{"id":2209010,"date":"2024-03-29T09:22:01","date_gmt":"2024-03-29T13:22:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rep-mike-gallagher-leaves-gop-wisconsinites-in-the-lurch\/"},"modified":"2024-03-29T09:25:23","modified_gmt":"2024-03-29T13:25:23","slug":"rep-mike-gallagher-leaves-gop-wisconsinites-in-the-lurch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rep-mike-gallagher-leaves-gop-wisconsinites-in-the-lurch\/","title":{"rendered":"Rep. Mike Gallagher&#8217;s Departure from Republican Party Leaves Wisconsin Residents in a Bind"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Frep-mike-gallagher-leaves-gop-wisconsinites-in-the-lurch%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2209010&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>U.S. \u2064Rep.\u200d Mike Gallagher&#8217;s unexpected departure from Congress has\u200c stirred discontent among conservatives and Wisconsin constituents, with concerns over the timing and implications of his resignation. Gallagher&#8217;s decision to leave after Wisconsin&#8217;s spring election raises \u2062challenges, leaving the district without representation and affecting the\u200b balance of \u2064power\u200c in the House. Calls for his resignation and a special election persist amidst political\u200d tensions.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-content\">\n<p>U.S. Rep. Mike Gallagher\u2019s decision to leave Congress \u2014 and leave his fellow Republicans and his Wisconsin constituents in the lurch \u2014 isn\u2019t sitting well in conservative corners.<\/p>\n<p>Well into his fourth term serving Wisconsin\u2019s reliably red 8th Congressional District, Gallagher has ticked off a lot of constituents not because he is leaving, but because he is leaving at a really crummy time. It\u2019s not just Gallagher\u2019s constituents. Many Badger State conservatives and Republicans around the country aren\u2019t happy with Gallagher\u2019s timing.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2-long d-flex justify-content-center\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; \" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-1435554155\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1379703300879-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-e2235356a551e1b6b557fde082362555 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-e2235356a551e1b6b557fde082362555\"><\/div>\n<p>\u201cI can tell you that members are surprised. Some are very much disappointed in the way the departure is being handled,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ozaukeerepublicans.com\/contactus\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Alex Leykin<\/a>, chairman of the Ozaukee County GOP, told me.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Leykin said he recently spoke at an event with a local party member who worked with the congressman on Donald Trump\u2019s presidential campaign. \u201cHe likes him very much and was very respectful of [Gallagher], but that member definitely felt betrayed,\u201d Leykin said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Extremely Bad Timing <\/h2>\n<p>Gallagher announced last month that he <a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/homenews\/house\/4460632-wisconsin-rep-gallagher-will-not-seek-reelection\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">would not seek reelection<\/a> to the seat he first won in the Trump-led red wave of 2016. Last week, he stunned Republicans in announcing that his last day would be<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/mike-gallagher-resigns-house-republicans-majority-73f1991cc954d865d55ca7949d57dd35\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"> April 19<\/a>. His departure alone would effectively leave already razor-thin Republican control of the House with a meager one-vote majority. But his decision to exit after Wisconsin\u2019s spring election on Tuesday will leave the 8th Congressional District without House representation for the better part of a year.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Wisconsin election law requires the governor to schedule a special election to fill the seat, but only if the vacancy occurs before the first Tuesday in April.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-e6dd08f886bc9b8b45d2fab93aa01a58 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-6\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-e6dd08f886bc9b8b45d2fab93aa01a58\"><\/div>\n<p>U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., has called on Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., to quickly push her resolution for Gallagher\u2019s expulsion. That\u2019s not happening. The backbone-challenged Johnson reportedly was privy to Gallagher\u2019s plans to resign. He had nothing but praise for the establishment Gallagher, who, just days before announcing he wouldn\u2019t seek another term, surprised his Republican colleagues by <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/03\/19\/gallagher-thinks-tiktok-is-a-bigger-security-threat-than-democrats-border-invasion\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">voting against the impeachment <\/a>of border-busting Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Gallagher, a former Marine and Iraq War veteran, is reportedly parlaying his congressional <a href=\"https:\/\/gallagher.house.gov\/media\/press-releases\/gallagher-hosts-defense-industry-officials-defense-innovation-hearing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">House Armed Services Committee<\/a> cred for a job in the defense industry. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/davidjeans\/2024\/03\/22\/china-hawk-rep-mike-gallagher-is-taking-a-job-at-palantir\/?sh=64448d535148\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Forbes reports <\/a>that Gallagher, who led the congressional bill that could ultimately ban TikTok in the United States, is taking a position with U.S.-based surveillance company and defense contractor Palantir.