Earlier this month, former and potentially future President Donald Trump endorsed businessman Tony Wied for the open seat in Wisconsin's 8th Congressional District after Alex Bruesewitz decided not to run. Wied has since earned more endorsements, including members of Congress like Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL), and his campaign has also released fundraising numbers that bring good news for the candidate.
I’m grateful to have the endorsement of America First firebrand @realannapaulina.
— Tony Wied (@TonyWied) April 9, 2024
Anna Paulina Luna has been making a huge difference in Congress, including successfully leading the effort to censure Adam Schiff!
I look forward to joining her next year! pic.twitter.com/MB5hz4x31E
In a press release from Tuesday, the Wied campaign announced that just a week after announcing his candidacy he has $700,000 cash on hand.
"We are humbled by the outpouring of support from grassroots patriots across Northeast Wisconsin," Wied said in a statement. "Wisconsin voters are hungry for a Trump-endorsed America First leader to go to Washington and enact the change we so desperately need."
Wisconsin voters are hungry for a Trump-endorsed America First leader to go to Washington and enact the change we so desperately need!#WI08 pic.twitter.com/VtLMBMjPs9
— Tony Wied (@TonyWied) April 16, 2024
The press release also mentioned that "[t]he staggering total gives Wied nearly twice as much as the next-best cash-on-hand number in the GOP primary to replace Rep. Mike Gallagher."
Former State Sen. Roger Roth is also in the race, and had announced hours after Republican Rep. Mike Gallagher shared in February that he would not run again for the seat. Gallagher ultimately decided to resign, effective just days away, on April 19. State Sen. André Jacque is also running, having announced in March.
As the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported:
Roth reported raising $381,908 since the start of his campaign and had $376,938 in cash on hand, FEC reports show. Jacque raised $12 7,044 and loaned himself another $16,000 and ended the quarter with $140,653 in his war chest.
Roth drew donations from GOP megadonors and owners of Uline Inc. Richard and Elizabeth Uihlein, former Republican gubernatorial candidate Tim Michels and Franklin businessman Scott Mayer, who recently opted out of a Senate run this year.
Tony Wied, the former owner of a dinosaur-branded gas station chain, joined the primary last week with the endorsement of former President Donald Trump. His campaign did not say how much Wied raised in his first week but claimed he had $700,000 in cash on hand.
The lone Democrat in the race, De Pere OB-GYN Kristin Lyerly, launched her campaign earlier this month. A spokeswoman for Lyerly said the Democrat raised $250,000 from more than 6,000 donors in the first week of her campaign.
The primary won't take place until August 13, but whoever ends up being the nominee is sure to win the election, given that the district was R+10 in 2022. Forecasters also consider the race to be "Solid" or "Safe Republican," the best ranking the Republican nominee can have. Gallagher, who did not face a Democratic challenger in 2022, won with 72.2 percent of the vote that year.
As safe as Wisconsin's 8th Congressional District may be for the nominee, the state overall is considered a key battleground state for the presidential and U.S. Senate races, with Eric Hovde running as the Trump-endorsed Republican to challenge vulnerable Democratic incumbent Sen. Tammy Baldwin. The race is regarded as "Lean Democratic," and Baldwin also only just narrowly leads in the polls. Trump has a lead of +0.6 against President Joe Biden in the state, according to RealClearPolling.
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