Madison — A former director of Donald Trump's 2020 presidential campaign in Wisconsin, who falsely claimed extensive fraud, will lead the Republican Party of Wisconsin in November. The Wisconsin GOP named Andrew Iverson executive director Friday as it prepares to host the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee in July. He succeeds Mark Jefferson, who left in February to become Tavern League of Wisconsin executive director.
Wisconsin Lutheran College graduate Iverson was Republican National Committee regional political director most recently. He worked on Wisconsin campaigns for Sen. Ron Johnson and Rep. Bryan Steil. Iverson was state director for Trump Victory, a Trump-RNC collaborative operation, in 2020.
After Trump's narrow loss in Wisconsin in 2020, Iverson told other operatives two days later to bolster assertions that Trump had won. Trump made these comments while his campaign sued in other battleground states and prepared to pursue a recount in Wisconsin's two largest Democratic counties.
Biden defeated Trump by roughly 21,000 votes in Wisconsin in 2020, despite independent and partisan audits, lawsuits, and Trump's recount request. Here's the plan: Comms will keep spreading the notion about Democrats trying to steal the election. Whatever they need, we'll help. An Associated Press tape of a meeting two days after the November election showed Iverson saying, "Just be on standby in case we need to pull any stunts."
Wisconsin was crucial to Trump's 2016 triumph over the Democrats' "Blue Wall" in the Upper Midwest, and his campaign fought hard to keep the swing state in his column four years later before losing to Biden. Wisconsin is one of several battleground states this year that might decide the Trump-Biden rematch.
At the end of the day, this operation received more votes than any other Republican in Wisconsin history,” Iverson remarked as recorded in 2020. “Our operation found Republican or DJT supporters. Democrats won 20,000 more than us in Dane County and other Milwaukee, Green Bay, and Dane antics. People can learn a lot from this campaign.”
Iverson made these comments after Trump sued in other states and before suing in Wisconsin to overturn his loss. The Wisconsin Supreme Court denied it in December 2020.
My earnest assessment of each party’s performance in the 2020 election was unfortunately misconstrued due to both a poor choice of words on my part” and a lack of context, Iverson said Monday. He noted that his remarks “came two days after the election and before any recount had begun in Wisconsin
Wisconsin Republican Party Chairman Brian Schimming said he was “thrilled” to hire Iverson. “His wide breadth of experience and ability will prove crucial for us winning in November,” Schimming said. The 2024 race will be decided in Wisconsin. Andrew Iverson is the appropriate choice for this crucial election.”
In addition to the presidential contest, Wisconsin has a high-profile Senate fight between Democratic incumbent Tammy Baldwin and Republican businessman Eric Hovde. “Wisconsin is the cornerstone of the Republican Party’s chances this November,” Iverson added. "I am eager to work on behalf of all of our candidates to reclaim the White House and usher in conservative leadership."
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