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"> <span class=\"VBmxR\"><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">&#8216;Mike Gallagher\u2026is taking a job with major defense tech contractor Palantir, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/high-ranking-dem-asks-doj-to-charge-all-perpetrators-from-capitol-riot-after-report-suggests-they-might-not\/\" title=\"High-Ranking Dem Asks DOJ To Charge All \u2018Perpetrators\u2019 From Capitol Riot After Report Suggests They Might Not\">multiple people familiar<\/a> with the matter told Forbes.&#8217;<br \/>&#8216;Gallagher has long been a key centrist voice on foreign policy and national security. He <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mark-moyar-how-is-ukraine-different-from-vietnam-ask-the-liberals\/\" title=\"Mark Moyar: How Is Ukraine Different from Vietnam? Ask the Liberals\">supported military aid<\/a> to Ukraine, including efforts to\u2026<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Joel Atkinson (@Joel_P_Atkinson) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Joel_P_Atkinson\/status\/1771678404003455119?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 23, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/span> <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u2018Betrayed the American People\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>A small army of RINOs, or \u201cRepublicans in name only,\u201d defended the congressman\u2019s decision to leave.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Former state Rep. Jim Steineke, R-Kaukauna, who served as majority leader under GOP boss Robin Vos, carped to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wpr.org\/news\/mike-gallagher-supporters-grifters-populists-behind-efforts-force-him-from-office\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Wisconsin Public Radio <\/a>that Congress needs more Gallaghers and fewer Greenes.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-425a413ab4f62cffdaa2ba60c519cd74 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-10\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-425a413ab4f62cffdaa2ba60c519cd74\"><\/div>\n<p>But there are plenty of Republicans in Gallagher\u2019s district who are somewhere between disappointed and disgusted.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Republican Party of Brown County is profoundly disappointed with Congressman Mike Gallagher\u2019s recent decision to resign from Congress effective in April,\u201d the local party based in the congressman\u2019s backyard said in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bcrepublicans.net\/statement_on_congressman_mike_gallagher\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">statement<\/a>. At the time, party officials were trying to figure out next steps, but like other county GOP operations, Brown County was urging Gallagher to serve out his term and \u201cfulfill the promises he made to his constitutions who elected him.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>While he has coasted to victory in his four runs for Congress, Gallagher is seen as an establishment man at best, a member of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thegatewaypundit.com\/2024\/03\/emerald-robinson-what-mike-gallagher-uniparty-are-plotting\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u201cUniparty\u201d<\/a> hellbent on stopping Trump at worst by many grassroots conservatives in the district. He ran afoul of some Trump supporters in 2020 when he knocked the president for saying the election was stolen for Democrat Joe Biden.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"> <span class=\"UOvTLqgszGecV8BudwSoEfbQZY2rlF035ipWaX1D9jJINP\"><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">We are witnessing absolute banana republic crap in the United States Capitol right now. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/realDonaldTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@realdonaldtrump<\/a>, you need to call this off. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/0QGx2PlXFY\">pic.twitter.com\/0QGx2PlXFY<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Rep. Gallagher Press Office (@RepGallagher) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RepGallagher\/status\/1346912246291603465?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 6, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/span> <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Gallagher, a hawk on U.S. military aid for Ukraine and elsewhere, remains at odds again with Trump and many conservatives on the drawn-out European war. And the congressman earned the ire of some of his constituents last June when he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2023\/05\/31\/politics\/house-vote-debt-limit-bill\/index.html#:~:text=The%20US%20House%20of%20Representatives,to%20prevent%20a%20catastrophic%20default.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">voted for<\/a> a horrendous debt ceiling deal. He joined 148 Republicans and 165 Democrats in supporting the agreement.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe biggest frustration is that so many of his constituents here in this county, and I\u2019m sure other counties are experiencing the same thing, [they] are\u00a0just thoroughly disgusted,\u201d Oconto County GOP Chairman Ken Sikora said on <a href=\"https:\/\/wtaq.com\/shows-regular-joe-show\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the \u201cRegular Joe\u201d radio show<\/a> in Green Bay, as the Democratic Party of Wisconsin gleefully <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wispolitics.com\/2023\/wisdems-wisconsin-republicans-are-disgusted-with-mike-gallagher\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">recorded.