Trump-endorsed Wisconsin candidates win, lose in primaries

(The Center Square) – Trump’s influence down the ballot produced mixed results in Wisconsin’s Tuesday primary elections, with businessman Tony Wied winning in the 8th congressional district and State Rep. Janel Brandtjen losing her seat, both candidates endorsed by the former president.

Wied captured 43.5% of the vote in the three-way GOP primary, winning eight out of 11 counties in the district and a total of 42,638 votes. Election results were 95% in by Wednesday morning.

Former Wisconsin State Sen. Roger Roth came in second at 32.5%, earning 31,875 votes, and current State Sen. André Jacque of District 1 received 23,509 votes, or 24% of total ballots cast.

Wied will face Dr. Kristin Lyerly, a pro-abortion OB/GYN from De Pere, in November. Lyerly has focused her campaign mostly around abortion access and health care prices.

But in the 24th State Assembly District primaries, with 99% of votes counted, voters overwhelmingly rejected incumbent Brandtjen, who received only 33% of the vote, or 4,868 ballots.

Her opponent, State Sen. Dan Knodl, R-Germantown, won with 66% of the vote, or 9,603 ballots.

Brandtjen has made a name for herself as a 2020 election denier who the Wisconsin Ethics Commission’s said colluded to launder money through various campaign committees to get around Wisconsin’s cap on donations. That money was then funneled to Steen’s primary challenge to Assembly Speaker Robin Vos in 2022. She was never charged in the case.

She has heavily criticized Republicans like Vos whom she sees as too progressive, as well as the Wisconsin Elections Commission administrator Meagan Wolfe for purportedly endangering the integrity of Wisconsin’s elections for failing to remove fake voters from the state's voter roles.

Knodl will face Democrat William Walter in November, who describes himself as “unapologetically progressive” and has focused his campaign on social justice issues, climate change, and abortion access.