Ron Johnson recommends Republicans do not vote early in Milwaukee

During a tele-town hall on Monday, Ron Johnson said that he only recommends early voting if you have a Republican county clerk running elections, casting doubt on Milwaukee County’s Democratic clerk.

“I would recommend early voting particularly if you have a Republican election clerk,” Johnson said when a caller asked if she should vote early. “I’m not sure I’d recommend a Republican go vote in Milwaukee; I just don’t know about the bipartisan observation of those early votes. It might be possible.”

LISTEN: On Monday, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) cast doubt on the legitimacy of early voting in Milwaukee, even encouraging his supporters to not vote.

“I’m not sure I’d recommend a Republican go vote in Milwaukee.”https://t.co/UnQ0FEkjpz pic.twitter.com/6cXshaBHwd

— Heartland Signal (@HeartlandSignal) October 27, 2022

The comment appears to cast doubt on Milwaukee County Clerk George Christenson, a Democrat. Christenson did not respond to a request for comment.

The Republican senator has been highlighting election safety in recent days as his reelection to the Senate is currently standing at a near tossup with his opponent Mandela Barnes, with Johnson leading by three percentage points according to a RealClearPolitics polling average. Johnson’s campaign recently released a portal for voters to report suspected voter fraud.

What he did not mention in the town hall was his involvement with the plot to deliver a fake list of electors to then-Vice President Mike Pence on Jan. 6, 2021. Despite his shaky past with election integrity, Johnson continued to lambast Democrats on the issue.

“We’re taking election security very seriously. I am cautiously confident that this is going be a free and fair election. But again, I don’t know what the Democrats have up their sleeves. We have a very robust field operation. I think we’re shellacking the Democrats in terms of grassroots activity.”

This is not the first time Johnson specifically singled out Milwaukee — without evidence — for election fraud. During a February tele-town hall, Johnson baselessly claimed that Milwaukee’s voting practices were suspicious.

“Our concern [with voting integrity] is Milwaukee,” Johnson said. “This is one of these big Democrat strongholds that just can’t seem to get their votes counted until they know exactly how many votes they need … Whether anything’s happening or not, this just looks suspicious.”

Johnson then went on to tell voters to get out to the polls, after earlier telling Republicans in Milwaukee not to. Barnes and Johnson remain locked in a tight race for Wisconsin’s Senate seat.