Door County voters may face some confusion at the polls on Aug 13, with two elections for Wisconsin’s 8th Congressional District seat on the primary ballot.
One is a special primary election, and one is the regular primary election for the 8th Congressional District.
The winner of the special election will face Democratic candidate Kristin Lyerly in a Nov. 5 special election. The winner of that race will fill Mike Gallagher’s vacant seat until his term ends on Jan. 3, 2025.
The regular primary election will determine the Republican candidate that goes on to run against Lyerly in the general election on Nov. 5 for a new, two-year term that begins on Jan 3. Three Republican candidates are on the ballot for the seat vacated by Gallagher when he resigned in April. Lyerly is the only Democrat.
This means, while not likely, there is a possibility one candidate may win the special election and serve out Gallagher’s term, and another candidate could be elected to start a new term on Jan 3.
To add more potential confusion, André Jacque is one of the Republicans vying for the congressional job in the primary. Jacque is currently a state senator representing District 1, and his senate seat is not up for re-election until 2026.
The most recent redistricting maps made it so he is “drawn out” of his senate district, according to Jacque, meaning he no longer lives in the district he represents in the state senate. If he is elected to Congress, he would resign his state senate seat, he said, which would prompt a special election for the position in spring 2025.
Jacque is running against Roger Roth and Tony Wied in the partisan primary on Aug 13. All candidates answered the following questions by phone. Their answers are edited for clarity and brevity.
André Jacque
You and your Republican opponents all agree that balancing the budget, lowering—or at least not increasing—taxes, and cutting spending are necessary measures. How exactly will you accomplish this? What are your specific goals for your first year if elected?
One of my main goals is to actually get us on a sustainable budget and reduce inflation. I would get agencies’ budgets line-by-line and find duplication of services. We have a spending problem at the federal level and need to budget as states do. Federal budgets don’t have to balance like state budgets do. The federal government can print money and use debt instruments.
Single-subject spending is important, rather than these package deals. Now, if you want one thing passed on a bill, you have to vote for all of the other things included in that bill.
How do you stay informed on issues affecting your constituents?
What sets me apart is I have always been very accessible. A lot of the legislation I’ve done is on a bipartisan basis. Behind all the bills are constituent stories.
I do a weekly radio call-in show. I give out my cell phone number for people to call if they have issues with state agencies, etc. Not a lot of legislators do that, and it’s never been abused with me.
I keep in close touch with people and enjoy going to festivals, meetings and community gatherings in the district to seek out people’s ideas versus saying this is what I think and staying there.
Affordable housing and economic inequality are important issues for Door County voters. What is your stance on these issues?
We need a workforce in order to have the kind of community we are looking for. Door County has further geographic limitations to finding workforce members. I worked on the Gibraltar Tax Incremental Financing district legislation and worked with the Door County Community Foundation on affordable workforce housing initiatives. .
Gap financing is another measure I support. Also, looking at how you create housing that’s not going to be snapped up by someone not in the workforce? Innovative approaches, I support those.
I would look more at how we make it easier for people to do the right things and develop in areas that need it. We need to remove liability and other disincentives.
Can you describe a situation where your personal values conflict with constituents’ wishes and how you handled it? Or how would you handle it?
I don’t know that I’ve seen that scenario play out. I enjoy being a champion for our constitutional republic. I’m involved in a broad section of issues and supported by most significant law enforcement organizations. Public safety, the environment, child care, town governments and local control, and first responders are all places and issues I pay attention to.
Is there anything else you would like Door County voters and Knock readers to know about you and your campaign?
It is a tremendous honor to serve our areas. I’m not planning on moving, and would like the opportunity to continue that service. I’d ask people to put trust in me to work for them and address critical issues at the national level.
Roger Roth
You and your Republican opponents all agree that balancing the budget, lowering—or at least not increasing—taxes, and cutting spending are necessary measures. How exactly will you accomplish this? What are your specific goals for your first year if elected?
I come from a middle-class, blue-collar background. I have 20 years in the building industry and 20 years of military experience, four deployments in the Middle East and two terms in the Senate. I have five little boys. I have the most real world leadership experience. I represent the future of the Republican party. My family feels the economic burden of inflation when we go to the grocery store (or) gas station, just like other middle-class families in northeastern Wisconsin.
No ifs, ands or buts about it, securing the southern border is one of my goals. I’ve traveled there; I’ve seen it. It starts down there, but doesn’t stay down there. This affects our economy and security. One billion doses of fentanyl are coming through that border. (Editor’s note: Roughly one thousand pounds of fentanyl have been seized at the U.S. border since the beginning of 2024, according to the Drug Enforcement Agency. The U.S. has over 300 points of entry. Doses of fentanyl are miniscule, making it difficult to quantify how many doses are being smuggled into the U.S.)
