Republican incumbent Sen. Ron Johnson has been careful about his praise for his party’s presidential nominee, Donald Trump. But Johnson spent Thursday barnstorming western Wisconsin with Trump’s son, Eric.
Johnson didn’t even mention Trump’s name at a campaign stop in Chippewa Falls on Oct. 27, but now, with the race for U.S. Senate at a statistical dead heat, Johnson has embraced Trump.
Prior to Thursday’s campaign events, Johnson also spoke at a Trump rally earlier this week, but the senator said his support of the GOP nominee isn’t anything new.
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“I’ve always been very consistent. I support areas of agreement,” Johnson said. “I don’t care who it is, I’m willing to work with anybody in good faith to start addressing these enormous challenges – reducing the deficit, growing our economy, strengthening our military.”
At a campaign event in Hudson, Eric Trump praised Johnson and said the Oshkosh businessman would “tear apart” Washington, D.C.
“We want to take our country back, and Ron Johnson and, quite frankly, my father, they’re the ultimate outsiders,” Trump said. “They were very, very successful in private industry, and here we are, and you see what’s happening with our career politicians in this country, they’re doing a terrible job.”
A Marquette University Law School Poll released Wednesday shows Johnson trailing Democratic rival Russ Feingold by just 1 point, a statistical dead heat. Feingold has criticized Johnson’s support of Trump.
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