MADISON - Republican candidate for governor Rebecca Kleefisch is escalating her criticism of how the last presidential election was carried out in Wisconsin, calling it a "rigged" contest that produced an illegitimate president.
The characterization comes as a fourth candidate enters the Republican primary with the ability to pour millions into his campaign and a backstory that could appeal to the head of the party, former President Donald Trump.
Seventeen months after the 2020 election, grievances over its outcome loom over Wisconsin's 2022 races as Trump continues to pressure Republicans to keep alive his false claims of widespread fraud to build momentum for his expected 2024 campaign for president.
Recounts, court rulings, state audits and a study by a prominent conservative group have confirmed President Joe Biden won Wisconsin in 2020 by nearly 21,000 votes. None of the reviews have shown fraud manipulated the outcome of the election.
Kleefisch on Tuesday compared decisions made by Wisconsin election officials to navigate the coronavirus pandemic to those of NFL quarterback Tom Brady in 2015 when he was accused of using deflated footballs to gain an advantage for the New England Patriots in a playoff game.
"I often compare this to deflategate," Kleefisch said in a Tuesday interview on WTAQ.
"They won the game. Did they win legitimately? Did they replay the game? These are the questions that we are facing right now on the highest level of governance," she said.
"I...
Welcome to Reality Check, NewsGuard’s nonpartisan newsletter that tracks the false claims and conspiracy theories that shape our world — and who’s behind them. Please support us by becoming a premi...