Businessman Bill Berrien Launches Republican Campaign for Governor
Ex-Navy SEAL promises a Trump-style 'shakeup' of Madison.
Wisconsin businessman Bill Berrien launched a Republican bid for governor on Wednesday, July 9. Screengrab from Berrien campaign.
Veteran and businessman Bill Berrien has launched a Republican campaign for governor, aligning himself with President Donald Trump and castigating Gov. Tony Evers.
In an ad posted online early Wednesday, Berrien, who owns the New Berlin-based manufacturing businesses Pindel Global Precision and Liberty Precision, described himself as an “outsider” who would “shake up Madison” like Trump is shaking up Washington.
“It’s time that we fire the bureaucrats and hire a businessman to fix the problems and take our state back,” he said.
Berrien highlighted a platform that would put “Wisconsin citizens first,” support law enforcement and support strict immigration measures. He also criticized Evers’ record on transgender issues, saying he would “keep boys out of our daughters’ sports and locker rooms.”
Evers has vetoed multiple bills aimed at restricting trans kids from joining K-12 girls’ or university women’s sports teams. Opponents of those proposals, which mirror federal policy under Trump, say they take aim at the trans community and are a solution in search of a problem.
In a written statement responding to the announcement, Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Devin Remiker said Democrats are already building on their “playbook” that defeated several recent Republican candidates, including Tim Michels, Evers’ 2022 opponent.
“Bill Berrien’s rich enough to buy himself some attention and clueless enough to think that’s going to work — just like Elon Musk did this past April only to see his political career end,” Remiker said, referring to Musk’s involvement in Wisconsin’s April Supreme Court race.
Berrien joins Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann in a GOP primary for next November’s gubernatorial race. Other Republicans are said to be eyeing the contest.
Despite Berrien’s criticisms of Evers, the governor has not yet said whether he will run for a third term in office.
Over recent months, Evers said he would make a decision after the state budget was signed. Asked by reporters last week moments after signing that budget if he wanted to announce anything, Evers said, “Not yet.”
Wisconsin businessman and Navy SEAL Bill Berrien launches Republican campaign for governor was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.
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Can we just keep business out of political office for the good of the many citizens that make up our state? How about electing a public servant.