Wisconsin GOP Rep. Mike Gallagher, who made headlines earlier this week by voting against the impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, announced Saturday that he will not seek re-election this year.
“Citizens thought that citizens should serve one term in Congress and then return to their personal lives. Electoral politics should not be a career, believe me, Congress cannot grow old. So, with a heavy heart, I have decided not to contest re-election,” Gallekar said in his statement. .
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, It was one of the first outlets to break the news of Gallagher's retirement from home together with DHe is the Wall Street JournalThe congressman said in a statement Saturday that “his future work will be consistent with his national security goals and focus on defense policy.”
Gallagher was one of three House Republicans who voted against impeaching Mayorkas on Tuesday, after Republicans accused him of violating his oath of office. Gallagher, one of several Republicans who expressed doubts about impeaching Mayorga before the failed vote, told reporters as lawmakers left the chamber that impeaching Mayorga would “open Pandora's box” in a closed-door meeting Tuesday morning.
The congressman has represented Wisconsin's 8th congressional district since 2017 and is currently the chairman of the House Select Committee on the Communist Party of China.
He joins more than a dozen House Republicans who will not seek re-election in 2024. According to to the House Press Gallery.
Earlier this week, Washington GOP Rep. Cathy McMorris-Rodgers, who chairs the House Energy and Commerce Committee, also announced she will not seek re-election this fall.
Republican political consultant Alex Bruswitz is mounting a primary challenge to Gallagher He said in a social media post On Saturday, Gallagher was once “considered by many to be a rising star in the GOP,” but “instead of embracing the MAGA movement, he decided to betray the grassroots and protect the swamp.”
“But for reporters, members of Congress and grassroots patriots across Wisconsin who are reaching out to me to see if I can run … I can say that I'm taking a strong stance now,” Bruswitz added.
Last year, national Republicans elected Democratic Sen. They hoped to recruit Gallagher to run for Senate against Tommy Baldwin, but Gallagher declined to run for the seat.
Major potential candidates such as businessmen Eric Hovde and Scott Mayer have stepped up to challenge, but have yet to announce their intentions to run.
National Republican Senatorial Caucus Chairman Steve Daines told the Milwaukee JournalL Sentinel In December, Hovde, who ran for Senate in 2012, is expected to run.
Wisconsin is one of the strongest swings for Republicans this cycle, but defeating Baldwin will be a battle. Nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates A breed of “lean democracy”.
