Former owner of Dino Stop gas station chain considering GOP run for Mike Gallagher seat
WASHINGTON – The former owner of a northeast Wisconsin dinosaur-branded gas station chain is considering joining the Republican primary to replace retiring Rep. Mike Gallagher — and he could do so with the backing of allies of former President Donald Trump.
Tony Wied, who sold the Green Bay-based Dino Stop gas and convenience store chain in 2022, is weighing a run for Wisconsin’s 8th Congressional District, multiple people told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. And Alex Bruesewitz, the Trump-aligned consultant who has also been teasing a run of his own, is expected to throw his support behind Wied.
Wied, 47, met with Trump during the former president’s rally in Green Bay Tuesday and brought with him a document titled “Tony Wied for Congress — WI08” that included biographical information, one person with knowledge of the meeting said. A photograph of the document obtained by the Journal Sentinel shows it was signed by Trump.
Bruesewitz for weeks teased a campaign of his own and claimed he would bring with him the full support of Trump’s MAGA movement if he ran. He’s promoted a “big announcement” set for Monday evening in Green Bay. But sources this week said Bruesewitz is likely to back Wied and aid his campaign.
The move would be an unexpected shakeup in the race to replace Gallagher, who in February announced he would retire from Congress and said last month he would leave Capitol Hill on April 19 — before the end of his term.
Former state Sen. Roger Roth, an Appleton Republican who ran for lieutenant governor in 2022, and state Sen. Andre Jacque, a Republican from De Pere, are already in the race. Bruesewitz, who currently lives in Florida, had been expected to join, too. De Pere Democrat and OB-GYN Kristin Lyerly is also running for the seat.
Wied did not respond to phone calls and text messages seeking comment. Bruesewitz told the Journal Sentinel that he was the only person familiar with his own thinking but did not dispute reports that he is expected to aid Wied's campaign.
“There’s certainly conversations that have been had over the course of the last two months,” Bruesewitz said. He added that he was "confident" the 8th District will see a candidate "who will put America first."
Bruesewitz, one source said, has been "serving as an informal advisor to Wied" and "would do everything he can to help him win" if Wied decides to run.
A source close to the Trump family told the Journal Sentinel on Friday that the Trumps "will be behind whatever decision Alex so chooses to make. And they are committed to making sure an America first candidate wins this seat."
Wied, in the meantime, has been quietly preparing a run. He reached out to Wisconsin Republicans this week asking about hospitality suites for the state party’s convention in Appleton set for May 17-19, one source told the Journal Sentinel.
The status of his potential campaign, however, was not clear.
A Wied family member who said he was working with Bruesewitz on Monday’s event declined to answer questions Thursday about Wied’s potential candidacy, saying only “there is a big announcement, and Alex is making it.”
Local county Republican chairmen and former Packers Vice President of Administration Jason Wied are also expected to speak at the announcement Monday evening at the Legacy Hotel in Green Bay. Bruesewitz told the Journal Sentinel that former Trump confidant Steve Bannon will stream the event on his show.
Wied sold his six Dino Stop locations to a Denver-based company in 2022. At the time of the sale, the sum of which was not disclosed, Dino Stop had locations in Green Bay, Ledgeview, Manitowoc, New Franken, Little Suamico and Abrams.
"We’ve really enjoyed being part of all of the neighborhoods we operated in,” Wied told the Green Bay Press Gazette at the time. “We made a lot of friends and have really enjoyed all our relationships with our team members, vendor partners and customers.”
Dino Stop had been in the Green Bay area since 1971, the Press Gazette wrote. Wied bought the chain in 1998 and adopted the chain's large, green dinosaurs as a brand.
A family member told the Journal Sentinel Wied is largely retired now but occasionally does informal small- business consulting.
Wied donated $1,800 to Trump’s campaign in late February, Federal Election Commission reports show.
Daniel Bice of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel staff contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Ex-owner of Dino Stop stations weighing run for Mike Gallagher seat