walker claims I'm Nancy Pelosi? He must be kidding," Neumann says in his new TV ad. "In Congress back in the '90s, I fought to cut spending so hard, the leaders of my own party kicked me off the Appropriations Committee."

Neumann's record as a deficit hawk is well-documented. In June, the Council of Citizens Against Government Waste said, "Mark Neumann is a proven leader in supporting limited government and eliminating excessive spending." Neumann has also won a host of awards and honors from watchdog groups for his commitment to balancing the federal budget without gimmicks, cutting wasteful spending and reducing taxes.

"These are desperate times for Scott Walker, who is collapsing in the polls and doing what career politicians do - lashing out with cheap shots and attempting to distort Mark Neumann's record at the 11th hour," Neumann campaign manager Chip Englander noted. "Walker's response to his cratering poll numbers is insulting to the intelligence of Wisconsin voters.

"Mark Neumann will continue to take the high road in the closing days of this election and will not launch any negative attack ads," Englander added. "Mark will focus on his record as a 26 year businessman who offers detailed solutions for Wisconsin's future, while the career politicians wallow in the mud."

I do think it's wrong for Neumann to be acting as if he only travels the high road.

Earlier in the campaign, Neumann accused Walker of working part-time and failing to fulfill his duties as Milwaukee County Executive.

This was really bizarre: Mark Neumann was running a despicable disinformation campaign, lying to citizens and the press, circulating "rumors" that Walker was dropping out of the governor's race and running for the U.S. Senate or Lt. Governor.

Perhaps now Neumann is doing a bit of Clintonesque parsing of words, the operative phrase being "closing days of this election."

FOX 6 News Shills for Tom Barrett

FOX 6 ran an ad for Tom Barrett during its 9:00 PM newscast last night. I don't mean during a commercial break. Mike Lowe, FOX 6, did a story that served as a campaign ad for Barrett.

The report criticizes a TV commercial by the Republican Governors Association and features the political rhetoric of Phil Walzak, a Barrett spokesman.

Watch the story as it ran on FOX 6:

 

Blue Point beer? The smoking gun! This is an outrage!

Good grief.

Why didn't Lowe do a story about the "authenticity" of Barrett's ads or Feingold's ads?

While FOX 6 did give Wisconsin Republican Party Chairman Rience Priebus the chance to comment, the focus of the segment was clearly pro-Barrett and anti-Republican.

MIKE LOWE: The Barrett campaign says the ad raises some serious questions. If the ad is about creating jobs in Wisconsin, then why pay East coast actors -- bartender is also a pitchman for CarMax -- instead of Wisconsinites in a real Milwaukee bar?

PHIL WALZAK: I think what it goes to say is that these guys have put together a phony, false ad. And while we kind of joke about catching them in a fib, if they're willing to lie about being in a Wisconsin bar then maybe they'll lie about other things. And I think that if this ad is a phony, if the production of this ad is phony, then certainly the claims in the ad are phony.

That's ridiculous.

Tom Barrett has spent the week whining about ads.

Is that the best he's got?

Barrett has to offer Wisconsinites something of substance, reasons to choose him to be governor, reasons why we would want, in effect, a third term of Jim Doyle.

It's not going to be Blue Point beer.

Nonetheless, Lowe does his best to cheerlead for Barrett:

MIKE LOWE: Still, UWM political science professor Mordecai Lee says the bar argument ad may resonate with some Wisconsin voters.

You'd have to be an idiot to cast your vote based on something as lame as the setting of this commercial.

It was produced by the Republican Governors Association, not Scott Walker's campaign or Mark Neumann's campaign. The Republican Governors Association isn't charged with creating jobs in Wisconsin. The organization isn't a Wisconsin group.

It's not an ad made by the campaigns of the Wisconsin Republican candidates. Sorry, Walzak. Walker and Neumann aren't lying or being phony.

Mark Neumann: Beer Stein Holding Contest

Mark Neumann is a tough competitor.

His mettle will be on display tonight at the Old German Beer Hall in Milwaukee.

Candidate for Governor Mark Neumann will participate in a NATIONAL traditional German Beer Stein Holding contest tonight in downtown Milwaukee - called Masskrugstemmen. In February, Neumann won a local Beer Stein Holding contest that qualified him to compete in tonight's regional competition. If he wins tonight he'll be invited to compete in the final competition in New York City.

Here's Neumann participating in the February contest:


_______________

UPDATE: NEUMANN WINS BEER STEIN HOLDING CONTEST

Defeats three younger contestants at Milwaukee's Old German Beer Hall

Candidate for Governor Mark Neumann displayed his beer-hoisting prowess tonight to defeat three other contestants in a stein-holding contest at Milwaukee's Old German Beer Hall.

