Former gas station owner enters race for 8th Congressional District with Trump support

Former gas station owner Tony Wied, who is running for Congress, with former President Donald Trump. (Screenshot via Tony Wied for Congress Facebook)

With the support of former President Donald Trump, former gas station owner Tony Wied of De Pere entered the race this week for Wisconsin’s open 8th Congressional District — making him the third Republican candidate to announce.

Wied, who owned six Dino Stop gas stations and convenience stores in Wisconsin until he sold them in 2022, is positioning himself as an outsider, who would look to deliver the “America First change this country needs” in Congress. He officially launched his campaign at an event in Green Bay on Monday evening.

“Wisconsin’s 8th Congressional District is hungry for an America First outsider,” Wied said in a statement announcing his campaign on Tuesday morning. “For too long, career politicians have failed to deliver the results we desperately need.”

“I look forward to earning the trust of Wisconsin voters and taking the lessons I’ve learned from three decades of operating businesses in Northeast Wisconsin to Washington, DC,” Wied added.

Two Republicans — former state Sen. Roger Roth of Appleton and current state Sen. André Jacque of De Pere — had already entered the race for the seat, which is open following the surprise departure of U.S. Rep. Mike Gallagher, who is set to resign next month.

One Democrat, OB-GYN Kristin Lyerly, has also entered the race , saying that with Gallagher’s departure there is a path to flip the seat.

The 8th Congressional district, which includes Appleton, Green Bay, Door County and covers other areas of northeast Wisconsin, leans Republican. Gallagher has won the seat a total of four times. In the 2020 presidential election, Trump won the district by about 16 percentage points, while President Joe Biden went on to win the state of Wisconsin.

Leading up to Wied’s official launch, Trump endorsed him on his social media platform, Truth Social, and called on Roth to drop out of the race. Jacque was not mentioned in the post. All three candidates have expressed their support for Trump.

Trump called Roth a “RINO” —  an acronym for “Republican in name only” — and a “clone” of former U.S. Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, who has been outspoken against Trump. Trump also said Roth was “no friend to MAGA.”

“As your next Congressman, Tony will work hard to Unleash American Energy, Stop Inflation, Secure our Border, Support our Military / Vets, and Protect our always under siege Second Amendment,” Trump wrote. “Tony Wied has my Complete and Total Endorsement – He will not let you down!”

Trump’s social media post endorsing Wied. (Screenshot)

Wied said in his campaign announcement that he was “humbled by the outpouring of support from family and friends and the support and endorsement of President Donald J. Trump.”

Despite Trump’s comments, Roth has continued his support for the former president, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel . He said in a statement that he knows “what it means to serve” as the only veteran in the race.

“My wife and I Iook at our country, and for the sake of our children, know we have to fight to preserve and protect what makes America great,” Roth said. “I will win this race and help win Wisconsin for Donald Trump this November.”

Wied named four priorities on his campaign website . He said the country need to “take immediate action to secure our border from crime and human trafficking,” that he would “prioritize cutting spending in government,” that Trump “needs our support to pass his America First agenda and make America great again” and that he would “fight to keep our military strong and eliminate any threat of terrorism inside of our borders.”

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