Rep. Dan Knodl (R-Germantown) will face Democratic candidate Jodi Habush Sinykin in the general election for Wisconsin’s 8th Senate district.
Knodl beat Trump-backed Rep. Janel Brandtjen (R-Menomonee Falls) and Thiensville village president Van Mobley in the Republican primary Tuesday. The seat, which represents parts of Washington, Ozaukee and Waukesha counties — also known as the WOW counties — and northern Milwaukee suburbs, was vacated by retired Republican Sen. Alberta Darling, who had represented the district since 1992.
Republicans are looking to continue the tradition of Republican representation for this suburban seat, especially as it will determine whether Republicans regain a supermajority in the state Senate, which would give them the ability to impeach and remove “civil officers.”
Democrats see an opportunity to flip the traditionally Republican seat, where Republican support in certain statewide races has waned in recent years, and stop the party from regaining the two-thirds majority in the state Senate.
Knodl’s victory signals another defeat for Brandtjen, who was recently booted from the Assembly Republican caucus after supporting the opponent of Speaker Robin Vos during the 2022 midterm elections. Brandtjen was also removed from her position on the campaigns and elections committee, where she had used her chairmanship to promote false claims about the 2020 election.
Republicans and Democrats strategically spent money throughout the primary.
Democrats,...
This story is the second in an ongoing series on the Cost of Fraud, as Open the Books tallies the hidden fees on American tax returns. Click here to read the first story on fraudulent autism billi...