The Milwaukee mayor’s office is criticizing Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) after he appeared to cast doubt on the ability of Republicans to vote early in the city.
During a tele-town hall on Monday, Johnson, who is facing a tough reelection battle, encouraged voters in other parts of the state to cast their ballots ahead of Election Day on Nov. 8.
“I would recommend early voting if you have a Republican election clerk,” he said.
“I’m not sure I would recommend a Republican go vote in Milwaukee,” he continued. “I don’t know about the bipartisan observation of those early votes. It might be possible.”
The remark drew a rebuke from Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson’s (D) office.
“Milwaukee welcomes election observers — people who will see, first hand, that elections here are conducted with the highest integrity,” Jeff Fleming, a spokesman for the mayor, said in a statement.
“Innuendos and baseless allegations of election impropriety undermine the public’s confidence in our elections. They harm the most important foundation of our democracy. Let’s stick to the facts. There is no basis to suggest impropriety by Milwaukee’s election officials,” Fleming added.
Alexa Henning, a Johnson spokeswoman, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that the two-term incumbent “obviously” meant his remarks to be “tongue-in-cheek.”
“The senator was just in Waukesha Tuesday where he encouraged early voting. We are confident we have Republican observers and poll workers in place, Wisconsinites should turn out and vote everywhere, including Milwaukee,” Henning added.
The back-and-forth comes in the final stretch of Johnson’s high stakes battle with Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes (D). According to the latest RealClearPolitics average, Johnson holds a 3.3 percentage point lead over the Democratic challenger.
Desperate to take down Johnson, Democrats have flooded the state with big dollars to boost Barnes. Between Oct. 1 and Oct. 19, Barnes raised $8.5 million and had $2.5 million in cash on hand.
As for the sitting Republican, Johnson raised $2.6 million during that stretch and has $3.5 million in the bank.
Early voting in the state runs until Nov. 5.