Trump's Priebus Pick Puts Spotlight On Wisconsin

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump has a complicated relationship with Wisconsin Republicans, despite picking one of them, former state Republican Party Chairman Reince Priebus, to be his chief of staff.

Priebus, who was named to the post over the weekend, is working closely on Trump's transition efforts and was one of Trump's most outspoken supporters in Wisconsin throughout the campaign. Others have been more guarded in their approaches to Trump.

Here is a closer look:

GOV. SCOTT WALKER: Trump belittled Walker and his record as governor when the two ran against each other in the Republican presidential primary. When Walker dropped out of the race in September 2015, he urged others to do the same so that GOP voters could unite behind a candidate who wasn't Trump. Walker endorsed Texas Sen. Ted Cruz in Wisconsin's primary and campaigned with him. But when Trump won the nomination, Walker initially framed his support as being more about defeating Hillary Clinton than electing Trump. Walker became more vocal for Trump as the race wore on and helped his running mate Mike Pence prepare for the vice presidential debate. Walker eventually became the most outspoken supporter of Trump's candidacy of any Republican who ran against him in the primary. Walker was rewarded with a prime time speaking slot at the Republican National Convention. Walker insists he's not interested in serving in a Trump administration and is instead focused on serving as head of the Republican Governors Association for the next two years and possibly running for a third term as governor in 2018.

LT. GOV. REBECCA KLEEFISCH: She supported Trump but withdrew as a delegate to the Republican National Convention, citing scheduling conflicts. She did attend the first three days of the event but left before Trump was officially made the nominee. Kleefisch also declined to participate in a coalition of women who supported Trump in Wisconsin, saying she was too busy campaigning for other Wisconsin candidates and serving in her role as head of the Republican Lieutenant Governors Association.

SENATE MAJORITY LEADER SCOTT FITZGERALD: One of the earliest and most vocal supporters of Trump in Wisconsin, Fitzgerald had urged Republicans to get on the "Trump train" to prevent down ballot losses. He even broke out into a chant before a Mike Pence rally, using Trump's and Pence's names to sound like a train rolling down the tracks: "Trump Trump Trump Pence Pence." The strategy paid off, with Trump winning Wisconsin, Republicans increasing their majorities in the Legislature and Republican Sen. Ron Johnson winning re-election.

ASSEMBLY SPEAKER ROBIN VOS: Vos wrote a column in August saying he was embarrassed about Trump being the Republican presidential nominee, calling it a "sad day in America." He criticized Trump for praising House Speaker Paul Ryan's primary opponent and for saying "stupid things." He also said that "we are Ryan Republicans here in Wisconsin, not Trump Republicans." But by late September, Vos had come around, saying he was proud to support Trump's candidacy and felt like he was helping other Republicans. Turns out he was right. The GOP gained a seat in the Assembly and will now have its largest majority since 1957.

HOUSE SPEAKER PAUL RYAN: Ryan supported Trump but clashed with him throughout the race and never campaigned with him. Ryan said after the two met last week that they were putting the past behind them and are now unified.

U.S. SEN. RON JOHNSON: Johnson initially danced around his position on Trump, saying he supported him but did not endorse him. But as the election neared, Johnson became a more outspoken Trump backer and campaigned with Trump's son Eric throughout Wisconsin. Johnson also adopted some of the same language Trump was using, talking about "draining the swamp" in Washington and positioning himself as an outsider candidate.

U.S. REP. SEAN DUFFY: Another vocal Trump supporter, Duffy was one of the earliest Wisconsin politicians to back the president-elect. Duffy is frequently mentioned as a potential candidate for U.S. Senate in 2018 or for governor at some point.

MILWAUKEE COUNTY SHERIFF DAVID CLARKE: Clarke, a Trump supporter, is an outspoken conservative black sheriff who has been critical of the Black Lives Matter movement and who described anti-Trump protesters as "anarchists" who "must be quelled." Clarke said last week that he would serve in a Trump administration, if asked.

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