Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel: “Rebecca Kleefisch over the weekend told Republicans they needed to ‘hire mercenaries’ and engage in ‘ballot harvesting’ to help her win next year’s race for governor – a practice she has said she wants to ban. In a Saturday speech to Republicans in Door County, Kleefisch said the methods she needs to use to win bother her so much she will need to wash herself with steel wool. If her campaign strategy works, she said she would quickly sign legislation overhauling how elections are conducted. ‘We execute with excellence, we will beat them at their own game. And the next morning, we all wake up, take a shower with steel wool, and then, after swearing in in January… (the Legislature) is going to pass all these bills again, and then I’m going to sign them all. And we will never do elections like that again, but this is how we win,’ Kleefisch said, according to audio of her speech obtained by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.”

“Kleefisch, who served as lieutenant governor for eight years, made her comments as she gears up her campaign to take on Democratic Gov. Tony Evers next year and as Republicans call for tighter voting laws. After a 20-minute speech, Kleefisch told the crowd she would run down her campaign strategy but asked those present not to share it publicly. ‘If you are recording, I don’t want you to put this part online to share with Democrats, OK? It is about election strategy,’ she said.”