The Sconi

Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate Rebecca Kleefisch has made significant progress in her campaign fundraising following the Sept. 9 announcement of her candidacy.

In less than a week, she had already raised $1.2 million for her campaign. 

Kleefisch, former Lt. Gov. of Wisconsin, ended her first week of campaigning in mid-September with an estimated $1.5 million in total fundraising, The Center Square reported. 

“I’m overwhelmed with the outpouring of support I have seen in a short time since launching my campaign. The strong fundraising numbers show that we have the campaign infrastructure and grassroots support to be the Republican who beats Gov. Tony Evers next fall,” Kleefisch remarked in a statement, as reported by The Center Square.

Due to Wisconsin being a swing state, there is likely to be large amounts of money spent on both sides of the governor’s race in 2022.

“Last election, Democrats relied on a massive amount of out-of-state money. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker personally donated millions of dollars to help prop up Wisconsin Democrats. Republicans must continue to organize and energize the grassroots if we want to fight back against the Democrat money machine,” Kleefisch said. 

Upon making her announcement for candidacy, Kleefisch said her decision to run is due to wanting to build a strong, better state for the people of Wisconsin. 

“I am running because I have two kids who I want to choose Wisconsin to live their American dreams and one day raise families here. But that is only possible if we start putting the people first. We need safe communities, great education with real choice and real standards, and good-paying jobs,” she said, as reported by Wisconsin Politics. “Tony Evers’ weak leadership has been disastrous for our state. He failed to stand up to the left-wing mobs while Wisconsin cities burned. Evers tried to raise your taxes during a pandemic, and his administration let the calls of unemployed Wisconsinites go unanswered after he shut our economy down. I’m a mother, a cancer survivor, and as your governor, I’ll always put you first and never back down. I have the backbone to get the job done and, together, we can build a stronger Wisconsin.”

According to The Center Square, Democratic incumbent Tony Evers has considerably more money in his campaign budget, totaling $7 million, though he has been fundraising for far longer than Kleefisch. These numbers are according to campaign finance reports.

In a biography on Kleefisch’s campaign website, it says that she was elected in 2010, elected as the state’s 44th lieutenant governor where "she championed workforce and economic development for eight years" and "became known as a conservative fighter and was the first lieutenant governor in American history to survive a recall." She also created the Governor’s Small Business Summit, which allowed Wisconsin small business owners to access state leaders, and the Small Business Academy, "a free seminar designed for minority and female potential entrepreneurs,” the biography said. 

Kleefisch is also a cancer survivor, well known for her pro-life record, an avid turkey hunter, a strong supporter of the Second Amendment and Wisconsin’s sporting heritage, according to her biography. 

Kleefisch has also recently hired Alex Walker, the son of former Governor Scott Walker, as her political director. Alex Walker has also worked for WI Rep. Bryan Steil and Senate Candidate Leah Vukmir.