Tommy Thompson: GOP has ‘greatest opportunity I have ever seen’ for Republican sweep

During a fiery speech to Wisconsin delegates at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, former Gov. Tommy Thompson said he senses a GOP “sweep” in November following the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump.

Thompson was elected governor four times in Wisconsin, serving from 1986 until 2001 before being picked to serve in the cabinet of former President George W. Bush. He said this week marks the 12th time he has served as a delegate from Wisconsin to a national convention over the past 48 years.

At the start of his speech to fellow Republicans, he joked he was at the convention where the nation’s first president, George Washington, was nominated.

“He said it best,” Thompson mused about Washington amid laughter in the room, “America is great.”

Thompson told delegates that this year stands to top them all for Republicans, and the attempted assassination of Trump over the weekend had changed the election.

“People took notice. Democrats took notice. Independents took notice. And when he came up off of the floor, blood on his face, disheveled, fist in the air, the American flag behind him, saying, fight … that was an iconic picture,” Thompson said.

“That picture is now impressed upon our minds,” he continued, “and that is a picture that’s going to go into this election. And I’m here to tell you, ladies and gentlemen, we have the greatest opportunity I have ever seen for a Republican victory from the presidency down to the house.”

Thompson said he needed help from his fellow delegates to understand why Democratic candidates “become more Republican” in the waning days of a campaign. He said recent examples include Democratic President Joe Biden’s June executive order denying asylum to migrants who cross the U.S. border with Mexico illegally. 

“The closer to the election, they want to become more Republican. If you want the real thing, vote the real thing!” a breathless Thompson shouted. “That’s being a Republican. And that’s what we are, ladies and gentlemen!” 

Thompson said Wisconsin is “the most important state” in this year’s election and the Republican party is “coming back to save America.” 

“We win Wisconsin, we win the presidency, we control the Congress and we start changing America back the way the founders founded it, giving us our independence and our opportunity, the Republican way,” Thompson said. 

Bryan Steil, Ben Carson address Wisconsin delegation

Thompson’s full-throated speech stood in marked contrast to others who addressed GOP activists, including Republican U.S. Rep. Bryan Steil, R-Janesville, and former Secretary of U.S. Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson.

Carson spoke softly as he recalled his youth and the importance of education during childhood development. The retired brain surgeon described how the human brain develops soon after conception up until a person reaches their mid-to-late 20s. With that preface, Carson said, “We live in a society where there are people who are taking advantage of the fact that that brain is not fully developed.”

“And instead, they’re being told, you may actually not be a girl, you may actually not be a boy,” Carson said of transgender school policies.

Carson’s comments stand in contrast to a wide range of health groups, which have affirmed support for transgender care.

Carson also brought up communism, telling delegates that while the U.S. may think it won the Cold War, communists are “playing a much longer rage game, manipulating us, destroying our value system.”

“And it’s very effective,” Carson said. “And dividing the people on the basis of race, age, income, gender, religion, political affiliation — you name it.” 

Steil, who is running for reelection in Wisconsin’s competitive First Congressional District, referenced the assassination attempt against Trump, saying Republicans are going to “get it done” and send the former president back to the White House. 

“It’s a moment of sobriety, I think, with what occurred over the weekend, with the rhetoric that we’ve seen in our country, and an opportunity in Milwaukee to focus in on the policies that we need to put in place to move our country forward,” Steil said. 

He recalled a story his grandmother told him about how bomber pilots flying during World War II would “catch the most flak when you’re right over the target.”

“And so a lot of conservatives who are stepping up to try to move this country forward, in particular, President Trump, are catching a lot of flack,” Steil said. “I think it’s because he’s right over the target.”