Wisconsin Republicans To Focus On Party Unity At State Convention

Party unity will be a focus as Wisconsin Republicans gather in Green Bay this weekend for the annual state GOP’s convention.

The convention comes at a complicated time for Republicans nationwide as the party grapples with uniting around apparent presidential nominee Donald Trump. Republican leaders in Wisconsin, many of whom lined up in support for former presidential candidate Ted Cruz, have varied widely on their response to Trump’s candidacy.

Party spokesman Pat Garrett said the convention will provide an opportunity for Republicans to coalesce around shared ideals.

“We have a lot of things to be unified about here as Republicans, and that’s what we are going to be celebrating in Wisconsin,” he said. “We have right-to-work, voter ID, a lot of things that people have gotten behind and will continue to get behind.”

When asked about the challenge of uniting around Trump’s candidacy, Garrett outlined the party’s opposition to Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton.

“I think it’s going to be a clear choice in November,” he said.

The convention will feature speeches by Gov. Scott Walker and U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, who is facing a re-election challenge from former Sen. Russ Feingold.

Speaking to the Associated Press Friday, Johnson echoed Garrett, saying the goal of the party, both in Wisconsin and nationally, should be, “unify, unify, unify, agree, agree, agree.”

Wisconsin Democrats will hold their state party convention in Green Bay next month.