Frederica Freyberg:
The 8th Congressional District in Wisconsin is gearing up for a special election following Mike Gallagher’s departure. As Aditi Debnath reports, three Republicans are vying for the primary nomination in August to face the sole Democratic candidate in November’s general election.

Roger Roth:
We got a lot of great people here in northeast Wisconsin. Great Republicans running and…

Aditi Debnath:
Roger Roth served 12 years in the state Legislature, including as Senate president, until stepping aside in 2023.

Roger Roth:
I think it’s important that we have someone from northeast Wisconsin, blue collar, worked with their hands, understands how decisions out there, how they impact families here in northeast Wisconsin.

Aditi Debnath:
State Senator Andr Jacque served 14 years in the state Legislature and currently represents part of northeast Wisconsin in the state Senate. He’s running on his record of bipartisan cooperation.

Andr Jacque:
Everybody is going to tell you what you want to hear at election time. I’m the guy that means it.

Aditi Debnath:
Jacque, who now lives just outside his Senate district due to redistricting, emphasizes his experience tackling issues like government spending.

Andr Jacque:
I bear the scars of having, you know, spoken my conscience and fought for my constituents.

Aditi Debnath:
Both Jacque and Roth bring to the table years of experience in the state Legislature. Tony Wied, a political outsider and former business owner, sees his lack of political experience as an asset. Tony Wied did not respond to multiple requests for an interview. However, in an audio interview with Wisconsin Public Radio, he said this.

Tony Wied:
I have that real world experience of actually operating things and growing and building businesses, and I can actually go and make a difference.

Aditi Debnath:
The three Republicans share common ground on issues like inflation

Roger Roth:
Federal government has to stop spending money.

Andr Jacque:
We need to really look at the baseline expenditure, line item and, and basically, get into zero-based budgeting.

Aditi Debnath:
and border security.

Andr Jacque:
Really the first thing is we have to have a vetting and an orderly process for anybody that’s looking to come into the country.

Tony Wied:
We need to build the border wall.

Aditi Debnath:
Each candidate has their unique selling points. Wied touts his endorsement from former President Donald Trump.

Tony Wied:
I’m very proud to be the only candidate endorsed by President Trump in this race. This is an honor of a lifetime.

Aditi Debnath:
Senator Jacque highlights his endorsements from law enforcement and pro-life organizations as his conservative credentials.

Andr Jacque:
What I’m most proud of is, really from the taxpayers’ perspective, eliminating any number of subsidies for elective abortion. I’ve done that systematically at the state level. They’re actually far more that exists at the federal level.

Aditi Debnath:
Roth, endorsed by former governor Scott Walker, wants to make it mandatory for public employees to work in person.

Roger Roth:
It’s time we brought civil service reform to Washington. I will take that issue that I worked on and was able to get through with Governor Scott who’s endorsing me in this race. I’ll be able to go and make strong advances on that issue on day one.

Aditi Debnath:
Despite Trump’s endorsement of Wied, both Roth and Jacque remain confident in their campaigns.

Andr Jacque:
Every candidate is going to have their endorsements. I don’t know how much weight that in particular has.

Roger Roth:
Trump made a decision. He was given some bad information, but at the end of the day, he supports winners. We’re going to win this election.

Aditi Debnath:
The primary election is set for August 13th. Reporting from Appleton, I’m Aditi Debnath for “Here & Now.”