Rebecca Kleefisch is the former Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin who is contesting the Republican Party primaries against Tim Michels in a bid to secure candidature for the post of the state’s governor. The 47-year-old Kleefisch will be facing Donald Trump-backed Tim Michels and Wisconsin State Assembly member Timothy Ranthum in the primaries. The winner will contest the general election against incumbent Tony Evers of the Democratic Party. Kleefisch’s candidature has been endorsed by former United States Vice President, Mike Pence.

At a campaign rally in Madison, Kleefisch voiced her displeasure against Governor Evers, saying, “He’s too weak for this job, and we need to have a state that’s affordable again. We need to have streets that are safe again. We need to have good education that we’re proud of”.

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Kleefisch, a Pontiac, Michigan native, was born Rebecca Ann Reed. She is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin–Madison and has worked as a reporter for WIFR-TV. Her husband, Joel Kleefisch, is a former State Representative from Wisconsin.

Kleefisch entered the political arena in 2010 when she ran for the post of Wisconsin’s Lieutenant Governor. In a five-way primary, Kleefisch emerged victorious and then was chosen as Scott Walker’s (GOP candidate) running mate. The two won the elections and served in their respective positions from 2011 to 2019. Kleefisch also added a unique record to her name when she had to face a recall election after the 2011 Wisconsin protests. She won the recall election and became the first lieutenant governor in US history to get re-elected after a recall.

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A staunch supporter of abortion ban, Kleefisch had said to FOX6, “I don’t think it’s the baby’s fault how the baby was conceived”. The former governor general, however, said that she would legalize same-sex marriage in Wisconsin if elected to power. The gubernatorial hopeful served as the executive director of Women’s Suffrage Centennial Commission and also as Jobs Ambassador for the Associated Builders and Contractors of Wisconsin.