Trump-aligned GOP consultant weighing run for Wisconsin House seat if Gallagher mounts Senate bid

Alex Bruesewitz, a GOP consultant aligned with former Presiden Trump, is planning to launch a bid for Wisconsin’s 8th congressional district if Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) decides to challenge Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) for her seat next year, according to a person familiar with the plans.

Bruesewitz isn’t expected to run for the seat if Gallagher mounts a reelection campaign. Still, he has family ties to the district and grew up in Ripon, Wis., which is a short drive south of the district, the person noted. 

He also has deep ties to Trump’s orbit. He’s close allies with the former president’s eldest son Donald Trump Jr. and his fiance Kimberly Guilfoyle, and he has previously advised Trump-backed House candidates including Reps. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) and Cory Mills (R-Fla.). He also advised Trump’s Save America PAC. 

“Alex is a MAGA warrior and would easily win this deep Republican seat,” a person close to Bruesewitz said. “If Gallagher decides to run for Senate, his good relationships with Trump world and GOP leaders would be unmatched.”

Gallagher, a rising Republican star who’s represented the northeastern Wisconsin district since 2017, is seen by many Republicans in the state as a top candidate to challenge Baldwin, who announced her reelection campaign on Wednesday.

For his part, Gallagher hasn’t ruled out a Senate bid, but he told CNN recently that he’s “not thinking about it at present.”

Unlike Gallagher, who broke with Trump over the Jan. 6 Capitol riot and said recently that the former president “lost [his] support,” Bruesewitz is a staunch Trump ally. 

He was associated with the Stop the Steal events after the 2020 presidential election and has been strongly critical of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, the likely 2024 Republican presidential candidate who is seen as Trump’s most serious challenger.