Tommy rallies GOP in Sheboygan

It’s never easy to pull a large number of people away from their television screens when the Green Bay Packers are playing on a Sunday afternoon.

But with Election Day only two days away, GOP supporters — about 100 of whom welcomed U.S. Senate candidate Tommy Thompson’s bus tour to town on Sunday afternoon — packed the Republican Party of Sheboygan County headquarters to welcome Thompson to town for an enthusiastic rally.

“I didn’t realize there were that many Republicans in Sheboygan,” said Thompson, 70, who is locked in a tight race with Madison Democrat Tammy Baldwin for the U.S. Senate seat left open by Sen. Herb Kohl’s pending retirement.

Thompson visited Sheboygan directly from Green Bay, where he spent the morning campaigning before the Packers’ game against the Cardinals sporting a green sweater and gold tie under his sportcoat. It was part of a whirlwind weekend that took Thompson to Milwaukee, Madison, Wausau, Eau Claire, Superior and Hudson. The tour was marred somewhat early Sunday morning when Thompson said his car was struck by a deer near Shawano.

Thompson said the crash was enough to total his car, but it wasn’t going to be enough to stall his race against Baldwin, which has played out over the airwaves in a nasty exchange of ads and barbs.

The former Wisconsin govnernor spent his 15-minute address in Sheboygan touting the merits of electing GOP challenger Mitt Romney to office over Barack Obama, endorsing local Republican candidates and of course his race against Baldwin.

“There are big differences between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney,” he said. “But there’s an ocean between Tammy Baldwin and Tommy Thompson. She’s so extreme that (California Congresswoman) Nancy Pelosi turns to the left to talk to (Baldwin).”

Among the GOP candidates in attendance to show their support were GOP Assembly incumbents Steve Kestell of the 27th District (R-Elkhart Lake) and Mike Endsley (R-Sheboygan) of the 26th District.

Kestell said it’s important to keep campaigning right up until Election Day to not leave anything to chance.

“You’ve got to give it all you’ve got until the end,” said Kestell, who is facing Democrat Steven Bauer.

Before heading to Fond du Lac, Thompson thanked his supporters and encouraged them to carry it out until the end.

“There are only a few more hours before the polls open,” Thompson said. “Call a few more people and make sure they get to the polls. Make Sheboygan County the Republican capitol of Wisconsin.”