Rematch pits 2 GOP lawmakers, one backed by Trump, in 24th Assembly District

Two Republicans — one backed by Donald Trump, the other a state senator who decided to run for Assembly after redistricting paired him with another GOP incumbent — square off in a rematch in the 24th Assembly District primary on Aug. 13.

Incumbent Rep. Janel Brandtjen, R-Menomonee Falls, and state Sen. Dan Knodl, R-Germantown, last year both ran for the 8th Senate District, where Knodl handily won 57% of the Republican primary vote despite Trump endorsing Brandtjen.

Knodl opted not to run for the Senate seat he won in a special election last spring after new legislative maps drew him into the district with Sen. Duey Stroebel, R-Saukville, who has held office in the 20th Senate District since 2015. Knodl said the 24th Assembly District needs “a conservative who is respected by his colleagues.” He previously represented the district in the Assembly from 2009 to 2023. 

Both Knodl and Brandtjen did not respond to Wisconsin Watch’s request for an interview. 

The safe Republican district covers parts of Washington and Waukesha counties. It includes the villages of Menomonee Falls and Lannon, as well as half the village of Germantown. Whoever wins the Republican primary will face Democrat William Walter on Nov. 5.

Brandtjen, who has represented the 22nd Assembly District since 2015, announced her decision to run again in the new 24th earlier this year after Waukesha County District Attorney Susan Opper decided not to file charges recommended by the Wisconsin Ethics Commission against her for an alleged plot to skirt campaign finance laws.

The ethics commission recommended felony charges against Brandtjen, Adam Steen’s campaign, county GOP officials and Trump’s Save America fundraising committee regarding an effort to oust Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and illegally steer money to Steen, his unsuccessful GOP primary challenger in 2022. 

That year, Brandtjen’s colleagues voted to ban her from attending Assembly Republican closed caucus meetings after losing trust in her. 

This year, Trump has backed U.S. Senate candidate Eric Hovde and 8th Congressional District candidate Tony Wied, but Brandtjen remains the only candidate he has endorsed for the state Legislature, according to Ballotpedia. 

Brandtjen won Trump’s favor when she promoted conspiracy theories about the 2020 election and called for President Joe Biden’s victory in Wisconsin to be overturned. She and Trump attempted to pressure Vos to take illegal steps to throw out the election results. 

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Vos removed Brandtjen from her position as chair of the Assembly Committee on Campaigns and Elections for using the role to promote other election deniers and support illegal efforts to decertify the election. Rep. Scott Krug, R-Nekoosa, replaced her and has since pushed for more bipartisan election reforms.

But after the Assembly passed a bipartisan proposal to address absentee ballot processing and shore up the system for tracking adjudicated incompetent voters, Knodl, who chairs the Senate Elections Committee, stalled the bill. 

Both Knodl and Brandtjen joined other lawmakers in signing a 2021 letter asking former Vice President Mike Pence to delay certifying the 2020 election results. 

Brandtjen has spoken in favor of legislation that would ban transgender girls from participating in women’s sports in schools. She also led attempts to impeach Wisconsin Elections Commission Administrator Megan Wolfe, drawing criticism from many of her Republican colleagues. 

In 2023, Brandtjen sponsored unsuccessful legislation that would have given local governments and municipalities greater power to regulate the installation of wind and energy systems. 

Last year, Knodl authored legislation signed by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers creating a driver’s education grant program for students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch in schools. Another bipartisan bill he wrote requires the closure of campaign finance accounts belonging to candidates that have been found guilty of campaign finance or election fraud laws.

Knodl was a legislative leader in the effort to repeal the personal property tax in Wisconsin. He also co-sponsored an unsuccessful 14-week abortion ban, as well as legislation that would have required citizenship information on state drivers’ licenses — what he said was an attempt to ensure non-citizens don’t vote.

According to most recent campaign finance reports, Knodl has raised $71,403 this year, far more than Brandtjen with $16,439.

This article first appeared on Wisconsin Watch and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.