Just hours after U.S. Rep. Mike Gallagher announced he was not running for reelection this November, former state Sen. Roger Roth, a Republican who ran for lieutenant governor, said he is running for the 8th Congressional District seat.
In a statement, Roger Roth called himself a “proven conservative fighter.”
Roth’s uncle, Toby Roth, held the congressional seat from 1979 to 1997.
“Today, I am excited to announce that I am running for Wisconsin’s 8th Congressional District,” Roth said in the statement.
“As a lifelong resident of Northeast Wisconsin, I am ready to fight back against President Joe Biden’s dangerous open border, disastrous economy, and weak foreign policy that has put Americans at risk, both at home and abroad.”
Roth wrote that he supports former President Donald Trump.
“I’m proud to support @realDonaldTrump as we reclaim the White House. We have seen what failure looks like and the first step is getting our economy back on track, securing peace and prosperity means defeating Joe Biden and the Democrats. As goes NE WI, so does the state,” he wrote.
According to a biography of Roth in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, he served two terms in the state Assembly, was previously defeated in a primary for the 8th Congressional seat, served as president of the state Senate, is a homebuilder and is an Air National Guard veteran “who served multiple tours in Iraq.”
Gallagher announced that he was not running for reelection on February 10, as controversy rages about his vote against impeaching Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. In a meeting with county chairs on Saturday, he indicated he will not be changing his vote, which had angered the Oconto County chair enough to float the idea of supporting a primary against Gallagher.
