Tim Michels signals support for dismantling MPS, won't arrest doctors who perform abortions

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- The Republican candidate running against Democratic Governor Tony Evers signaled support for dismantling Milwaukee Public Schools as a potential part of his education plan.

During an appearance at the Rotary Club in Milwaukee, Tim Michels called MPS "broken," referencing lagging test scores and floated support for dissolving the state's largest school district.

"I don't know what the solution is. Like I've said, we're going to bring all the people together from the mayor, from the county executive, from the heads of MPS…and we're going to say, how do we make this better," Michels said when asked what he'd do differently as governor to improve education.

"If they say, just give us more money and it will get better - that's not going to happen. Something significantly has to change. We'll put it all on the table. If we have to break up MPS and start from scratch, we’ll do that," he said.

Gov. Evers vetoed a Republican bill passed in March to dissolve MPS by July, 2024 and be replaced with four to eight smaller schools. The location of the new school districts would have been determined by a commission that consists of the governor, state superintendent and the mayor of Milwaukee.

The proposal was highly criticized by Milwaukee School Board President Bob Peterson who called it a "recipe for chaos" because of the impact it could have on families who rely on education, but also meal services provided to kids.

While on the campaign trail, Michels has touted his education plan which consists of expanding school choice to allow any student to apply for a grant to attend a private school, and empowering parents to have more say in the classroom.

He vowed to sign a GOP "parental bill of rights" that would allow parents and guardians to sue officials who violate parental rights regarding a child's education.

Michels on Abortion: “I will never arrest a doctor”

Michels also suggested he would not enforce Wisconsin's 1849 abortion ban while fielding questions from Rotary members, a comment his campaign later walked back.

Under the state law, doctors could be charged with felonies for performing abortions and face up to six years in prison and $10,000 in fines.

"I will never arrest a doctor, as they’re saying,” Michels said. “I’m a reasonable guy.”

Anna Kelly, a spokeswoman for the Michels campaign, later clarified Michels' position in a statement.

"The DAs [district attorneys] should enforce all laws," said Kelly. "The governor is an executive. He’s not a DA or beat cop arresting anyone."

Evers and his Democratic allies have consistently criticized Michels for his views on abortion after he called the state's ban on nearly all abortions, unless a mother's life is at risk, an exact "mirror" of his views ahead of the primary.

Recently, Michels reversed his position and vowed to sign a bill to add exceptions for rape and incest to the state's abortion ban.

He reiterated Tuesday he would sign an abortion exception if the Legislature passes one.

Michels said, "I'm not an authoritarian governor. I'm a governor who is common sense, who listens to the people. And the Legislature is the representatives of the people."

A Marquette Law poll released this week showed a stark contrast in how the two parties rate abortion concerns.

Eighty-one percent of Democrats are concerned with abortion policy, according to the poll. It's Democrats' top concern. Only 36% of Republicans say they're concerned with abortion policy. The issue was second from the bottom for Republicans.

In another sign of softening his stance on the issue, Michels said during a debate with Evers he would not make it illegal for residents to seek abortions in other states.

An Evers campaign spokeswoman, Kayla Anderson, blamed Michels for trying to hide from his past record on abortion.

“Tim Michels has spent two decades opposing exceptions to Wisconsin’s abortion ban, and today he doubled down on his support for law enforcement locking up doctors who provide abortions," Anderson said in a statement.

During the event, Michels geared his opening remarks towards crime -- an issue Republicans have been hammering Democrats on throughout the campaign as Milwaukee is on pace to shatter new record homicides.

Michels promised to reduce crime, but he did not provide specifics on how he would tackle it.

"I'm going to talk to the bad guys. I doubt they will be listening, but word will get out. Governor Michels is not going to tolerate what's going on right now," he said.