MADISON, Wis. – The possibility of a new trifecta at the state Capitol has been dominating recent headlines in Wisconsin. But there’s a different kind of trifecta brewing at the top of the GOP ticket, and Republicans are hoping Wisconsinites won’t notice.
A Better Wisconsin Together notes that a radical, anti-abortion trio is topping the Republican ticket this Fall, with the GOP candidates for governor (Congressman Tom Tiffany), lieutenant governor (David Varnam), and attorney general (Fond Du Lac County District Attorney Eric Toney) all haunted by a long record of opposing abortion rights.
“Over and over again, Wisconsinites have made it clear they support protecting the freedom to make their own reproductive healthcare decisions,” said Lucy Ripp, communications director at A Better Wisconsin Together. “Which is the exact opposite of Tiffany, Varnam, and Toney’s agenda, which would insert politicians like themselves into these personal, family decisions where they have no business.”
See below for more information on Wisconsin Republicans’ newest anti-abortion trio:
Eric Toney, GOP Nominee for Attorney General
Fond Du Lac County District Attorney Eric Toney is once again the Republican candidate for Attorney General after losing this same race in 2022, but has yet to become any less extreme on abortion. Toney has voiced support for an abortion ban with no exceptions for rape or incest, has refused to rule out prosecuting people for abortion, and even advocated for changing state law to allow local district attorneys like himself to cross county lines and prosecute abortion cases outside of their own jurisdiction.
Toney has previously been endorsed by Wisconsin Family Action, Wisconsin Right to Life, Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, and National Right To Life. Notably, National Right To Life supports forcing children to carry pregnancies to term.
David Varnam, GOP Nominee for Lieutenant Governor
Varnam, who’s so out of step with the views of Wisconsinites that even the Republican Party of Wisconsin refused to endorse him, said in an on-air interview that he opposes any exceptions at all for abortion – not even for rape, incest, or the life of the mother. In fact, Varnam’s fringe anti-abortion agenda has earned him endorsements from Pro-Life Wisconsin and Wisconsin Family Action.
Pro-Life Wisconsin not only pushes for banning abortion but also opposes fertility treatments like in-vitro fertilization (IVF) and most forms of birth control. Wisconsin Family Action, in addition to trying to ban abortion, also advocates against the constitutionally protected right to same-sex marriage.
Tom Tiffany, GOP Nominee for Governor
Congressman and Republican candidate for governor Tom Tiffany recently endorsed a total abortion ban with no exceptions that news reports have said could make abortion “legally tantamount” to committing murder. Tiffany also voted to ban abortion without exceptions in 2015, and in 2021 Tiffany co-sponsored a federal abortion ban. He also voted against protecting Wisconsinites’ right to access birth control.
Tiffany has also been endorsed by the notorious anti-abortion group Wisconsin Right to Life, and was also given the highest rating from Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America – a group that wants to end abortion rights at the federal level.
