Rebecca Kleefisch
Wisconsin Republican Governor nominee?
$18.6K
AUG 12, 2026Primary Election
Party selects its nominee.
Overview
Current roleFormer Lieutenant Governor
PartyRepublican
Political ideologyConservative Republican
Age50 years old (Aug 7, 1975)
GenderFemale
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LocationWisconsin
BackgroundPolitician
Notable personal detailsRebecca Ann Kleefisch is an American politician and former television reporter who served as the 44th Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin from 2011 to 2019. After leaving office, she founded and led the 1848 Project, a conservative nonprofit focused on recruiting and training local candidates in Wisconsin. She previously ran for the Republican nomination for Wisconsin governor in 2022.
SourcesShowHide
Positions
Economy & Taxes
Supports major tax cuts including moving Wisconsin to a flat income tax (targeting 3.54%) and eventual elimination of the income tax; pledges to veto net tax increases and to reduce property and business personal property taxes.
Healthcare
Rebecca Kleefisch opposes the Affordable Care Act and has supported efforts to repeal it while saying health decisions should be between a patient and doctor rather than the government. She has opposed expanding BadgerCare/Medicaid in Wisconsin and emphasizes preserving protections for people with preexisting conditions alongside market-oriented reforms and price-transparency measures.
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Immigration & Border
Rebecca Kleefisch emphasizes stronger border enforcement and links illegal border crossings to fentanyl and local drug harms, and she presents herself as a pro-law-enforcement candidate who would pursue measures to reduce cross-border drug flows. Her public statements call for shutting down illicit flows at the border and supporting more policing to address related overdose and crime issues.
Abortion & Reproductive Rights
The candidate supports banning abortion with no exceptions and has endorsed enforcing pre‑Roe Wisconsin abortion restrictions; she described the overturning of Roe v. Wade as a victory and said she is 100% pro‑life.
Climate & Energy
Supports a ‘‘balanced’’ approach to energy that includes renewables but emphasizes affordable, reliable energy and opposes policies she frames as attacks on American energy; criticizes federal regulations and high gas prices and supports measures to protect domestic fossil-fuel production and lower energy costs.
Public Safety & Guns
The candidate supports Second Amendment rights, emphasizes protection for hunters and gun owners, and has sought endorsements from firearms and pro-2A groups. She opposes broadly infringing on gun rights while favoring enforcement of existing laws, support for law enforcement, school resource officers, and measures to remove firearms from people judged to be threats. She holds high pro-gun ratings and has publicly advocated for constitutional carry and related pro-gun policies.
News
Rebecca Kleefisch is in the news because she is among the candidates in Wisconsin’s 2026 governor race, which is now moving toward ballot certification before the Aug. 11 primary. The Wisconsin Elections Commission is reviewing the required filings and is expected to finalize who makes the ballot at its June 9 meeting. A separate report on Wisconsin politics did not add new developments about her specifically.
New updates coming soon
We're monitoring and will update when new data impacts the race.
- Polls
- Endorsements
- Fundraising