<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Two Republicans have jumped into the race for the 8th \u2014 State Sen. Andre Jacque, R-De Pere, and Roger Roth, a former GOP state senator from Appleton. Alex Bruesewitz, a Trump-aligned political consultant who has never <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/breaking-president-trump-gives-pardons-to-73-individuals-and-commutes-another-70-sentences-steve-bannon-is-included\/\" title=\"BREAKING: President Trump Gives Pardons to 73 Individuals and Commutes Another 70 Sentences \u2013 Steve Bannon Is Included\">held public office<\/a>, is edging closer to an announcement. Last month, Bruesewitz said Gallagher \u201cbetrayed the Republican Party and the American people with his vote to side with Mayorkas,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/spectrumnews1.com\/wi\/milwaukee\/news\/2024\/02\/09\/alex-bruesewitz-mike-gallagher\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">according to<\/a> Spectrum News.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>A new Cygnal poll <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/politics\/2024\/03\/28\/exclusive-poll-alex-bruesewitz-surges-20-point-lead-hypothetical-race-replace-mike-gallagher\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">obtained<\/a> by Breitbart News shows Bruesewitz leading the field at 36 percent, followed by Jacque with 15 percent, and Roth, Gallagher\u2019s \u201chandpicked replacement,\u201d at 12 percent.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u2018Resign as Soon as Possible\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>Jacque has joined a chorus of Republicans urging Gallagher to leave his seat by Tuesday so the 8th District can have a special election within the next couple of months.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think there\u2019s a lot of palpable frustration out there from folks who haven\u2019t gotten a satisfactory explantation as to why this particular timing is being followed,\u201d Jacque told me Thursday afternoon. \u201cGiven some of the questions raised about Congressman Gallagher\u2019s new employment, I think it would be beneficial for him to resign as soon as possible for new representation to occur.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>But even if Gallagher did bow out in the next few days, there\u2019s no guarantee that far-left Gov. Tony Evers will schedule the special election within the next couple of months.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Nobody knows the Democrat\u2019s political games better than U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany. Wisconsin\u2019s 7th Congressional District congressman ultimately replaced former Rep. Sean Duffy in May 2020 \u2014 over seven months after Duffy resigned. Evers delayed that election for months after botching the initial primary and general election schedule and considered delaying it further amid his unconstitutional Covid lockdowns.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019ve seen what Gov. Evers would do. Is there any doubt in your mind he wouldn\u2019t push it back as far as possible?\u201d Tiffany told me Thursday.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The northern Wisconsin Republican said he wasn\u2019t surprised by Gallagher\u2019s decision to leave Congress. Gallagher, 40, is married with two young children, and his rise in the GOP as chairman of the House\u2019s powerful <a href=\"https:\/\/selectcommitteeontheccp.house.gov\/about\/chairman-mike-gallagher#:~:text=In%20the%20118th%20Congress,%20Representative,and%20on%20the%20Permanent%20Select\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Committee on China<\/a> has commanded more of his time away from home this session.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>As for speculation from some that Gallagher is exiting Congress next month to stick it to the Republican-controlled House and ultimately to Trump, Tiffany said, \u201cI hope that\u2019s not the case.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>While Gallagher has publicly stated that he\u2019s \u201cworked closely with House Republican leadership on this timeline,\u201d Tiffany said Gallagher did not talk to him about his decision to leave. Jacque said he\u2019s heard the same from other members of the Wisconsin Republican congressional delegation.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Whatever Gallagher\u2019s motives, not telling his closest colleagues that he\u2019s preparing to run for the exit is kind of a dick move.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-b2252c5f5bb73f52b5a91c265ce9ee96 fdrlst__b89e9-after-post-content\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-b2252c5f5bb73f52b5a91c265ce9ee96\"><\/div>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">    \t\t\t\t\t   \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>U.S. Rep. Mike Gallagher&#8217;s departure from Congress, leaving his Republican colleagues and Wisconsin constituents in a tough spot, has stirred discontent among conservatives. Despite his long-standing service in Wisconsin&#8217;s staunchly Republican 8th Congressional District, Gallagher&#8217;s decision has sparked frustration among constituents, not solely due to his exit, but also because<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":656,"featured_media":2209011,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Screenshot-2024-03-29-at-8.04.59%E2%80%AFAM-1024x554.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2209010","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Screenshot-2024-03-29-at-8.04.59%E2%80%AFAM-1024x554.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2209010","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/656"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2209010"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2209010\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2209011"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2209010"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2209010"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2209010"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}