Republican candidates for Wisconsin’s 8th Congressional District debate
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GREEN BAY, Wis. (WFRV) – Republican candidates for Wisconsin’s 8th congressional district had an opportunity to flex their conservative credentials at a debate in Green Bay on Friday night.
Roger Roth, Andre Jacque, and Tony Wied are vying for the congressional seat that Mike Gallagher unexpectedly vacated in April. The winner of the August primary will face Democratic challenger Dr. Kristin Lyerly in the November election.
Joe Giganti of ‘The Regular Joe Show’ hosted the debate at Providence Academy in Green Bay.
All three candidates have said they’re staunch conservatives so the debate allowed voters to find out how each candidate stands out.
“I’m that candidate that has the strong record of cutting government spending, reducing taxes, and finding a way to shrink the role and size of government,” said Jacque. “I have the scars to show that I’m conservative because I’ve been punished for it by the establishment and the special interests.”
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“People want somebody like me who experiences life the way that they do to go and represent them in Washington,” said Roth. “It’s time we send a homebuilder, not just another career politician or a businessman.”
“The founding fathers never intended there to be career politicians,” said Wied. “I think it’s important for people to have worldly experience and I have almost 30 years of successful business experience. I’m a political outsider and that’s what President Trump was as well.”
Jacque currently is a member of the state senate and pointed to his endorsements from various sheriffs, police organizations, conservative, and pro-life groups as evidence of his conservatism.
He sparred with Wied throughout the debate especially when Wied called him a ‘never Trumper’.
“Andre Jacque in 2016 you worked for Ted Cruz, you actively worked against President Trump in the election in 2016,” Wied said about Jacque. “In addition, you and your cronies filed a frivolous complaint (accusing me) of doing something illegal for signing signatures.”
“Because I don’t support Tony Wied I’m a never Trumper according to Tony Wied,” Jacque shot back while also pointing out that Trump’s current running mate JD Vance didn’t always support the former president.
Wied and Jacque also argued over claims that Wied had told people that Jacque was ‘too pro-life.’
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All three candidates said they’d do things to cut government spending and make the border more secure if elected. Most of the questions during the debate focused on how closely each candidate would align to a potential Republican agenda if Trump gets elected president again in November.
When asked if the 2020 election had been stolen, Jacque was the only one who responded in the affirmative, emphatically saying ‘hell yeah.’
Donald Trump, who falsely claimed the 2020 election had been stolen from him, has endorsed Tony Wied. However, when the moderator asked Wied if he thought the election had been stolen the former business owner wouldn’t answer. He did say he believed there were irregularities.
Roger Roth answered no when asked if he thinks the 2020 election had been stolen, but also said some things need to be done to make elections more secure. The former member of the Wisconsin Senate and assembly and former candidate for lieutenant governor largely stayed away from the back-and-forth arguments between his two opponents, preferring to stick to his message.
“25 year homebuilder, 20 years in the military, four deployments to the Middle East, got legislative experience,” he said. “My wife and I raised little boys. We are ready to go to Washington D.C., work with Trump, and get this country moving in the right direction.”
Tony Wied is the only candidate among the three without experience as a politician. His background is in business. He owned several ‘Dino Stop’ gas stations in northeast Wisconsin before selling it a few years ago.
Donald Trump has endorsed Wied, something his opponents say they aren’t too worried about.
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“No (I’m) not (worried ) at all because I think people really understand that I’m the only candidate that has really supported President Trump, particularly in regards to election integrity,” said Jacque. “People know my record.”
“There’s one thing that Trump loves more than anything else and that’s a winner,” said Roth. “We’re going to win.”
The winner of the Aug. 13 primary will take on Dr. Kristin Lyerly for the spot in Congress. She has made abortion rights central to her campaign.
“We need voices of people who hear what’s happening in our state and will bring that forward for the people,” she said. “Not for corporations, not for their own power but also for the betterment of families and communities. “I can’t wait to take on the survivor of tonight’s debate. That’s where the fun is going to begin, where people are going to get engaged and understand how important Wisconsin is in national politics.”
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