WASHINGTON — Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Green Bay, is facing criticism by fellow Republicans for the timing of his decision to leave Congress.
His planned departure on April 19 would be too late in the year to hold a special election to replace him, meaning a reliably-Republican seat will remain vacant the rest of the year.
Though Gallagher said he worked with Republican leadership on the timeline, some Republicans say he should retire earlier or be expelled.
“Speaker [Mike] Johnson should be forcing Mike Gallagher to leave early so that his district can hold a special election, and any strong Republican Speaker of the House would expel a member for leaving our razor thin majority in such a delicate, delicate state,” said Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Georgia, in a Fox News interview.
“It is, in many ways, sort of self-interested because a special election would give somebody the seat and then that person would be in a much stronger position to run in November to keep the seat,” said Kathleen Dolan, a political science professor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Two Republicans are running to replace Gallagher. One of those Republicans, Roger Roth, told Spectrum News in a statement the timing of Gallagher’s creates a vacancy in Congress at a “critical time for our country.”
“We need to keep our Republican Majority in the House before November and we need it past November to help President Trump govern,” Roth writes in part. “It's why I'm running and it's why the stakes of this race cannot be overstated."
State Sen. André Jacque, R-De Pere, is also running to fill Gallagher’s seat. He told Spectrum News he disagrees with his decision to leave before his term is up.
“We deserve representation and the country needs now, more than ever, strong conservative leadership to stop the disastrous Biden administration,” Jacque said. “The people of Wisconsin’s 8th district need someone who will fight the swamp, not join them, and that’s why I’m running.”
The Republican Party of Brown County, which encompasses Gallagher’s Green Bay district, told Spectrum News in a statement that it’s “profoundly disappointed” in Gallagher’s decision to resign in April.
“While we are still working through the legal and procedural issues arising from the timing of this decision, we urge Congressman Gallagher to serve out his term and fulfill the promises he made to his constituents who elected him,” the statement reads.
Trump ally Alex Bruesewitz is considering a run for Gallagher’s seat but hasn’t announced. He encouraged Republicans at a GOP event to call Gallagher’s office to tell him to leave Washington earlier so the seat can be filled in a special election.
“I think it's disgusting that he wants to leave you without representation,” Bruesewitz said.
Gallagher’s office will continue to provide constituent services after his departure.
When Gallagher steps down, there will be 217 Republicans and 213 Democrats, meaning Republicans would only be able to afford one defection to pass legislation on party line votes. But the GOP is already relying on Democrats to pass legislation this Congress.
“The Republicans basically can't function the way that a majority normally does,” said Kyle Kondik of the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics. “And so, it actually makes it a little bit less important that the Republicans have a full slate of members, because again, they seem dependent on cross party support to get a lot of big picture things passed.”
Gallagher previously told Spectrum News he’s not getting involved in the race to replace him, but the party will likely be able to keep the seat since his district is solidly Republican.