Wisconsin Republicans 'seem so determined to lose' in Nov. midterms: WSJ editorial board

The editorial board of The Wall Street Journal slammed "the Wisconsin GOP's latest meltdown in a new editorial.

The newspaper asked "Why do Republicans seem so determined to lose the November elections?"

The editorial board noted Dean Knudson, a Republican member of the Wisconsin Elections Commission, quit in disgust with the ongoing lies about the 2020 election pushed by supporters of former President Donald Trump.

"Mr. Knudson’s replacement will be appointed by Assembly Speaker Robin Vos. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that Mr. Vos 'has not ruled out anyone, including former Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman.' This is a bad idea. Mr. Gableman’s recent claim to fame is accusing the commission of committing criminal fraud in 2020, while calling for the Wisconsin Legislature to decertify President Biden’s victory, which is impossible," the newspaper noted.

The newspaper noted Trump lagged all five of the Republicans that Wisconsin sent to Congress in 2020 while Trump lost.

"Across those five districts, Mr. Trump ran behind the GOP congressmen by 63,547 votes, or three times his losing margin statewide. Mr. Biden’s numbers are almost a mirror image. He over-performed the Democratic candidates in those districts by 64,880. The hard truth for Mr. Trump is that thousands of Republicans cast ballots for the GOP House but didn’t want to give him four more years," WSJ noted. "Mr. Trump didn’t lose the election because of votes in largely Democratic Milwaukee. He won 29.3% of Milwaukee County in 2020, higher than his 28.6% in 2016. Mr. Trump lost Wisconsin with his under-performance among Republicans in places like Appleton or Janesville."

The newspaper, owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation, advised Republicans to leave 2020 in the past.

"This week’s primary results in Georgia prove that most Republican voters are ready to stop looking backward at 2020 and start trying to get some real work done for their states and their country. If Wisconsin Republicans don’t beat Democratic Gov. Tony Evers this year, they face four more years of vetoes, including of bills they want to tighten up voting practices. Time to leave 2020 behind," the editorial board counseled.

Read the full editorial.