Former GOP governor launches new push to restore election trust

 

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- A Republican former governor of Wisconsin launched a new effort Tuesday aimed at restoring people's trust in elections ahead of the 2024 presidential election in which this state will once again play a pivotal role.

Scott McCallum, who served as governor between 2001 and 2003, is leading the Wisconsin Alliance for Civic Trust (WisACT), which bills itself as a nonpartisan organization working toward strengthening democracy. McCallum joined former Milwaukee Journal Sentinel editor David Haynes for Tuesday's kickoff event at Villa Terrace on the city's east side.

McCallum said his message to voters skeptical about past election results will be to get involved in the process, whether it's staffing polling places in their community or signing up as election observers.

"We want to have faith in the system, and to have that faith, we need people to get involved," McCallum said. "Democracy's not an easy process; it's messy. And if you really care about it, you need to get involved."

McCallum served as lieutenant governor between 1987 and 2001 and was promoted to the governor's office when Tommy Thompson stepped down to serve as former President George W. Bush's health secretary.

In Wisconsin, former president and current Republican nominee Donald Trump has continued to falsely say he won the state in 2020. Multiple recounts and court challenges confirmed President Joe Biden won Wisconsin by more than 20,000 votes.

On Tuesday, McCallum was careful not to criticize Trump directly when asked about his claims, which have included recent attacks on the state's top elections official, Wisconsin Elections Commission Administrator Meagan Wolfe.

McCallum said he didn't approve of Trump's rhetoric before noting Democratic Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams made false claims about her 2018 defeat.

"What's disconcerting to me is [Trump] isn't the only person doing it," McCallum said. "You see both parties; governors of Southern states are questioning when they lose."

McCallum said he wanted skeptical voters to look at the legal outcomes in cases where candidates claimed improper election administration led to a defeat. He said if the courts have upheld a result, people should move on.

"Follow the process. Let's get to the root of what caused this and trust the court system, and we're losing faith in these institutions now," he said. "That's what we want to restore."

With Milwaukee hosting this summer's Republican National Convention, McCallum was asked if he was comfortable with the idea of seeing Trump accept the party's nomination for presidential candidate.

"Probably as comfortable as many of the Democrats are with Joe Biden giving his acceptance speech," McCallum said.