Under 90 days until RNC: How fundraising, security is ramping up
MADISON Wis. (CBS 58) -- Under 90 days to go until the Republican National Convention and preparations are ramping up ahead of the contentious and expensive 2024 election.
On the fundraising front, Republicans are lagging behind Democrats on the state and national level.
In the latest campaign finance reports filed late-March, the Democratic National Committee raised $16.6 million, and the Republican National Committee raised $10.7 million in February.
That trend is similar on the statewide level with the Democratic Party of Wisconsin raising substantially more money than their opponents,
Brian Schimming, chairman of the Republican Party of Wisconsin, said fundraising is a work in progress and believes their partnership with the RNC will help them raise money.
"I feel good about resources going in and Wisconsin is one of the most built out states in the country for field organizations," Schimming said.
To help, party leaders say they hope to capitalize on visits from former President Donald Trump, who is scheduled to visit Waukesha on Wednesday. It will mark Trump's second visit to the state, and it's expected to be his first rally since his criminal trial in New York began.
Meanwhile, Democrats say they are not concerned about the former president coming to town.
"In my view the more visits the better," said Ben Wikler, chairman of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin. "I think Democrats do better when voters hear President Biden's message and I think Democrats do much better when they hear President Trump's message. I encourage both of them to spend as much time in our state as possible."
Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have each visited Wisconsin three times this year.
Security, Protests
Security is also top of mind as large protests are expected when an estimated 50,000 visitors are estimated to descend on Milwaukee during the RNC.
Milwaukee and Chicago, the city hosting the Democratic National Convention in August, both received $75 million to enhance security efforts.
It comes as groups planning to protest outside Fiserv Forum are considering legal action against the city for its newly adopted rules for demonstrations.
The Coalition to March on the RNC has questioned everything from whether police will wear body cameras, where arrests will take place, and where protests will be permitted.
Schimming dismissed those concerns and expressed confidence in the resources they have to ensure everyone's voices can be heard.
"The truth is, wherever the protests are -- four blocks here or five blocks the other way -- they're going to get the attention that they want. I think it's a false issue," Schimming said.
The City of Milwaukee continues to have discussions with local activists about a range of concerns they've raised about demonstrations as we inch closer to the RNC set to begin on July 15th.