Neumann is now invited to advance to the nationals, to be held in New York City. Earlier this year, Neumann won the local contest to take part in tonight's regionals.

The contest is a test of stamina to see who can hold a stein full of beer aloft the longest.

"I faced some tough competition tonight," a tired but elated Neumann noted. "I have been a runner, basketball player and hunter all my life, but I have to say this is the most unique sporting contest I have ever participated in."

Neumann, who trained for tonight's event while traveling across Wisconsin to host 30 town hall Freedom Forums to date, said he is pleased to be invited to represent Wisconsin on the national stage.

"This was a whole lot of fun, and I definitely played to win," Neumann said. "Put it this way though - my determination to win this contest pales in comparison to my commitment to balance Wisconsin's budget, cut taxes and get the career politicians out of Madison."

Rasmussen: Walker 49%, Barrett 41%

Rasmussen has bad news for Tom Barrett.

Scott Walker continues to gain in the Wisconsin gubernatorial race.

Keith Gilkes, campaign manager for Scott Walker, released the following statement on polling showing Scott Walker’s continual gains on Tom Barrett.

“Scott Walker’s Brown Bag Movement and its message of job creation, limited government, and lower taxes, continues to grow as voters reject Tom Barrett’s bid to assume Jim Doyle’s third term.”

Included in today’s poll:

• Rasmussen Reports has moved Wisconsin from a “Toss-Up” to “Leans Republican”.
• Walker leads Neumann with Republicans by 9 points and with conservatives by 7 points.
• Walker leads Barrett among independents by 8 points.

More:

Election 2010: Wisconsin Governor
Wisconsin Governor: Walker (R) 49%, Barrett (D) 41%
Thursday, August 12, 2010

Republican front-runner Scott Walker holds an eight-point lead over Democratic Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett in the race to be Wisconsin’s next governor.

The latest Rasmussen Reports statewide telephone survey of Likely Voters shows Walker picking up 49% support, while Barrett earns 41% of the vote. Three percent (3%) prefer some other candidate, while six percent (6%) are undecided.

Walker, the county executive of Milwaukee County, reached 50% support for the first time two weeks ago against Barrett, who had 43% support.

With this survey, Wisconsin moves from a Toss-Up state to Leans Republican in the Rasmussen Reports Election 2010 Gubernatorial Scorecard.

Barrett remains in a virtual tie with former Congressman Mark Neumann, the other GOP hopeful in the contest. Neumann picks up 45% to Barrett’s 43%. Two weeks ago, the race was 45% to 44% in favor of Barrett.

Walker has consistently proven to be the slightly stronger GOP candidate against Barrett, with support back to early February in the narrow range of 46% to 50%. In those same surveys, support for Barrett has ranged from 40% to 44%.

Neumann has picked up 43% to 47% of the vote against Barrett, who has earned 39% to 46% in those matchups.

Barrett has no strong opposition for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination. Voters in both parties will pick their nominees in September 14 primaries.

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.

The survey of 750 Likely Voters in Wisconsin was conducted on August 10, 2010 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 4 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

Incumbent Democrat Russ Feingold and his top Republican challenger, Ron Johnson, are essentially tied again this month in Wisconsin’s U.S. Senate race.

While Walker earns 90% support from Republicans, Neumann picks up 81% support. Barrett is backed by roughly 80% of those in his party in both match-ups. Both Republicans pick up over 50% support among voters not affiliated with either major political party.

In Wisconsin, 45% favor a provision in the new health care bill that requires every American to buy or obtain health insurance, which is higher than results found nationwide. Forty-nine percent (49%) oppose this requirement. Those numbers include 24% who Strongly Favor this requirement and 38% who Strongly Oppose it.

Wisconsin voters are also evenly divided on their support for their state suing the government to prevent this requirement from remaining in the law. Forty-two percent (42%) favor this state action, 38% oppose it, while another 20% are undecided.

Three-out-of-four voters who Strongly Favor the requirement support the Democrat. Walker is backed by 85% of those who Strongly Oppose the requirement, while Neumann picks up 75% support from those voters.

Walker is viewed Very Favorably by 29% and Very Unfavorably by 23%.

Neumann’s ratings are 14% Very Favorable, 17% Very Unfavorable.

Barrett earns Very Favorable marks from 21% and Very Unfavorable reviews from 26%.

All three candidates are well-known in the state. At this point in a campaign, Rasmussen Reports considers the number of people with strong opinions more significant than the total favorable/unfavorable numbers.

Democratic Governor Jim Doyle is not standing for reelection. Thirty-eight percent (38%) of Wisconsin voters now approve of the job he is doing as governor. Sixty percent (60%) disapprove. Those numbers are identical to those found two weeks ago.