Wisconsin governor candidate Andy Manske wants to use AI to shrink the government

MADISON, Wis. (Gray) – A 26-year-old medical service technician is running for Wisconsin governor, proposing to use artificial intelligence to replace parts of government while simultaneously wanting to ban AI data centers from the state.
Republican Andy Manske, who has never held public office, says affordability is his top priority. He will face U.S. Representative Tom Tiffany and Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann in the August Republican primary.
The following is an edited transcript of the conversation between Manske and Wisconsin State Capitol Bureau Chief Vanessa Kjeldsen. It has been edited for clarity and conciseness.
Vanessa Kjeldsen: Why do you want to be governor?
Andy Manske: I don’t want to see the Wisconsin I grew up in disappear and kind of fade away. I don’t. And so I’m an unorthodox candidate. I’m not trained. I’m just a regular guy who’s just like, I’m going to run for it…. I think we need to have a change. I’m a religious guy. That’s just who I am. I believe in God. I believe that there is a different vision for God than what we are currently doing.
VK: What would be your top priority?
AM: So my top priority would be the cost of living… I’m completely for getting rid of the gas tax. I’m for getting rid of other taxes. Traditionally people would be like, well, how are you going to do the budget? I’m proposing, for example, looking into shrinking the government with AI. I don’t like AI fundamentally, but honestly… I think that there is some bloat, some extra stuff there we can cut out.
VK: So at the same time, you’ve also talked about wanting to ban AI data centers from coming to Wisconsin. So how does that work with wanting to use AI to replace parts of the government?
AM: So I think AI should be used in a limited sense, and I think government is, in my mind, a limited sense. It can be something that is used there and not anywhere else.
VK: You have some views that part from traditional ones in the Republican Party. For example, you want to legalize marijuana for recreational use and build a high-speed rail. Are there any other things that you’d want to do that are a little bit different from what the Republican Party typically campaigns on?
AM: Sure. So, I would be excited for, for example, a four-day work week, okay? We’re already seeing this in Iceland.
VK: You’re 26. You haven’t held a role in politics before. What makes you qualified for the top executive position in Wisconsin?
AM: You’re right. I’m not a politician. I haven’t been in office for 30, 40 years, and maybe a fresh new voice to the issues of today.
VK: What role does religion play in your politics?
AM: I’m not forcing anybody, but I do have some things I’d like to see… The idea of just setting up a time slot with different media, and it’s just basically a short little, morning prayer for helping people kind of set their minds in more of a godly, good, focused way… A general prayer, not political, not anything, you know, crazy in the state, but just pray for Wisconsin. Pray for the reporters, pray for everybody who is in the state.
VK: How are you funding your campaign?
AM: We’re doing small dollar donations, okay? I don’t have big dollar names. I don’t have billionaires, millionaires, and that’s fine… I’m campaigning on the idea of I’m gonna try to pay back anybody who’s willing to believe in a young guy like me.
VK: Pay back?
AM: Yeah, pay back.
VK: So you would give the campaign donations back to the people who gave them to you?
AM: I would try, yes… Win or lose.
VK: Is there any point in this race that you would drop out and endorse another candidate?
AM: I will never drop out in the race. I will go all the way to the end, the primary. So I’m sticking with it no matter what.
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