Woman Who Voted for Ron Johnson Slams GOP Senator: 'Very Dishonest'

As Senator Ron Johnson, a Wisconsin Republican, prepares for the Senate race next month, one voter who previously supported him is now rethinking her position due to the way the two-term incumbent approached issues such as abortion and last year's Capitol riot.

Katie Lehman, a Kenosha, Wisconsin, voter, told MSNBC reporter Julie Tsirkin on Saturday that she and her husband previously voted for Johnson, but will now support his opponent Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes, a Democrat, instead in this year's midterm elections.

"We actually voted for Ron Johnson once in the past because he seemed honest in his commercials and he is not honest," Lehman said. "In fact he is very dishonest."

She continued: "I don't think that middle-aged white men should be making decisions for women at all. I have always been pro-life, my whole life. I am not in favor of abortion, but I am not in favor of taking away a woman's right to choose."

Both Johnson and Trump-backed GOP gubernatorial candidate Tim Michels are "too extreme" when it comes to addressing abortion rights, Gunner Ramer, the Republican Accountability Project and Republican Accountability PAC's political director, told Newsweek on Sunday, adding that their approach "is out of step with the average voter and alienates swing voters."

In June, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the 1973 landmark decision that gave women the federal right to have an abortion. The Court's decision sparked nationwide protests and paved the way for states to either restrict or fully ban the medical procedure due to so-called "trigger laws."

Wisconsin's 1849 abortion law came into effect after Roe was overturned, making it a felony to perform the procedure at any stage of pregnancy except if the mother's life is at risk, according to Wisconsin Public Radio.

"The overturn of Roe was a huge overstep by the Supreme Court," Barnes told MSNBC on Saturday. "And look, these people are playing politics with the health and safety and the lives of women in Wisconsin."

Johnson's campaign criticized Barnes and called him a "true extremist on abortion," according to a statement posted by Tsirkin on Saturday.

The Republican's campaign accused Barnes of "opposing all restrictions and greenlighting the killing of a baby up to the moment of birth."

"Just like with his support for defunding the police, ending cash bail and letting criminals walk free, and the job-killing socialist Green New Deal, Lt. Gov. Barnes is too extreme for Wisconsin," the campaign's statement read.

"Ron Johnson is the most vulnerable Republican incumbent in the country, and the scrutiny on his record and his comments throughout this race has only made it more likely that voters in Wisconsin will send him packing this fall," Maddy McDaniel, spokesperson for the Barnes campaign, told Newsweek on Sunday.

McDaniel also said that Barnes is proud to be supported by those who backed Johnson in the past and are now "rejecting Johnson's record of supporting an abortion ban with no exceptions for rape or incest, spending his time in Washington enriching his wealthy donors, and attacking Social Security and Medicare."

What the Polls Show

Johnson is slightly ahead of Barnes, according to the latest poll on the Senate race. A FiveThirtyEight poll, as of September 30, showed that Johnson received 48.6 percent support from voters while Barnes' received 46.7 percent.

Meanwhile, a Fox News poll conducted on the state's registered voters from September 29 revealed that Johnson has a lead over Barnes by 4 percentage points, holding 48 percent of voter support. Another poll by Public Policy Polling, carried out between September 22 and 26, showed that both candidates were even at 47 percent.

Ramer also told Newsweek that there is a "very real chance" that Johnson would get reelected.

"Recent polling has shown that this a highly competitive race, and Johnson has started to make gains as we get closer to Election Day with significant amounts of money being spent attacking Barnes both by Johnson and outside groups. Voters have very real concerns over inflation and crime and that is helping Republicans," said Ramer.

However, Ramer also pointed that, based on a recent focus group study conducted by the political initiative, there is a "strong anti-Johnson sentiment" among those who voted for Donald Trump in 2016 and Joe Biden in 2020.

"We asked them if the election were held today who they would vote for in this Senate race and seven participants would vote for Barnes, two would abstain, and none would vote for Johnson. These were people very much casting a vote against Johnson rather than an affirmative vote for Barnes," Ramer added.

Newsweek reached out to Johnson's media office and Republican strategist Sarah Longwell for comment.

Update: [10/9/2022] 12:35 p.m. ET: This article has been updated to include comments by Gunner Ramer, the Republican Accountability Project and Republican Accountability PAC's political director.

Update: [10/9/2022] 5:40 p.m. ET: This article has been updated to include comments by Maddy McDaniel, spokesperson for the Barnes campaign.