Zimmerman Outlines His Wisconsin Secretary of State Platform

MADISON, WI — Spencer Zimmerman, a 38-year-old from McFarland, Wis. is one of several candidates running for Wisconsin Secretary of State. Zimmerman, a self-styled conservative, articulates his vision for the office.

Patch spoke with his campaign to provide a summary of his experience, political leanings and key issues to help you get to know Zimmerman a little better and to help you decide who you would like as your next Secretary of State.

He's running in a crowded primary, which is Tuesday, August 14, 2018.

Name: Spencer Zimmerman
Age: 38
Hometown: McFarland
Occupation: Presidential Transportation Service

Please characterize where you fall on the political spectrum (liberal/moderate/conservative, etc.):
Trump Conservative

Please describe your relevant political experience:
I was introduced to politics with the 1986 Campaign of my Uncle Tom Tynan who ran as a Republican for Sheriff of Fond Du Lac County. I worked on the 2004 Bush re-election and the 2006 Scott Walker for Governor Campaign. In 2010 I was a recipient of the Dane County Republican Party Lyman F. Anderson Local Government Public Service Award.

Over the past 10 years I have campaigned across Wisconsin meeting with voters and listening to their concerns on issues both locally and nationally, here is a list of those elections:

• Candidate, Wisconsin State Assembly, District 46, 2008
• Candidate, Stoughton City Council, District 1, 2009
• Candidate, Dane County Board, District 34, 2010
• Candidate, Wisconsin State Assembly, District 48, 2010
• Candidate, Dane County Executive, 2011
• Candidate, United States Senate, Nebraska, 2012
• Candidate, Wisconsin State Assembly, District 99, 2015
• Candidate, Janesville City Council, 2016
• Candidate, Rock County Board, District 24, 2016
• Candidate, United States House of Representatives, Wisconsin, District 1, 2016
• Candidate, Janesville City Council, 2017
• Candidate, Wisconsin State Assembly, District 58, 2017
• Candidate, Wisconsin State Assembly, District 42, 2018

I have been an elected member of the Madison College Student Senate and created 12 political action committees, including one in support of the Keystone XL pipeline, and served as their treasurer from 2012-2015. I have been very active on social media in support of various conservative causes such as vital energy infrastructure investments like the $3 billion Enbridge Line 66 pipeline, capable of moving 23 million gallons of oil per day, the $8 billion privately funded Great Lakes Basin Railroad, the largest project of its kind in 100 years, which would have bypassed the Chicago rail yards, and significantly shortening the time it takes for Wisconsin manufacturers to move product to market. In my campaigns I advocated to save jobs like those at Kimberly Clark and to bring manufacturers such as Foxconn to the state.

I supported Trump in the April primary against Ted Cruz. I coordinated with the staff at Trumps Menomonee Falls headquarters and emailed Hope Hicks about campaign strategy, commercial ideas, and I hand delivered a letter to Trump explaining how I intended to continue to support his campaign. It took going door to door across Southern Wisconsin, collecting 1237 signatures to get the words "Trump Conservative" beside my name on the ballot on November 8th, 2016.

I essentially ran a satellite campaign alongside the Trump campaign, I distributed the Presidents campaign material with mine and put up 100's of Trump signs across the first congressional district. The goal at the time was to get the establishment behind Trump, and to give him leverage over Paul Ryan, ensuring that he would have a united Republican Party in the fall.

We were successful, Trump was the first republican to win the State since 1984. I have had conversations with Reince Priebus and Tommy Thompson and both have been supportive when I mentioned that I had ran for office previously and urged me to run again.

Please talk about the top 1 or 2 leading issues in your campaign and how you plan to approach them if elected:

I firmly believe in term limits; they are my number-one priority and I have fought for them in previous campaigns.

All public officials should serve no longer than two terms or eight years, a precedent intentionally set by our first president George Washington after we gained independence in the American Revolution from a king who ruled for life. Doug La Follette began campaigning for Wisconsin Secretary of State in the year 1974, back when Richard Nixon was president of the United States.

During La Follette’s tenure the duties of his office have been delegated to different departments and at present his simple job description reads “to keep the Great Seal of the State of Wisconsin and affix it to all official acts of the governor.”

Why has this happened? Our founding fathers did not intend for the leaders of our country to remain in elected office for lengthy periods of time. America’s first governing document, The Articles of Confederation, contained a provision for mandatory rotation of delegates, in other words term limits.
Thomas Jefferson once said “by throwing the rascals out from time to time they will remind government that it exists to serve us − not the other way around.”

Decades of complacency has left Wisconsin with an office of Secretary of State desperately in need of reform. Recently budget and staff cuts have made it possible to move the Secretary of States office from a 4000-square foot 10th floor operation into what he calls a “cubby hole” consisting of 300 square feet in the capitol basement.

Over the years La Follette’s office has become irrelevant, and many have called for its abolition.
Administering elections is one area of responsibility that was once the job of Secretary of State. Recently the elections commission requested funding in its budget for one full-time employee dedicated to elections security, the equivalent could be achieved by electing me this fall.

My experience as a computer systems operator for four years as well as my degree in information systems technology from the Community College of the Air Force have prepared me well to address cyber security challenges. Wisconsin blocks nearly 2 ½ million cyber attacks on state agencies per day, and the worldwide cost of damage caused by hackers is estimated to reach $6 trillion a year by 2021. We can move the office of Secretary of State into the 21st century by making it a cyber security watchdog.

While I was stationed at Offutt Air Force Base in 2003, the Nebraska unicameral Legislature passed legislation that authorized its Secretary of State to serve as chief protocol officer promoting commerce, educational studies and cultural exchanges between Nebraska and the world. With support from the Assembly and Senate we could pass similar legislation here in Wisconsin.

My vision of reform brings with it new jobs and opportunities. I want to restore function to the office of Secretary of State by making it Wisconsin’s chief protocol officer for international relations and to serve as a goodwill ambassador promoting commerce, educational studies and cultural exchanges between Wisconsin, other states, and the world.

Even before the legislature takes action, I can begin acting as Wisconsin’s goodwill ambassador promoting job creating projects that I have long supported, such as vital energy infrastructure investments like the Enbridge Line 66 pipeline, the $8 billion privately funded Great Lakes Basin Railroad, the largest project of its kind in 100 years, as well as working to save jobs like those at Kimberly Clark and bringing manufacturers such as Foxconn to the state. With added responsibility and restored function, the office of Secretary of State can once again become a valuable asset to Wisconsin taxpayers.

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