Trump-endorsed Tim Michels wins tight Wisconsin GOP gubernatorial primary

With the help of an endorsement from former President Donald Trump, businessman Tim Michels won a contentious Wisconsin Republican gubernatorial primary Tuesday night.

The Associated Press projected Michels’ win at 11:36 p.m. EST. As of 11:45 p.m., he leads with 47% of the vote.

Among the candidates Michels defeated were Rebecca Kleefisch, the former lieutenant governor endorsed by former Vice President Mike Pence, and Timothy Ramthun, the state assemblyman who centered his campaign around false 2020 election disinformation.

This is Michels’ first political election since losing to Democratic Sen. Russ Feingold in the 2004 Senate election. The businessman said on the campaign trail that as governor, he would ban emergency contraceptives and refused to answer a debate question on if there is any gun safety legislation he supports. He also garnered mild controversy when the National Rifle Association called out his campaign for falsely claiming the group endorsed him in campaign literature, even though they did not make such endorsement.

Michels is set to face incumbent Gov. Tony Evers (D) in the November election.