Berrien bows out of governor’s race

It ended not with a bang, or even with much of a whimper, but more like a summer breeze — that would be the gubernatorial campaign of Bill Berrien, the Navy SEAL-turned-businessman who promised to build the “Wisconsin Century,” only to drop out after 11 weeks.

His abrupt departure leaves U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-Wisconsin-07), who announced his candidacy last week, claiming the mantle of Republican frontrunner. Washington County executive Josh Schoemann is the other declared GOP candidate.

“I do believe I’m the leader at this point, yes,” Tiffany told WISN’s UPFRONT program. “I took a few years to really evaluate is this the best thing to do, and I asked two questions. One, where can I do the most good for the people of the state of Wisconsin, and am I the best candidate? And I believe that I am the best candidate to provide the leadership that the state of Wisconsin needs.”

Berrien’s exit act followed reporting in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and other media outlets that he had followed a transgender porn star and other sexually explicit publications on the social media platform Medium, which publishes blog- and newsletter-styled essays. The revelations triggered concerns about his ability to withstand ethical scrutiny, while others viewed it as giving Berrien a convenient excuse to quit for a candidate who never found traction.

In a lengthy campaign statement, Berrien blasted what he called a “salacious and sensational attack piece.” 

“After hunting down war criminals in Bosnia as a Navy SEAL Platoon Leader, I had no idea that running for political office could be almost as dangerous,” Berrien said in the statement.

As his campaign gained traction and he was emboldened by an optimistic vision, Berrien wrote, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel published articles that he said were clearly targeted to force him out of the race. 

“I consider myself very intellectually curious and, as a leader in business and hoped-for leader in politics, I thought it was a strength to read very widely and show a broad intellectual interest,” he wrote. “I listen to podcasts everyday on my way to work. I am constantly trying to take in new information, trying to learn something new. I follow over 5,000 people across so many platforms. I subscribe to over 100 newsletters. And I have hit the ‘like’ button on perhaps 20,000 different articles or postings.”

And yet, Berrien said, the media cherry-picked a handful of individuals and written articles that came across his feed that he then followed, all without the faintest clue as to an author’s lifestyle choices six or seven years ago.

It was a major attack piece, Berrien said.

“And for what?” the former candidate asked. “For reading! Nothing illegal, nothing unethical and nothing immoral. Just reading. Wouldn’t you want your political and business leaders (and all of society, frankly) to be widely read and thoughtful and aware of different perspectives and ideas? Yet, when a supposedly major metropolitan newspaper condemns someone for reading, we have ourselves a problem.”

Protesting too much?

Not everyone was entirely convinced the newspaper’s disclosures were the reason Berrien dropped out so quickly. Others raised questions and hinted at a campaign that was already limping along in the slow lane.

Since his entry into the race, Berrien has faced withering criticism from some stalwart conservatives who claimed his recent embrace of Trump and the MAGA movement was insincere, particularly given his previous support for Nikki Haley for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination and his $30,000 donation to support the former U.N. ambassador. 

In an op-ed earlier this year entitled “Bill Berrien is a Fraud,” long-time conservative radio talk host Mark Belling wrote that, in 2020, Berrien couldn’t even bring himself to support Trump against Joe Biden.

“When it was fashionable for elitist and ‘enlightened’ business people to bash Trump, Berrien went on national TV and ripped Trump for, among other things, his ‘anti-science’ approach to Covid,” Belling wrote.

And that wasn’t all, Belling went on.

“Berrien for the last several years has been a member of a centrist Wisconsin political group that has been pushing ranked-choice voting in Wisconsin,” he wrote. “That’s a scheme that has people vote for several candidates and rank them in order. The goal is to get more moderate Democrats and Republicans in office than the current trend of conservative Republicans and radical Democrats. Most Wisconsin Republicans hate the idea and it has gone nowhere.”

After Berrien dropped out, Belling, posting on X, suggested that the politics rather than the Medium sites had caught up with him.

“Well that was quick,” Belling posted. “Bill Berrien has ended his candidacy for Governor, rather petulantly. Next time Bill, run an honest campaign rather than trying to pretend you’re a pro-Trump, MAGA guy.”

Meanwhile, speaking to WISN, Republican strategist Bill McCoshen dismissed Berrien’s claim that his campaign was gaining traction: “I think the campaign struggled from the jump,” he said. “I don’t think he found his groove. He wanted to be the outsider in the race, and there’s an outsider lane on the Republican side of the aisle, but in order to fill that, you’ve got to have unlimited resources. You’ve got to be able to buy a base. He didn’t have a base. He never did.”

Democrats seemed to suggest that Berrien’s anti-Trump past had caught up with him.

“Bill Berrien is a lesson for all GOP candidates: if you don’t show complete and total loyalty to Trump — past or present — then you better pack your bags and head for the door,” state Democratic Party spokesman Philip Shulman said. “His failure, despite his resume, financial investment, and doing somersaults to earn Trump’s love, shows just how far the other GOP candidates are going to have to go to win the nomination.”

As UW-La Crosse political scientist Anthony Chergosky told WPR, dropping out before the election year even begins is rare.

“It’s always very surprising when a candidate drops out prior to the calendar year in which the primary is going to happen,” Chergosky said. “So a candidate dropping out at this stage reveals that something has gone horribly wrong.”

Tiffany’s moment

Tiffany wasted little time stepping into the vacuum, with some news outlets also calling him the early frontrunner or prohibitive favorite, and some early questions swirled around the possibility of gaining Trump’s endorsement.

“That’s the president’s call,” Tiffany told the WISN news program. “The president’s going to make the decision whether he chooses to endorse or not. I have not asked for his endorsement. The president is going to decide what he’s going to do. I’m going to stay focused on what I can control, and we’re going to be out there visiting people all over the state of Wisconsin, working our butts off and trying to lead this state in the right direction.”

There were signs that Democrats were also viewing Tiffany as the frontrunner, as their media statements focused exclusively on Tiffany and ignored Schoemann. On WISN, state party chairman Devin Remiker called Tiffany “the biggest threat to working-class Wisconsinites” and pledged to “hold Republicans like Tom Tiffany accountable.”

The party immediately launched ad buys targeting Tiffany and his purported support for tariffs, including spots during a Packers game.

After dropping out, Berrien says he plans to return to the private sector, focusing on manufacturing and workforce training initiatives. He promised to use leftover campaign funds through his Never Out Of The Fight PAC to support the GOP team. 

“As Teddy Roosevelt said, the credit belongs to those who are actually in the arena,” he said. “I admire those who are willing to put their hat into the ring, and I wish Tom Tiffany, Josh Schoemann, and any other Republican who decides to run for governor of our great state all the best. We need you to succeed, to do well, and to win. It’s our common goal to beat Democrats, win the race, and make Wisconsin the best place to raise a family and grow a business.”

The Democratic field, meanwhile, seemingly grows by the day. Declared candidates include Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez, Milwaukee County executive David Crowley, state Sen. Kelda Roys, state Rep. Francesca Hong, former state Rep. Brett Hulsey, and the former head of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, Missy Hughes. 

State attorney general Josh Kaul and former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes are said to be considering jumping into the race.

Richard Moore is the author of “Dark State” and may be reached at richardd3d.substack.com.