Vice President Mike Pence touts tax cuts, raises cash for Scott Walker in Milwaukee

With the midterm elections just over six months away, Vice President Mike Pence came to Milwaukee on Wednesday to rally conservatives, bolster public support for the Republican tax overhaul and raise campaign cash for Gov. Scott Walker.

Pence was in full campaign form speaking at the Wisconsin Center at an event sponsored by America First Policies, a pro-Donald Trump group.

He lauded the successes of the Trump administration and the Republican-led Congress for enacting "tax cuts that are putting America first."

He praised Walker, who faces re-election, telling the crowd: "It's always good to be with a governor who knows about winning."

And he took some swipes at Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, who is also running in the fall, claiming she was wrong to cast votes against the Trump agenda and most of the president's cabinet.

Pence said Baldwin "hasn't been putting Wisconsin first," and added, "I don't know about the rest of you, but I think the Badger State deserves better."

Responding to Pence's remarks, Democratic Party of Wisconsin spokesman Brad Bainum said: "Hours before collecting campaign cash from wealthy donors who just benefited from a GOP tax scam that hurts middle-class families, Vice President Mike Pence attacks Tammy Baldwin for standing up to corporate special interests and putting Wisconsin first."

With Republicans potentially facing an uphill battle in the fall, Pence sought to accentuate the "promises made, promises kept" of the Trump administration, including cutting taxes, strengthening the military, filling positions on the federal courts, cutting regulations, and fighting for "trade deals that are free, fair and reciprocal."

Pence said new lower taxes and tax simplification are now on the way. He said Obamacare's individual insurance mandate was now "off the books."

Pence said a typical family of four in Wisconsin will save more than $2,500 on their taxes under the new rates.

Pence praised House Speaker Paul Ryan of Janesville, who recently announced he'll be leaving Congress at the end of this term.

"He has had a career of consequence," Pence said, adding: "We'll miss his leadership."

The event got underway with a discussion with U.S. Rep. Glenn Grothman, a Glenbeulah Republican, Foxconn special assistant Louis Woo and Job Creators Network chief executive Alfredo Ortiz.

"This tax cut is a good thing. Of course, it puts more tax dollars in a person's pocket," Grothman said.

Woo, who received a standing ovation from the audience, talked about the pro-business policies of the Trump administration and saluted Walker, who helped put together the deal to bring the Taiwan-based manufacturer to the state.

"We owe it to Governor Walker," said Woo, special assistant to Foxconn's chief executive officer.

"In the next two or three days, you'll hear the news that the actual construction of our site we picked in Racine County will begin," Woo said.

"The first phase of the construction we'll be about, we will be treating (more than) 700 acres of land. That's our first phase.

"In the next couple of days we'll be letting people know who are the winners," he said of the firms that will work on the first phase of the project.

Woo said he took a "sneak peek at the list," and that "90 percent of the winners are from the state of Wisconsin."

He said 10 percent of those companies were from Racine County, and the rest of the 90 percent of the companies were from other parts of the state.

"It will not just benefit the southern part of Wisconsin but the whole state of Wisconsin," Woo said. He added that more than 10 percent of the companies are either run by women, minorities or veterans.

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Later, Pence attended a round table for the America First Action PAC and then headlined the Walker fundraiser.

Several hundred people attended the Wisconsin Center event, eager to learn more about the tax overhaul.

Winnie and Fabio Avila of Milwaukee are big fans of the Republican tax measure.

"I believe that it's allowing us to manage our income so that we can live a better life," Winnie Avila said.

Fabio Avila said business has picked up dramatically in the past two years, enabling him to hire two more workers for his construction firm. The tax cut, he said, is spurring business.

"Now, there is work everywhere," he said. "It is unbelievable."

Dave Lederer of Ashippun brought his wife, Trish, and their 14-year-old daughter, Clara, to see Pence.

"It has spurred business development, brought businesses back in the country and created more jobs," Dave Lederer said. "It's a domino effect."

Democrats criticized the Republican tax overhaul as a giveaway to the rich at the expense of the middle class.

State Sen. Chris Larson (D-Milwaukee) said the Pence appearance in Milwaukee showed that Republicans are trying "to get donations" from the tax cuts.

"Paul Ryan, a week after giving this huge tax break to the rich, he was able to get a half-million dollars to his PAC," Larson said of the $500,000 donation by industrialist Charles Koch and his wife to the House speaker's joint fundraising committee.

"So stuff like that doesn't pass the smell test," Larson said. "People are sick of it."