Political Roundup: GOP held a fundraiser in Milwaukee featuring Ryan and Gov. Walker

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Republican vice-presidential candidate Paul Ryan told supporters in Milwaukee last night to complete “Wisconsin’s journey” by electing Tommy Thompson to the U-S Senate, and Mitt Romney to the White House. Ryan, the House Budget chairman from Janesville, highlighted a fundraiser for Thompson at the Harley-Davidson Museum. About 350 people attended, and a couple of other Wisconsin G-O-P heavyweights spoke – including Governor Scott Walker and national Republican Party chairman Reince Priebus. Thompson is in a tight race with House Democrat Tammy Baldwin for the Senate seat that’s being given up by retiring Democrat Herb Kohl. It’s been 28 years since Wisconsin carried a Republican to a presidential victory. But Ryan said the G-O-P’s gains from two years ago, and Walker’s recall election victory in June, provide momentum for electing Romney and Thompson. Ryan said the former governor’s place in history was quote, “already so well written.” And he called Thompson a man who “engineered some of the most successful ideas in public policy in a generation.” Walker said Republicans have made over two-million contacts with voters since July – and he said it would take quote, “money, message, and manpower” to get Thompson and Romney elected three weeks from tomorrow.

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The son of U-S Senate candidate Tommy Thompson made some waves yesterday, when he told supporters they could send President Obama back “to Kenya.” Jason Thompson spoke at a brunch in Kenosha, put on by county Republicans. The 38-year-old attorney said quote, “We have the opportunity to send President Obama back to Chicago – or Kenya.” That was an apparent reference to the long-time claim by some critics that Obama was not born in the U-S. His father is from Kenya, but a birth certificate released by the White House last year showed he was born in Hawaii. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel said a Democratic operative made the video and sent it to “Buzz-Feed Politics” – and a Buzz-Feed writer put it on You-Tube. Tommy Thompson was asked about the video last evening at a news conference – and he said quote, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” An hour later, his campaign issued a statement that Thompson addressed the matter with his son quote, “just like any father would do.” The campaign went on to say that Jason Thompson “said something he should not have, and he apologizes.” Thompson’s Senate opponent, Democrat Tammy Baldwin, had no comment on the video.

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Mitt Romney’s Republican presidential campaign has filed a federal lawsuit in Madison. It wants Wisconsin to extend its deadline for military and overseas voters to return their absentee ballots. State officials said 44 ballots were sent up to five days after a deadline of September 22nd. The Romney camp had asked the Government Accountability Board to extend the deadline. The Board said no, so Romney’s people are asking a judge to count overseas ballots that are returned to local clerks by November 14th instead of the current deadline of November ninth. The Board has not commented on the lawsuit, which was filed last Friday. But Board spokesman Reid Magney said last month that any delays in sending the ballots was relatively short – and local clerks were more successful in following the overseas ballot laws than in the past. Wisconsin is not the only place where the Romney camp is bringing up the issue. It filed similar complaints with state election officials in Michigan, Mississippi, and Vermont.

Tags: news, wisconsin, government, politics