“The momentum is building” – Wisconsin GOP Chair Brian Schimming

Former Wisconsin Governors Tommy Thompson and Scott Walker joined forces Tuesday in a big way, uniting behind former President Donald Trump with a level of enthusiasm that feels new.

“Scott Walker and I will criss-cross the state, hand-in-hand,” Thompson promised the crowd at the Trump rally at Racine’s Festival Park, to roaring applause.

When Trump took the stage, he lavished praise on both men; speaker after speaker indicated that, if Trump wins Wisconsin, he will likely win the race. “I love Milwaukee,” Trump opened his speech, a reference to the misleading media and Democratic narrative on Trump’s comments about the city.

It was debunked by seven members of Congress, yet the media continued to obsess over that distorted narrative in their rally coverage. Trump quickly moved on from that, hitting Biden hard over the border crisis, inflation, his foreign policy failures, his cognitive state, and more. He also brought Republican businessman Eric Hovde on-stage; Hovde is running against leftist Senator Tammy Baldwin, who was dubbed a radical who is the worst senator in Washington D.C. by Trump.

Former Wisc. Gov. Tommy Thompson delivers message that’s a theme at this Racine rally: if Trump wins Wisconsin, he wins the White House. pic.twitter.com/HdeeYCOskc

— Natasha Korecki (@natashakorecki) June 18, 2024

Having the two former governors barnstorming the state for Trump together certainly doesn’t hurt his chances in a state he won in 2016 and that polls have shown he could win again. The Five Thirty Eight polling average for Wisconsin has the race a dead heat but with Trump slightly ahead of Biden. The two governors have not always been seen as a unified force.

Thompson was Wisconsin’s governor from 1987 – 2001, and Walker served from 2011 – 2019, so combined they occupied the governor’s mansion for 22 years. They also remind people that Wisconsin was a red state not that long ago; it’s a winnable statewide for Republicans. Sen. Ron Johnson’s victory proved that too. The two governors are very different in some ways, but they share a love for the state and, Tuesday made it clear, a strong desire to help Trump win.

Later, the two men were seen conversing intently over to the side.

No one in Wisconsin political history, perhaps, can work a room like Thompson. That’s especially true when he’s being a booster of the state. He also has appeal with independents. Some people took the men’s joining forces as a sign that the GOP will be unified going into November with conservative infighting waning. Trump was also flanked by Republican Congressmen Bryan Steil, Derrick Van Orden, and Glenn Grothman.

Thompson, 82, demonstrated that he still has the energy and enthusiasm of a much younger man, lighting up the crowd with a speech so enthusiastic he was almost shouting.

Honestly, I was most shocked at the fact Tommy Thompson was at the Trump rally today.

If Thompson is at the Trump rally then the GOP should be wholly unified going into November.

— Wisconsin’s Conservative Sponge (@wiz_political) June 18, 2024

“I love Wisconsin. I love you, and I love the direction we’re going to go,” an animated Thompson told the crowd. “We’re going to take America back. It is up to us. The eyes of the country, the eyes of the nation, the eyes of the world are on Racine today and on Wisconsin tomorrow. We’re the difference.”

State GOP Chair Brian Schimming told WRN that he feels the two governors’ “statewide leadership” could get Trump over the edge, and he revealed they are the “co-captains of the Wisconsin Trump dream team.”

“I am excited to have Governors Tommy Thompson and Scott Walker as the co-captains of the Wisconsin Trump dream team,” GOP Chair Brian Schimming told WRN. “Thousands of volunteers, dozens of staff, and over 30 offices are focused on one thing: winning Wisconsin. Having worked for both of them, I can personally speak to how much they bring to this effort. The momentum is building and having their statewide leadership is a big help.”

Walker, in 2016, as most remember, was Trump’s presidential primary rival, but that appears to be solidly in the past now. “Great day in Racine, WI! Excellent crowd for President Donald Trump! Glad to join the Wisconsin leadership team for his campaign!” Walker wrote on X.

Walker, wearing an American flag shirt, took the stage before Trump’s appearance and told the crowd that Trump would “make Wisconsin affordable again.”

Former WI Gov. @ScottWalker: “Since Joe Biden’s taken office, prices in Wisconsin have gone up by more than 20%…gas has gone up by more than a buck a gallon…housing prices — 43% increase…We can’t afford four more years of Joe Biden.”pic.twitter.com/M4W8bq0Y0Y

— MAGA War Room (@MAGAIncWarRoom) June 18, 2024

He also referenced President Joe Biden’s failed border policies, which he said have allowed fentanyl to flow into U.S. communities, and said, “We need Trump to make Wisconsin and America secure again.”

Walker also referenced violent crime and said that Trump is needed to “make Wisconsin safe again.”

Trump: “You’re coming with us Scott. You’re coming with us.” 👀

Cabinet post?

— Wisconsin’s Conservative Sponge (@wiz_political) June 18, 2024

Trump, he said, will “make Wisconsin and America great again.”