An organization formed to hold Republicans accountable for defending former President Donald Trump’s false claims of election fraud has rendered judgment on Wisconsin’s GOP representation in Washington D.C.
The Republican Accountability Project (RAP), formerly Republican Voters Against Trump, issued “GOP Democracy Report Cards” for every Republican in the House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. Wisconsin’s Republicans did not do well:
According to RAP, “the scores are based on whether they signed onto the amicus brief filed in the TX lawsuit to the Supreme Court that sought to nullify votes cast during the 2020 presidential election, whether they objected to the certification of Electoral College votes from at least one state, whether they made public statements that cast doubt on the legitimacy of the 2020 election, and if they voted to hold Donald Trump accountable via impeachment or conviction.”
Two Wisconsinites received failing grades from RAP. Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-WI7) scored the worst, followed closely by Rep. Scott Fitzgerald (R-WI5). Both members of Congress, despite the riot by Trump supporters attempting to prevent the certification of the election, actually voted against the certification of election results from two states.
Tiffany had the dubious distinction of having supported a lawsuit from Texas panned as an unconstitutional attempt to usurp the election. After Tiffany’s endorsement of the Texas lawsuit, RightWisconsin announced it regretted the decision to endorse Tiffany in the special election responsible for his elevation to Congress.
Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) did slightly better than expected, receiving a “D” from RAP. While Johnson has repeatedly lied about the riot on January 6 and his statements afterwards, Johnson did not vote to object to any state’s election results. However, that was an accident of fate. Johnson had previously indicated he intended to object to the election results, including Wisconsin’s election results, when Congress met on January 6. The senator changed his mind following the riot by Trump supporters attempting to prevent Congress from certifying the results.
Johnson has not yet indicated if he will run for re-election in 2022.
Congressmen Bryan Steil (R-WI1) and Glenn Grothman (R-WI6) both received “C-” grades due to public statements they made regarding the election results and their vote against the impeachment of President Donald Trump following the January 6 riot.
Congressman Mike Gallagher (R-WI8) received a “B-,” or “okay,” but was dinged for voting against impeachment. As the riot at Capitol occurred, Gallagher issued a strong statement calling on the president to call off his supporters in an effort to end the political violence.
Wisconsin’s Republicans were not alone in receiving poor marks. According to The Hill, “Overall, 136 Republicans in the House and Senate received grades of F from the group.”
“Ever since January 6, every congressional Republican who supported the Big Lie has been trying to distract from their shameful behavior and pretend like the insurrection never happened,” said Sarah Longwell, Executive Director of RAP. “Our new report card will serve as a permanent record of their bravery or cowardice. Reporters, donors, and their constituents will be able to quickly and easily find out how their representatives in Congress acted when it mattered.”
Longwell is also the publisher of The Bulwark. William Kristol, an editor-at-large of The Bulwark, is the chairman of the board for the Republican Accountability Project. Two former Trump Administration officials also serve on the board of directors, Olivia Troye and Elizabeth Neumann. The organization claims in a press release it “has pledged to raise and spend $50 million to defend Republicans who acted to hold President Trump accountable for inciting an attack on the U.S. Capitol, and to deploy against those who continue to lie to voters about widespread election fraud.”
