State Sen. Andre Jacque announces run for 8th Congressional District, setting up GOP primary

WASHINGTON – State Sen. Andre Jacque on Monday announced he is running for Congress, setting up a primary race for the northeastern Wisconsin House seat left open by the impending retirement of Rep. Mike Gallagher.

Jacque, a De Pere Republican, said in his launch that he wanted to "deliver wins for the conservative cause" in running for higher office. He cast the nascent primary as a "contrast of the grassroots and really conservatives versus the establishment."

"Nobody is going to outwork me," Jacque said on the Regular Joe Show early Monday. "I want to bring that to the next level because there are a lot of problems to fix in D.C."

The announcement means there will be a Republican primary race for the state's solidly red 8th Congressional District. Former state Sen. Roger Roth, an Appleton Republican, launched his own campaign for the seat just hours after Gallagher said he would not seek reelection in the House this November.

Alex Bruesewitz, a GOP consultant closely aligned with former President Donald Trump, is also considering a run.

Jacque, 44, has represented Wisconsin's 1st Senate District since 2019. His district stretches from Appleton and northern Calumet County up through Door County. He previously served in the state Assembly from 2011 to 2019.

On Monday, Jacque touted his conservative bona fides. He noted his opposition to abortion, saying his "political identity kind of formed around the pro-life issue," and called the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border — a centerpiece of Republican campaigns — an "existential threat." He highlighted legislation he backed that aimed to "stop" sanctuary cities and said he supports building the border wall.

He said one of his first priorities in Congress would be "restraining the administrative state" and suggested he'd also take aim at environmental, social and corporate governance programs, known as ESG. Asked by a listener whether he changed his opposition to vaccine mandates after his serious bout with COVID in 2021, Jacque said he had not and suggested he led the charge to "stop the persecution that we have seen from the left as a result of COVID."

Jacque also pointed to his state-level races against Republicans he described as not conservative enough. He claimed his email used to be "wiRINOhunter" — using the acronym for Republican In Name Only.

"It’s not enough to just elect people with an R after their name,” Jacque said. “We need to have conservatives in Republican seats, and this is a Republican seat."

Democrats have vowed to mount a challenge to the open seat. Three Democrats considering bids told the Journal Sentinel last week they were in close contact and would decide by early April who would launch a campaign for the seat. The other two Democrats, they said, could enter state legislative races.

But Republicans are heavily favored to retain the district that stretches from Appleton and Green Bay, through Door County and north to Marinette and the Upper Peninsula.

Republicans now have about a 16-point edge in the 8th District, and Gallagher won each reelection handily, by no fewer than 25 points.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Andre Jacque announces run for 8th Congressional District