Rebecca Ann Kleefisch (née Reed; born August 7, 1975) is an American politician and former television reporter who served as the 44th Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin from 2011 to 2019.

[1] A member of the Republican Party, she was elected to the position on November 2, 2010, as the running mate of Governor Scott Walker; the pair narrowly lost reelection to a third term in 2018.

[2] Kleefisch was a candidate in the 2022 Wisconsin gubernatorial election, but lost the Republican nomination to businessman Tim Michels in the August 9 primary.

[6][7] Kleefisch believes that abortion should be illegal in all other instances, including after rape or incest,[8] or to protect the health of the mother.

[18] Kleefisch is open to paid family leave, saying "we need to make sure that moms and dads have time to bond with their babies.

"[27] In the primary election, she defeated four rivals, including Brett Davis, who had support from the party establishment and was favored by Scott Walker, the Republican candidate for governor.

[30] Along with Walker, Kleefisch played a major role in supporting and promoting the $3 billion incentive package to Foxconn.

[30][31] In 2018, Kleefisch claimed that her campaign opponent Mandela Barnes was kneeling during the U.S. national anthem protests at the Wisconsin State Fair.

After examining petitions, the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board determined there were more than 800,000 valid signatures to hold a recall election.

[25] She began her campaign by criticizing the leadership of incumbent Democratic Governor Tony Evers and attacking his response to the 2020 Kenosha unrest.

[41] In October 2021, she told Republicans that they needed to "hire mercenaries" and engage in "ballot harvesting" (a practice she has called for banning) to help her win the 2022 race.

"[48] Kleefisch received the endorsement of former governor Walker months ahead of the primary, and was long regarded as the front-runner in the race.