Wisconsin Democratic candidate for governor Tony Evers had a heavy hitter stumping with him in Milwaukee on Tuesday.
President Obama’s attorney general, Eric Holder, came to town to throw his support behind the candidate and his running mate, Mandela Barnes.
All three showed up at Coffee Makes You Black, a coffee shop in Milwaukee’s 53206 neighborhood, to speak on a panel for criminal justice reform with Milwaukee Municipal Court Judge Valarie Hill. Before that, they faced reporters for a press conference.
While Holder mainly voiced support for the Evers and Barnes ticket, he also criticized their opponent, Republican Gov. Scott Walker. Holder accused Walker of doing the bidding for big conservative donors like the Koch brothers.
“Scott Walker has been a leader in the effort that we have seen over the course of this past decade that has removed the interests of government away from the people that government is supposed to serve," he said.
Holder said Walker’s policies in Wisconsin have been replicated in other states like Michigan and Ohio. And, he said that what happens in Wisconsin on November 6 will reverberate beyond the state’s borders.
Holder said Evers and Barnes will focus on the needs of the average Wisconsinite, and that Walker has not had them in mind. He referred to the voter ID laws that the Walker Administration put into place, and said these restrictions are suppressing voters and speak to the essence of the two political parties.
“Democrats want as many people to vote as is possible," Holder said. "Republicans want to have a select number of people vote, and they want to select the people who vote. If we are successful in turning out the vote, these two men will win the election, it is as simple as that.”
Holder has gotten involved in Wisconsin politics before. When Walker refused to hold special elections for open Wisconsin legislative seats in Lodi and DePere, a group led by Holder sued, and a judge ordered Walker to move up the election date.
Walker has had his own national heavy hitters getting behind him, including Vice President Mike Pence.
Walker’s campaign issued a statement about Holder’s backing of Evers, stating:
"Today’s visit by Barack Obama’s attorney general is the latest proof that national Democrats will do and spend what it takes to defeat Scott Walker. Holder and other outside special interests have already spent millions to distort Walker’s record of reform — and take us backward with far-left policies that would lead to higher taxes and more dangerous communities.”
