Republicans call for unity, endorse Tom Tiffany, at annual state convention

Republican leaders at the state party’s annual convention repeatedly called for grassroots activists to stop infighting and unify behind Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany’s campaign for governor.

The plea comes after two failed attempts by Republicans to oust state party Chairman Brian Schimming.

The Republican Party of Wisconsin’s most active members gathered over the weekend at the Kalahari Resort in Wisconsin Dells, just more than a month after a stinging 20-point April Supreme Court election loss that led to calls for Schimming’s resignation as chairman and two unsuccessful attempts to force him out. Days before the convention, there were still online rumors that delegates would try to force the issue once again.

That didn’t happen. When asked for comment on the efforts to boot him as party chair, Schimming told reporters at the convention, “Here I am.”

The intraparty angst was referenced by several speakers, including U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, who told Republicans to knock it off.

“We have no room for division,” said Johnson. “We have no room for the circular firing squad, which we are very good at. End it. End it now.”

As he has before, Johnson claimed the Democratic Party has been overtaken by “radical leftists” who don’t respect the U.S. Constitution and are bent on destroying the nation. Johnson said it’s up to Republicans to form a unified front to stop them by electing Tiffany and holding their U.S. House majority by sending Republicans like U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden back to Washington. 

Former Gov. Scott Walker painted the stakes of the November elections in stark terms during his time on the convention stage. He referenced culture war issues like abortion, allowing transgender students to play in girls’ sports and gender reassignment surgeries for minors. He said radical Democrats support it all, and are pushing “a system that allows it to be easy to cheat and manipulate” elections.

Walker said worst of all is when “radicals” celebrated the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump, referencing Minocqua Brewing Company owner Kirk Bangstad offering free beer to patrons whenever Trump dies. He said when Democrats cross that line, they’re “not just wrong, they are evil.”

“And we need to defeat evil,” said Walker. “Come this November, it’s not right or left, it’s not red or blue, it’s good or evil.”

After bruising Republican primaries in recent Wisconsin elections, including the 2022 GOP primary for governor, Republicans have avoided a similar fate in 2026.

Still, Tiffany wasn’t officially endorsed by the party until Saturday. He received a standing ovation when he walked onstage and got to work railing against retiring Democratic Gov. Tony Evers.

Tiffany attacked the governor’s partial state budget veto authorizing school funding property tax increases over 400 years and accused Evers’ appointees to the state’s Public Service Commission of rubber-stamping $2 billion in utility rate increases. 

Tiffany promised to repeal Evers’ 400-year veto “on day one,” audit state agencies to “root out fraud” in Wisconsin and protect farmland from Chinese interests and AI data center development.

He also made passing reference to the job he held for years as a dam tender.

“So, let’s go out and be the state that people choose to build their future in, not just say that’s the state I’m from,” said Tiffany. “Let’s unlock the great potential of the state of Wisconsin. Let’s send in the ‘dam man’ this November, and drain the Madison swamp.”

Never to be outdone, former Gov. Tommy Thompson dropped to the convention stage and did push ups before speaking to the delegation.

“You doubting Thomases that don’t think I’m tough enough to fight for the Republican Party, you got another thing coming, ladies and gentlemen!” shouted Thompson, who is 84.

Thompson, who endorsed Tiffany’s campaign for governor after hinting at a run of his own, said if Republicans stay united beyond the convention, Democrats “can’t lick us, and we will not go back.”

“We’re going straight forward, and we’re going to make Wisconsin the shining star in America with Tom Tiffany and the other Republicans,” shouted Thompson, asking if convention goers were with him.

The convention hall erupted in raucous cheers.

Republican Party of Wisconsin Chair Brian Schimming acknowledged frustration among members of the base about losing the vast majority of the past statewide elections where Trump wasn’t on the ballot. But he sounded an optimistic note and claimed Republicans are in a “very good position” ahead of the midterms, because the party is unified behind Tiffany.

“We’re going to do what it takes to make sure that every single one of you, the first week of next January, are standing in the rotunda to watch Tom Tiffany get sworn in as governor of the state of Wisconsin,” said Schimming. 

Before he gaveled the convention to a close Saturday evening, Schimming said Democrats were hoping for the GOP event to devolve into a chaotic fight over his leadership, but “this party walks out of here unified by Tom Tiffany.”

In a statement, the Democratic Party of Wisconsin called Tiffany a “MAGA extremist.”

Wisconsin Public Radio, © Copyright 2026, Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System and Wisconsin Educational Communications Board.