Rep. Jesse James wins GOP race for state Senate

Andrew Dowd, The Leader-Telegram, Eau Claire, Wis.
·2 min read

Aug. 10—EAU CLAIRE — State Rep. Jesse James, R-Altoona, appears headed to the state Senate based on unofficial results from Tuesday's Republican primary in the 23rd District.

With all precincts reporting, James came out on top over state Republican Party official Brian Westrate in the race to succeed retiring state Sen. Kathy Bernier, R-Lake Hallie.

Without a Democrat slated for the Nov. 8 ballot — though a write-in candidate did mount an effort Tuesday — the winner of Tuesday's primary is nearly guaranteed to take the seat.

James received 49.9% of the vote, followed by 37.4% for Westrate. Sandra Scholz, a political newcomer, ran a distant third with 12.7% in the race.

James has represented the 68th District in the state Assembly since 2018. Prior to entering politics, James had been police chief in Altoona.

He still works as a part-time police officer in Cadott and runs a shaved ice business in addition to working in the state Legislature.

Fall Creek resident Westrate has been steeped in Wisconsin's Republican Party politics. He currently serves as treasurer of the state's Republican Party, and previously held leadership roles in the county and district levels of the party. He owns Insurance Brokers of Wisconsin in Altoona.

Scholz of Chippewa Falls labeled herself as a "MAGA candidate" and campaigned for decertification of Wisconsin's 2020 presidential election results. A registered nurse and home remodeler had not previously held elected office or campaigned for one.

Democrat Dan Hardy of Chippewa Falls ran a write-in campaign in hopes of getting enough votes Tuesday to push his name onto the Nov. 8 ballot.

Hardy stated he'd need around 1,600 votes to accomplish that.

Two counties in the district did not list the Democratic side of the ticket in their unofficial voting results as no candidates appeared on the ballot. Those that did — including the one Hardy lives in — didn't appear to deliver the volume he'd need to get into November's election.

The five counties that did report write-in votes for Democrats in the 23rd District showed just over 800 voters wrote a candidate's name on their ballots.

Bernier served the 23rd Senate District for the past four years, following six years in the state Assembly.

The 23rd includes all of Chippewa and Clark counties, much of Eau Claire County, and portions of Dunn, Wood, Jackson and Marathon counties, according to new district maps made following the 2020 census.