Former state Senate Majority Leader Dale Schultz, R-Richland Center, announced Friday that he was endorsing Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris and her running mate Tim Walz in the November election.
By Civic Media Staff
Former state Senate Majority Leader Dale Schultz, R-Richland Center, announced Friday that he was endorsing Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris and her running mate Tim Walz in the November election.
Schultz, who served as the majority leader from 2004 to 2007, spent 32 years representing southwest and west-central Wisconsin in both the state Assembly and Senate. He announced his endorsement of the Democratic ticket shortly before joining “The Todd Allbaugh Show” for an interview Friday.
Schultz told Allbaugh he still proudly calls himself a Republican but in the vein of former GOP Presidents Dwight Eisenhower and Ronald Reagan.
“I tell people, ‘Look, I didn’t leave the party. The party left me,'” Schultz said. “This is a critically important race, and (former President) Donald Trump should never be allowed in the Oval Office again. I’m proudly casting my vote for Vice President Harris and (Minnesota) Gov. Tim Walz.”
Schultz said he believes Harris can win this fall, but with one caveat.
“It’s going to take my friends and neighbors, who entrusted me with their votes for so many years, to come out and join me in voting for Vice President Harris,” he said.
Schultz said two factors contributed to the timing of his endorsement.
“Seeing my good friend, former Republican Iowa County Sheriff Steve Michek, join former Congresswoman Liz Cheney in Ripon in endorsing the vice president by making the point that Donald Trump’s actions on Jan. 6 were disqualifying for anyone who truly supports law enforcement and the rule of law had a great affect,” Schultz said. “That along with seeing members of my own family being affected by the disgusting lies being told and perpetuated by Trump and MAGA in Florida as a major hurricane hit was when I just said: ‘Enough’s enough! I need to stand up and be counted.'”
Schultz said he plans to do whatever he can to help Harris and Walz win Wisconsin.
“Another big factor here is that I feel a kinship between the area I used to represent, Gov. Walz and myself,” Schultz said. “My friends and I are hunters and outdoors people. Tim Walz loves to get out in a field behind a couple good pointers and flush out some pheasants. Conservation, the outdoors and Midwest traditions are things we don’t hear a lot about anymore, and Tim Walz is as authentic as it gets.”
