Hundreds upon hundreds of Wisconsin residents gathered Friday at the state capitol in Madison to protest the extension of the state's stay-at-home order to 5/26. Protest is Among Nation's Biggest Yet https://www.newsmax.com/t/newsmax/article/964632/16 Hundreds upon hundreds of Wisconsin residents gathered Friday at the state capitol in Madison to protest the extension of the state's stay-at-home order to May 26, according to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. “We think there’s been a major overstep in our rights by our governor,” said Paris Procopis. “We’re here to send Governor Evers a message. The solution is going to be more harmful than the virus itself.” Many protesters held banners of support for President Donald Trump. Some wore American flags as face masks. Others held signs that were critical of Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, and his decision to extend the state's lockdown even as other states are beginning to develop plans to scale back their own.  The rally on Friday was promoted by Thomas Leager, a well-known gun rights advocate in Wisconsin. Other rally supporters include Matt Batzel, who runs the Wisconsin chapter for American Majority, which promotes conservative candidates; John Birch Society research project manager Christian Gomez and Stephen Moore, a member of President Donald Trump's economic task force. “The polls are very clear. That's why I think Republicans are nervous about this,” Moore said. “But these things can change. That's the point of these protests — to change public opinion.” On Tuesday, Moore compared anti-lockdown protestors to Rosa Parks. As for total crowd tallies, figures varied, though according to The Associated Press, police estimated some 1,500 people took part. Some work face coverings as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Protection. Others didn't. Wisconsin joins Michigan, Virginia, Kentucky, Pennsylvania and other states around the country whose residents have marched on their state capitals as they've grown restless waiting for lengthy stay-at-home orders to lift. Though AP said the event was expected to be among the biggest such protests yet in the U.S., the news service also noted that one noticeably absent group comprised prominent GOP politicians in the state.  That included Sen. Ron Johnson, a Trump ally, who was sheltering in place at home in Oshkosh about 90 miles from Madison. “I’m neither encouraging nor discouraging them,” said Johnson, 65, whose career was launched by the tea party movement, a protest effort with ties to the current one. Johnson's distance and ambivalence is shared by many Republicans as they carefully and thoughtfully observe the protests — with their images of gun-toting activists, the occasional Confederate flag, and protesters wearing Trump hats but no face masks. Six months away from an election, the protests are forcing some Republicans to reckon with a restless right flank advocating an unpopular opinion even as the party seeks to make gains with moderates, women and suburban voters. A recent poll from the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research reflects that divide. It found only 12% of Americans say the measures in place where they live to prevent the spread of the coronavirus go too far, though it also showed Republicans are about four times more likely than Democrats to object to the measures meant to stop the spread of coronavirus. “There’s a lot of frustration out there,” said Republican State Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, who is among those who filed suit against Evers. “The fact that Governor Evers’ voicemail is full and people aren’t getting a reply to their emails makes people feel like they’re not being heard.” As of Friday, Wisconsin had 4,620 confirmed cases of coronavirus, including 242 deaths.