It’s a catastrophe. We need border security. This issue transcends political parties. We need to keep poisonous drugs out.
I want to stop out-of-control spending in Washington. There is money that has been expended from the federal government that has not been spent in the state, from the American Rescue Plan Act and the Inflation Reduction Act. Direct that toward helping middle-class families.
I would focus on making the U.S. energy-independent. Open up America’s energy production and this will save families money on energy bills.
How do you stay informed on issues affecting your constituents?
I like direct voter contact, knocking on doors and having conversations with voters. It gives me a real-time feel for what is important to them. For news, I read the Wall Street Journal and peruse local media online.
Affordable housing and economic inequality are important issues for Door County voters. What is your stance on these issues?
I bought my first home over a decade ago. The average home is $400,000 now. How can people afford that starter home?
We have got to get government out of it. Stop looking for Washington solutions. About $90,000 in new home building costs is in the form of regulation. The EPA is coming out with new regulations for energy efficiency in homes; this is going to add another $30,000 in costs to new homes. (Editor’s note: While research has shown that regulation affects housing costs, independent research or data on the specific cost effects of regulation is not widely available.)
If we can get spending in Washington under control, get interest rates down and remove excessive government regulations, that will help. There is not enough housing stock in the country. Homebuilders know what to do. We just need to make it easier for them to do it.
Can you describe a situation where your personal values conflict with constituents’ wishes and how you handled it? Or how would you handle it?
We live in a representative democracy. People aren’t voting for someone who believes exactly like them, but someone who reflects their values. And I think voters recognize that. My M.O. is open communication and I think people respect that. We might not see eye to eye, but as long as you can have open communication that is okay.
Officials get in trouble when they take a stance and then hide from the public. We are adults being hired to do a job for the public. Things are very divided right now, but it’s important to have that communication and commitment to voters.
Is there anything else you would like Door County voters and Knock readers to know about you and your campaign?
This is a pivotal election in the history of our country. We have to send people who have real world experience to Washington. I have real world experience. My family and I are living this and I am committed to the future (and) leaving my children and others with an America where they have freedom and mobility.
Tony Wied
You and your Republican opponents all agree that balancing the budget, lowering—or at least not increasing—taxes, and cutting spending are necessary measures. How exactly will you accomplish this? What are your specific goals for your first year if elected?
The difference with me is I ran a small family business for 30 years, and I’ll bring that private sector experience to Washington. I want to get government out of the way so real people can succeed. I have seen too often the government curtailing individual liberty.
A realistic goal for me is securing the southern border. It’s the number one thing I have to focus on. I will finish Trump’s wall (on the U.S.-Mexico border).
I want to reinstate his “Remain in Mexico” policy. (Editor’s note: the policy is officially called Migrant Protection Protocols, a U.S. immigration policy implemented by the Trump administration in 2019. It requires immigrants seeking asylum in the U.S. to stay in Mexico until their U.S. court date. The Biden administration ended the policy, but in 2022, a federal judge blocked the administration from ending the policy until legal challenges were resolved. That ruling was then overturned by the Supreme Court, leaving the policy not currently in effect.)
I would give additional resources to border patrol.
I will help control rising prices. With a business, I’ve had to have a budget and go line by line through it. I would bring that same common sense to Washington.
I would also enact a single-subject voting bill to make sure each item is represented.
How do you stay informed on issues affecting your constituents?
I really enjoy meeting with people. I took a tour recently at American Foods Group in Green Bay, meeting folks. I like to tour local employers, attend community events and listen to people right here in the district. What are their needs and what matters to them?
I read a variety of news sources and use platforms like X (formerly Twitter) to stay informed.
Affordable housing and economic inequality are important issues for Door County voters. What is your stance on these issues?
Being the only candidate endorsed by Trump, under whose administration we had the greatest economy for the middle class, I would advance pro-growth policies. I would also work toward making America energy-independent. This drives our economy and national security. Cutting taxes and reining in regulation will all help the economy.
As far as housing, I really like Trump’s Opportunity Zone program. (Editor’s note: Created by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, this program allows for certain investments in low-income areas to have tax incentives.) This will spur development in areas that need it.
Can you describe a situation where your personal values conflict with constituents’ wishes and how you handled it? Or how would you handle it?
Being a constitutional republic, my job is to represent people. I keep a finger on the pulse. I’m never stuck on a certain ideology. It’s important to have values, and understand what is most important to people. I’m always open to hearing more.
I talk to people whether it’s in Marinette at a shipbuilding company, Green Bay at a meatpacking facility, or Waupaca at their foundries. I continue to learn and be open. Be a representative, not a career politician.
Is there anything else you would like Door County voters and Knock readers to know about you and your campaign?
I’m honored with the opportunity to serve the USA. I love the USA. I was in customer service for 30 years, and now I can dedicate my whole life to public service and representing District 8