U.S. Rep. Mike Gallagher’s decision to leave Congress — and leave his fellow Republicans and his Wisconsin constituents in the lurch — isn’t sitting well in conservative corners.
Well into his fourth term serving Wisconsin’s reliably red 8th Congressional District, Gallagher has ticked off a lot of constituents not because he is leaving, but because he is leaving at a really crummy time. It’s not just Gallagher’s constituents. Many Badger State conservatives and Republicans around the country aren’t happy with Gallagher’s timing.
“I can tell you that members are surprised. Some are very much disappointed in the way the departure is being handled,” Alex Leykin, chairman of the Ozaukee County GOP, told me.
Leykin said he recently spoke at an event with a local party member who worked with the congressman on Donald Trump’s presidential campaign. “He likes him very much and was very respectful of [Gallagher], but that member definitely felt betrayed,” Leykin said.
Extremely Bad Timing
Gallagher announced last month that he would not seek reelection to the seat he first won in the Trump-led red wave of 2016. Last week, he stunned Republicans in announcing that his last day would be April 19. His departure alone would effectively leave already razor-thin Republican control of the House with a meager one-vote majority. But his decision to exit after Wisconsin’s spring election on Tuesday will leave the 8th Congressional District without House representation for the better part of a year.
Wisconsin election law requires the governor to schedule
