Evers gets State Patrol protection after threat; Walker calls Evers’ safety ‘incredibly important’

Site staff by Site Contributor

Coburn Dukehart / Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism Tony Evers

Wisconsin State Capitol Police requested that a 23-year-old Barron County man be questioned about a Facebook post he made related to Democratic candidate for governor Tony Evers.

Barron County Sheriff’s Department reports show the request was made on Sunday. This week, Evers began to be guarded by the State Patrol’s Dignitary Protection Unit.

Evers’ campaign confirmed to News 3 that they asked for the protection, and it was approved by DPU.

News 3 asked Evers what motivated the protection during a campaign stop at a coffee shop in Platteville.

“The State Patrol will respond to that. I will not,” Evers told News 3.

During a campaign event at a manufacturer in Beloit, Republican Gov. Scott Walker said he spoke to Evers over the weekend about the incident.

“I talked to him personally about it. We thought it was incredibly important to make sure he was safe,” Walker said.

.@ScottWalker tours Pratt Industries Corrugating in Beloit. He touts the state’s low unemployment rate. #news3 pic.twitter.com/KlpE1NKPat — Rose Schmidt (@RoseSchmidtTV) October 31, 2018

The current governor said he’s been in contact with the State Patrol about the incident to make sure he’s not a target.

“I’ve had death threats many, many times in the past. My wife’s had death threats. My children have been targeted on Facebook,” Walker said.

Walker, as with past governors, receives protection from the State Patrol. Candidates for governor typically do not get that protection.

The move to cover Evers comes after high-profile Democrats across the country were sent mail bombs.

Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald said he couldn’t comment on the request to interview the Dallas, Wisconsin, man. State Patrol spokesman Christian Schneider declined to comment.

Evers faces Walker in Tuesday’s election. The Marquette University Law School poll released Wednesday shows Evers is deadlocked with Walker, each with 47 percent backing.

That is consistent with other recent polls.

Get your weather forecast from people who actually live in your community. We update with short, easy-to-use video forecasts you can watch on your phone every day. Download the iOS or Android app here.

COPYRIGHT 2020 BY CHANNEL 3000. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS CONTRIBUTED TO THIS REPORT. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.