U.S. Rep. Mike Gallagher announces he will resign next month

Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Gallagher abruptly announced Friday that he will resign from his seat next month, likely leaving the seat open until fall elections.

Gallagher, a former Marine from Green Bay, had already announced in February that he wouldn’t run for reelection in Wisconsin’s 8th Congressional District, saying that Congress was “no place to grow old.” His early departure, however, will leave House Republicans led by Speaker Mike Johnson with a bare one-seat majority.

Gallagher, who has served in the House of Representatives since 2017, said in a statement that he made the decision after conversations with his family but did not provide an explanation for the decision. Gallagher’s office did not immediately reply to a request for comment. 

Gallagher’s resignation will take effect on April 19. 

“I’ve worked closely with House Republican leadership on this timeline and look forward to seeing Speaker Johnson appoint a new chair to carry out the important mission of the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party,” Gallagher said. He added that his office will continue to operate and provide services for constituents through the rest of the term.

“Four terms serving Northeast Wisconsin in Congress has been the honor of a lifetime and strengthened my conviction that America is the greatest country in the history of the world,” Gallagher said.

Under Wisconsin law, vacancies that occur in U.S. Senate or House offices “between the 2nd Tuesday in April and the 2nd Tuesday in May in the year of the general election shall be filled at the partisan primary and general election.”

Republicans state Sen. André Jacque of DePere and former state Sen. Roger Roth of Appleton have launched campaigns for the open seat, and Alex Bruesewitz, a Republican consultant and Trump ally, has also said he is considering running, setting up a potentially competitive Republican primary. Democrats are also planning on fielding a candidate for the seat, though potential candidates are still working out who may run.