Mike Gallagher Wins GOP Primary In Wisconsin’s 8th Congressional District

Former U.S. Marine Mike Gallagher has won a three-way Republican primary for an open congressional seat in northeast Wisconsin.

Gallagher will face Democrat Tom Nelson for the 8^th Congressional District in the Nov. 8 general election. Nelson ran unopposed in Tuesday’s primary.

Gallagher won with nearly three quarters of the vote. He beat state Sen. Frank Lasee and businessman Terry McNulty, the Forestville village president. Gallagher served as national security adviser for Gov. Scott Walker’s 2016 presidential campaign.

Gallagher out-raised and out-spent Lasee by at least $600,000. He was running on his two tours of service with the Marines in Iraq and his “outsider” status as someone who isn’t a career politician.

“I spent seven years on active duty in the United States Marine Corps, three years in the intelligence community,” Gallagher said. “I’ve also worked in the private sector here in Green Bay. That’s a unique background. Thomas Nelson, who’s just been in public office his whole life, doesn’t have.”

Nelson is the Outagamie County executive and a former state representative.

Gallagher has the backing of Midwest Growth PAC. His primary campaign raised nearly $1 million.

The Republican seems to be ready to go head-to-head with Nelson.

“Right now, the entire Democratic army is getting ready to descent onto the 8^th District with one objective in mind and that’s to make Nancy Pelosi speaker of the (U.S.) House again,” Gallagher said. “I can almost hear the press releases that are being sent to the reporters in the back of the room calling me any number of names. This is what we’re going up against.”

The winner in November will replace Republican U.S. Rep. Reid Ribble, who is retiring rather than seeking a third term.