Wisconsin AG hopeful won't commit to Trump in 2024

FOND DU LAC, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin’s Republican attorney general candidate won’t commit to voting for Donald Trump in 2024 if he runs for president again, putting him at odds with other top Republicans on the ballot in the battleground state this November.

Eric Toney, a district attorney looking to unseat Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul, has a more complicated relationship with Trump than other Republicans running statewide in Wisconsin. Toney voted for Trump in 2020, even though he privately referred to him as “dumb dumb Donald,” and unlike some Republicans, Toney has said President Joe Biden's election was legitimate and there's no way to overturn the results.

Unlike Sen. Ron Johnson and gubernatorial candidate Tim Michels, Toney does not have an endorsement from Trump. Johnson has been a close Trump ally for years and Michels appeared at a rally with Trump just before his August primary victory. Michels supports a Trump 2024 presidential run, while Johnson has stopped short of endorsing a run as he faces a tough reelection against Democratic Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes.

But Toney, the Fond du Lac district attorney, dodged the question in a Wednesday interview with The Associated Press, saying he's focused on his own campaign.

“I’ll see who’s on the ballot and make my decision then,” Toney said. “I’m focused on 2022.”

Questions about allegiance to Trump have been a litmus test for Republicans in Wisconsin and nationwide this election year, fueled by the former president's unfounded claims that the presidential election was stolen. Trump-endorsed candidates have won GOP attorney general primaries in Arkansas, Arizona, Michigan, Ohio, South Carolina and Ohio this year.

Toney's primary opponent, Adam Jarchow, criticized him over the “dumb dumb Donald” comments and questioned his...