Old text messages between GOP operatives spark anger; voting rights groups denounce perceived suppression efforts

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Years-old text messages between a former GOP operative and the new executive director of the state Republican party have surfaced, sparking outrage among community groups who say it's evidence of voter suppression.

Former Republican staffer Carlton Huffman shared with us the messages from 2020 that are from current Wisconsin GOP Executive Director Andrew Iverson.

In them, Iverson called for Republican staffers to meddle with Souls to the Polls, a get-out-the-vote program in Milwaukee that helps voters with transportation.

But current Republican leaders strongly decried Huffman's motivation, painting him as a disgruntled former employee who is now engaging in a smear campaign.

Leaders were quick to denounce Huffman, his past, and his motive for the leak.

On Thursday, April 25, Souls to the Polls held a news conference with other community groups to condemn all voter suppression efforts.

They say it's another attempt to suppress marginalized voters, regardless of the reason behind it or whether it was successful.

Nick Ramos is the executive director of the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign. He told the assembled crowd, "I don't know about you guys, but I'm exhausted."

Sam Liebert, state director for All Voting is Local, later said, "I am tired, Nick. Here we are again."

And Angela Lang, the executive director for Black Leaders Organizing Communities, told them as she was writing her remarks, "I also started with 'I am tired' and 'Here we go again.'"

It was a familiar refrain from voting rights groups Thursday because they felt a familiar emotion: disappointment.

"Tell people to stop standing on our necks!" said Reverend Greg Lewis, the executive director of Souls to the Polls.

Newly released text messages show GOP operatives talked about meddling with get-out-the-vote efforts in Milwaukee in 2020.

The community groups say it's evidence of voter suppression.

Lang said, "They put it in writing. We have receipts."

One message from Andrew Iverson calls for Republicans to participate in Souls to the Polls, conceivably to take spots away from Democratic voters.

Another message says, "wreak havoc". A Republican source said that comment meant "troll Democrat voters".

But Souls to the Polls picks up anyone, regardless of political affiliation.

Lewis explained, "We don't take sides; we just give rides."

Mark Westerfield has driven for Souls to the Polls for eight years and said the significance of the program is obvious. He told us, "Especially the older people that lived through the Civil Rights era, that can talk about the 1964 Voting Rights Act, the people that realize the struggles that preceded all of this."

But many say those struggles persist.

Last year, Republican elections commissioner Bob Spindell defied calls to resign after he celebrated lower voter turnout in Milwaukee in the 2022 election, particularly in minority communities.

Lang argued Thursday, "All we want to do is vote just like everyone else. That's it."

But in Madison Thursday, Wisconsin GOP chair Brian Schimming said Republicans are making inroads with minority voters, saying, "The Democrats think they own, whether it's Latinos, or people of color, those numbers are coming our way."

With so much at stake in November, emotions are running high in a state where margins of victory continue to shrink.

At the news conference, Lewis pledged, "We're not going to lay down. We're sick of this, and we're going to do something about it."

In response to the leaked messages, WisGOP spokesperson Matt Fisher sent us a statement that read:

"The real story here is Carlton Huffman, a known white supremacist, was caught lying to the press by spreading falsehoods about former colleagues. Andrew Iverson is a man of integrity who is committed to electing Republicans by earning the trust and votes of Wisconsinites. The only person guilty of attempting voter suppression in regards to Souls to the Polls is Carlton Huffman."