Key legislative races: Socialist Clancy keeps Assembly seat, Trump-backed Brandtjen loses hers

 

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- In the first set of legislative primaries under a new set of voting maps, voters in Milwaukee re-elected a self-described socialist while a key pocket of suburban voters rejected a state representative who was backed by former President Donald Trump.

In the 19th Assembly district, which runs along Milwaukee's lakefront covering the east side, Riverwest, downtown and Bay View neighborhoods, Rep. Ryan Clancy (D-Milwaukee) retained his seat. Clancy, one of two members in the Legislature's Socialist Caucus, defeated Jarrod Anderson, 57% to 43%. 

Clancy led by about 1,200 votes with Milwaukee absentee ballots yet to be counted, but it was extremely unlikely Anderson would close that gap, and the Associated Press called the race before 10 p.m.

Clancy had alienated powerful Milwaukee Democrats, including Mayor Cavalier Johnson and County Executive David Crowley, and both officials donated to Anderson.

Clancy has clashed with other Democrats over their support of a shared revenue deal last year that increased state aid and allowed the city to implement its own sales tax. He maintained Milwaukee's leaders could've held out for a better deal.

Anderson pledged to put more effort into building coalitions, even with lawmakers with whom he often disagreed. Marquette University researcher John Johnson said the primary offered an opportunity to see which type of Democrat voters in the dark blue district prefer.

"If you just walk around those neighborhoods, you can see that there's a lot of people supporting each of those candidates," Johnson said. "I think they've tapped into a genuine divide within the Democratic Party's supporters who live in that district, and we'll see which group is larger."

In the 24th Assembly district, Sen. Dan Knodl (R-Germantown) unseated Rep. Janel Brandtjen (R-Menomonee Falls). Knodl raised more than $70,000 for his campaign, nearly five times more than Brandtjen's $16,000. However, Brandtjen was backed by former President Trump.

Knodl drew donations from top Republican legislators, including Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester), who'd gotten frustrated with Brandtjen's continued push to chase conspiracy theories about the 2020 election.

While that may have helped her secure Mr. Trump's endorsement, it was not enough to save her seat. Brandtjen had only 34% of the vote to Knodl's 66% with 86% of the votes counted as of late Tuesday night. 

Marquette Law Poll Director Charles Franklin said the race would be an interesting measure of Mr. Trump's influence in a key suburban district that straddles Waukesha and Washington counties. He noted, back in the spring, about 30% of Republican poll respondents said they did not back Mr. Trump, but that number was now at 20%.

"That doesn't necessarily mean they'll only vote for Trump-endorsed candidates," Franklin said. "But it does mean the non-Trump candidates have a bit of an uphill battle to convince Republican primary voters to pick them."

In the 8th Congressional District, Trump's endorsement may well have boosted businessman Tony Wied, who defeated state Sen. Andre Jacque and former state Sen. Roger Roth. Weid will face Democrat Kristin Lyerly, a Green Bay OB/Gyn doctor in November to determine who replaces former Rep. Mike Gallagher, who resigned from Congress in April.