Republicans fail to get top recruit for Wisconsin Senate

A top potential recruit in Wisconsin’s Senate race declined to run — despite a concerted campaign from national Republicans to lure him into the race.

Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) announced Friday morning he would not launch a bid against Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin and would instead remain in the House, where he leads the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party. His decision is a blow to top Senate GOP strategists who saw him as their best shot to block Baldwin from a third term.

“I have a rare, bipartisan opportunity in the 118th Congress to help restore American strength, prevent war in the Pacific, and defend our basic freedoms from communist aggression,” Gallager said in a statement. “Accomplishing this mission and serving Wisconsin’s 8th District deserve my undivided attention.”

Gallagher had met with the National Republican Senatorial Committee and its chair, Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.), who was particularly eager to land him and saw him as the strongest prospective challenger. The committee released polling it commissioned in late May showing Gallagher just 1 percentage point behind Baldwin in a survey of likely voters.

A Marine veteran with an intelligence background and a Ph.D., Gallagher is also a strong fundraiser. But he had publicly broken with former President Donald Trump after the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol and reaffirmed earlier this year that he would not support Trump in 2024. That could have made him vulnerable in a primary.

Other prospective candidates include: businessmen Eric Hovde and Scott Mayer, Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-Wis.) and former Milwaukee Sheriff David Clarke.

Democrats celebrated Gallagher’s decision as a recruitment flop for the GOP.

“Senate Republicans’ top potential candidates are refusing to run because they know they cannot beat strong Democratic Senators like Tammy Baldwin,” Amanda Sherman Baity, a spokesperson for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, said in a statement. “Even the most sought after GOP recruits know their party’s toxic agenda and their vicious primaries will lead their campaigns to defeat in the general election.”

Gallagher is considered a rising star in House GOP politics. Wisconsin’s other senator, Ron Johnson, will be up in 2028 and many believe he will retire. A run for an open seat — potentially with Trump out of office — might be a more appealing long-term goal for Gallagher.

Republicans’ top 2024 focus is ousting Democratic incumbents in West Virginia, Montana and Ohio. They don’t need to win Wisconsin to take back the Senate but strong recruits in states that Biden carried narrowly will help widen the path back to the majority.