Gov. Tony Evers says voters should 'connect the dots' on why Republicans won't meet with his female aides
Patrick Marley
MADISON - Gov. Tony Evers suggested Monday that top Republicans would not meet with his aides because of sexism but refused to address the issue directly.
The Democratic governor initially would not address whether he agreed with his lead spokeswoman that GOP leaders wouldn't negotiate with his chief of staff because she is a woman. But he later issued a statement implying Assembly Speaker Robin Vos of Rochester and Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald of Juneau weren't meeting with his aides because of sexism.
"Only Robin Vos and Scott Fitzgerald can say why they won’t work with the women who are leading my office," Evers said in his statement. "I have asked Republicans to work with my staff the way they worked with the former governor’s staff. They know how to work with my staff and are choosing not to. So, this is clearly a departure from past practice. You connect the dots."
Vos and Fitzgerald have disputed such implications. Vos has noted his top aides are women and has said he believed Evers should be meeting directly with GOP leaders. And Fitzgerald called claims of sexism "asinine" in part because the top Senate Republican working on the budget is a woman.
The dispute began Saturday, when Fitzgerald said at the state Republican Party convention in Oshkosh that Evers had "no point person" for lawmakers.
In response, Evers spokeswoman Melissa Baldauff issued a statement saying Vos and Fitzgerald had repeatedly been told they should meet with Evers' chief of staff, Maggie Gau, just as they had met with former GOP Gov. Scott Walker's chief of staff, Eric Schutt.
"That directive wasn't confusing to them when the chief of staff was a man," Baldauff said in her Saturday statement. "Vos and Fitzgerald are clearly uncomfortable or simply unwilling to work with a leadership team made up entirely of women."
At a news conference Monday, Evers would not say whether he agreed with that assessment. He also deflected a question about abortion legislation, saying he was speaking to reporters only about his support for automatic voter registration.
"I’m focusing on voting right now," he said.
RELATED:GOP leaders say they aren't sexist; Evers' aide says they won't work with women on governor's team
Asked if he thought GOP leaders should talk to Gau about legislation on that issue, Evers responded, "Yes, I believe they should be able to talk to Maggie Gau about voting rights, absolutely."
Hours later, he issued his statement saying people can "connect the dots" themselves on why Republican leaders aren't meeting with Gau and others.
By talking about connecting dots, Evers was playing off a term he has used for months in other contexts. He used the phrase four times in his budget speech in February, saying at one point, "We have to connect the dots in criminal justice by tackling this issue holistically."
Evers and the Republicans have had a rocky relationship and have come to few agreements on the state budget. Their ability to get along shows no sign of improving.
“If not even the governor’s spokesperson can be trusted to speak for the governor, how can he expect us to work with anyone from his staff?” Fitzgerald said in a statement after Evers sidestepped questions from reporters.
Evers, Fitzgerald and Vos are scheduled to meet Wednesday.
Republicans have tossed aside much of Evers' budget, including his plan to tap into more federal aid under the Affordable Care Act to provide BadgerCare Plus health coverage to 82,000 more people and free up $324 million.
They also have dropped a provision in his budget that would have automatically registered people to vote when they got driver's licenses or had other transactions at state Division of Motor Vehicles centers. Democrats unveiled stand-alone legislation on the issue Monday.
"We're going to continue to fight for this even though Republicans decided voting, easy voting, was not on their agenda," Evers said.
It appears unlikely to go anywhere, with Vos saying the bill "isn't needed."
"It’s easy to register to vote in Wisconsin," Vos said in a statement. "Our state recently implemented online voting registration, and we have same-day registration."
Contact Patrick Marley at patrick.marley@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at @patrickdmarley.