Last Thursday, Vice President J.D. Vance traveled to Plover for a campaign-style event at Pointe Precision looking to boost two prominent Wisconsin Republicans: Rep. Derrick Van Orden and Rep. Tom Tiffany, who is running for governor.
The event was held at Pointe Precisions building in Plover, a machining and manufacturing facility in an area viewed as central for the GOP to regain their political control in the executive branch and to hold on to the U.S. House majority.
“Our people were so excited to have the vice president coming to our place of work,” said Joe Kinsella, founder of Pointe Precision. “It was quite a shock when they asked us that they’re gonna come here.”
Recently, Wisconsin’s 3rd District has come under national attention, as Van Orden’s 2024 reelection was decided by less than three points, and Democrats have signaled they’re targeting the seat again. Democrats view the district as “vulnerable.”
“Wisconsin is a state with a proud tradition of building great American products with Wisconsin hands, and that is what we are here to celebrate today in this great facility,” Vance said. (RELATED: Trump Highlights Immigration, Economy in State of the Union Address)
Vance made sure to show support for Van Orden, citing his support for popular tax policies: “No taxes on tips, that happened because of Derrick, no taxes on overtime, that happened because of Derrick, no taxes on social security, that happened because of Derrick, so are we going to send Derrick Van Orden back to Washington? Yes.” said Vance.
Van Orden also pitched in on the “no tax on tips” message, referencing Wisconsin’s proud bar-and-restaurant culture, “We are a pub culture in the state of Wisconsin. When we go down to the bar and we’re watching the Packers games or the Brewers, you know who’s helping us? Our servers. No tax on their tips!”
Trump endorsed gubernatorial candidate Tom Tiffany was also mentioned by the Vice President. Vance stated that Tiffany is “another guy without whom we could not have accomplished all the great things that we did in Washington, D.C.” (RELATED: DCCC Adds Rebecca Cooke to ‘Red to Blue’ List After Out-raising Van Orden)
Moving to his gubernatorial race, Tiffany said, “We need leadership that will defend our common sense values, restore accountability and unlock the full potential of this great state we call the Badger state,” he said. “We’re going to fight for your paychecks, we will fight to lower costs, and we will keep fighting for a bright future for Wisconsin and for America.”
In response, the only thing Democrats had to rebut with was accusations of gaslighting Wisconsinites. “Today, JD Vance tried to gaslight Wisconsinites about Trump’s toxic economic agenda that is jacking up their costs and costing them their jobs and healthcare,” said Albert Fujii, a spokesperson for the Democratic National Committee.
This was Vance’s first major campaign stop after the State of the Union and is a part of the White House’s effort to try and put big names in the spotlight of competitive areas as the midterms loom only 6 months away.
