MEMO: The Case Against Mike Gallagher
TO: Interested Parties
FROM: Sacha Haworth, DCCC Great Lakes Press Secretary
DATE: August 9, 2016
The results of tonight’s Republican primary mark the beginning of the general election race for Wisconsin’s 8th Congressional District. While Tom Nelson, running unopposed as a Democrat, has been focusing on building support for the general election, Mike Gallagher and Frank Lasee have been embroiled in a costly and damaging primary that leaves Gallagher weak as we begin the last leg of the campaign.
In a district known for its independent streak, in the state that founded the “Never Trump” movement, Mike Gallagher has been running a partisan campaign, toeing the Republican Party line on issues like Social Security, education, taxing working families, and foreign policy.
Unlike the retiring Member of Congress Gallagher is hoping to replace, Gallagher has embraced Donald Trump and his divisive, dangerously reckless rhetoric; when asked just this week whether he would be supporting the Republican presidential nominee despite his attacks on a Gold Star military family, Gallagher reasserted that he would be voting for him.
Furthermore, “Washington’s chosen candidate” Mike Gallagher has had to endure countless attacks on his record and his background over the course of the primary. His opponent has called into question his loyalties to Wisconsin as well as his Washington inside connections – which include a shady Super PAC that has not disclosed its donors. These attacks have left Gallagher’s credibility shot and reputation in tatters.
Tom Nelson, meanwhile, has been running unopposed, looking forward to November and reaching out to all voters. He is already on television, has dozens of volunteers speaking to thousands of not only Democrats but Republicans and independents, too, knowing that in the independent-minded Wisconsin’s 8th, voters are looking for a candidate who won’t put party over the good of the country, or politics over people.
“DC MIKE” IS BAD NEWS FOR SENIORS
More than a quarter of the district receives Social Security benefits, yet Mike Gallagher has no problem touting his ideas to privatize Social Security. Asked at a conservative forum about the program, Gallagher responded that the guy he thinks “has the right answer is this guy Andrew Biggs, and he writes for the National Review.”
Andrew Briggs, who has been called a “zealous advocate of privatizing Social Security,” is a large proponent of – you guessed it – privatizing Social Security. His appointment to President George W. Bush’s Social Security Administration was fervently opposed by the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare because, according to them, Briggs had “built a career on creating strategies which would destroy Social Security.” Supporting Briggs’ plan indicates that Gallagher wants to eliminate Social Security as we know it and enact massive benefits cuts for most seniors, something that will no doubt make Wisconsin 8th seniors think twice before voting for him.
By the time news of a new Super PAC broke, Gallagher had already earned the moniker “DC Mike” for his Washington ties and for the fact that he has never voted in a Wisconsin general election, and only registered to vote there this year – and only after he registered his campaign website. The Gallagher-friendly Super PAC – Midwest Growth PAC – does not have to disclose its donors, and its treasurer, Bruce Barrette, a Wisconsin dentist and Republican insider who was removed from the Wisconsin Dentistry Examining Board after violating state ethics laws, refuses to answer questions about his involvement in the race.
Finally, in a state that founded the “Never Trump” movement, Gallagher has embraced Donald Trump as the nominee, repeatedly pledging to vote for him. Gallagher has even gone so far as to say “we have to” support Trump. Meanwhile, outgoing Rep. Reid Ribble has surprisingly proved to be the more rational one, declaring we “need a grownup, not a 3-year-old in the White House,” criticizing him for making “racist comments,” and his policy proposals as “blather.”
In stark contrast, Tom Nelson has rejected Trump’s divisive rhetoric, agreeing with Ribble that the “dangerous and unstable” Donald Trump “is someone who does not represent the values of Northern Wisconsin.” While Gallagher has been running a campaign based on partisan, divisive politics that would hurt seniors and working families, Nelson has been communicating with the voters of the 8th District, ensuring they know that in Washington he will always put people over politics.
TOM NELSON: PUTTING PEOPLE OVER POLITICS
Mike Gallagher is emerging limping from the primary, after spending thousands on attack ads and mailers and weathering attacks on his background, policy views, and insider ties. Since April, Gallagher spent more than $617,000 (compared to Nelson’s $214,000).
By comparison, County Executive Tom Nelson has been running unopposed, and recently went up on television touting his years of experience balancing budgets and standing up for Wisconsin workers. Furthermore, Tom’s dozens of volunteers have been canvassing the district – speaking not only to fellow Democrats but also to moderate Republicans and independents, voters turned off by partisan politics.
Tom Nelson has also been uniting Wisconsinites behind his campaign, earning the support of the United Steelworkers, and many more. He and his family have been out and about in the district, marching in parades, shaking hands, and planning on being “an independent voice in Congress.”
WISCONSIN’S 8TH DISTRICT
Wisconsin’s 8th District is an open seat that is rated one of the most competitive in the country. President Obama won here in 2008 and only lost by 4 points in 2012. Tom Nelson was considered both locally and nationally – even by Republicans – as a formidable candidate; within 24 hours of Nelson’s announcement, both the Cook and Rothenberg Reports classified this race as a true “Toss-Up.” Before serving as Outagamie County Executive, Nelson was the Majority Leader in the State Assembly, and for his service is not only well-known but also well-liked throughout the district. In a presidential year with a strong, well-funded, and respected candidate in Tom Nelson, Democrats are poised to firmly win back the seat in November.
CONCLUSION
This November, voters will have a clear choice between “Washington’s Chosen Candidate” Mike Gallagher’s partisan politics and extreme positions, and Tom Nelson’s record of standing up for Wisconsin workers and families.