Wisconsin Republican Mike Gallagher to Resign from U.S. House Next Month
The special election to fill the vacancy will occur alongside the regular general election for the seat.
Last month, Representative Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin, a Republican, announced he wouldn’t be running for re-election later this year. Today, he took a step further in revealing he will be resigning from the chamber next month. He has notified the congressional leaders that his final day will be Friday, April 19. His exit will shrink the already thin Republican majority in the U.S. House.
Once Gallagher exits, the U.S. House of Representatives will feature 217 Republicans and 213 Democrats. The next special election to fill one of the five vacancies will occur on April 30 in New York’s 26th District - which is a safe Democratic seat. A special election to fill a safely Republican vacancy won’t occur until May 21 in California’s 20th District.
Because of the timing of Gallagher’s departure, the special election to fill the remainder of his current unexpired term will occur concurrently with the regular election in November for the next cycle. If Gallagher resigned before April 9, then the state would have required a special primary and general election earlier in the summer to fill the vacancy. Because he’s leaving April 19, then the general election will occur on November 5 for what would be the final month of the term.
Gallagher now becomes the second House Republican to leave the chamber altogether after previously announcing their retirement in 2024. Today was actually the final day in the chamber for Representative Ken Buck of Colorado. He too timed his departure to play a role in when and how the special election to replace him will take place. Both Representatives have cited the chaos of the current House Republican Conference for leaving despite both representing solid red territory.
In the hours since Gallagher made this news, it’s been reported that he will take a private sector job with a government contractor. He was previously seen as a rising star in the Republican conference. That resulted in him leading the newly created House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party during the 118th Congress. Now, a new committee chair will need to be named.
Gallagher has served in the U.S. House of Representatives since January 2017. Wisconsin’s 8th Congressional District covers the northeastern portion of the state - centering on Green Bay, Appleton, Oshkosh and the Door Peninsula.
Following Gallagher’s retirement news, Wisconsin State Senators André Jacque and Roger Roth launched campaigns for the Republican nomination to succeed him. Brown County Director of Administration Chad Weininger and political consultant Alex Bruesewitz have also expressed interest in entering the Republican primary. No candidate has filed to seek the Democratic nomination. The filing deadline to appear on August 13 primary ballot is June 3, 2024.
Under the current lines, Donald Trump won Wisconsin’s 8th Congressional District with a 57.0-41.5 finish against Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election. That came as Biden was carrying the state 49.45-48.82 in his ultimately successful national campaign. The district lines are uncharged for the 2024 cycle despite recent lawsuits that tried to undo the prior partisan gerrymandering.