Three of the five Republican Primary Elections for state-wide office on August 11th will be contested meaning there will be more than one candidate on the ballot. With Primary Day only a few weeks away, and “early voting” even sooner, it is time to do some serious looking, comparing, and choosing your favorite candidate for each office. The state-wide contests for Governor, Lt. Governor, and Secretary of State have multiple candidates while the contests for Attorney General and State Treasurer do not.

The Governor’s election is on top of the list. Many may be surprised that Congressman Tom Tiffany (R- WI 7th) has an opponent named Andy Manske in the race for Governor. Manske is a 27-year old medical technician from a suburb of Milwaukee running a “no budget” campaign. Recent reports have shown that he has no money in his campaign accounts. He has a webpage that took a lot of thought (and research) but in one paragraph states that he would ban AI data centers and the next states that he would use AI as an advisory tool. Although much thought has gone into his campaign “platform”, I don’t believe Manske is a formidable candidate for Governor, especially at his age and without any financial backing.

Congressman Tom Tiffany (R-WI-7th) is a very formidable, even impressive, candidate for Governor. After first being elected to his town board of supervisors, he was elected to the Wisconsin Assembly for one term and then the State Senate for two. He has represented the 7th Congressional District since he won a special election in May, 2020. His career includes many years as a dam tender and successful small business owner in northern Wisconsin. He understands Wisconsin’s natural resources and the tourist industry. As a Congressman, he represents the wants and needs of the citizens of all or parts of 20 Wisconsin Counties. With legislative experience in both Madison and Washington, he understands how the system works! Tiffany has my vote!

There are two Republican candidates for Lt. Governor on the Primary Ballot. Will Martin from Racine was a high-level leader in the Governor Thompson and Governor Walker administrations. He also has been a small business owner for over 25 years – a period that would have overlapped his time in the Walker administration. As an administrator and/or a manager he apparently did well but I could not find any record of holding any elected office. And, he hasn’t seemed to have campaigned aggressively in the western part of the state.

Former Mayor David Varnam of Lancaster is the other candidate for Lt. Governor. As a three-term Mayor he has a proven –and successful – record of executive leadership in an elected office. He has also been a federal policy analyst and a congressional aide. He understands local government and how to fight for taxpayers. He is the only state-wide Republican candidate from western Wisconsin. His small city executive leadership will be a better ticket-mate for the apparent Governor nominee, Tom Tiffany. For these reasons and more, I am strongly supporting David Varnam for Lt. Governor.

Both Will Martin and David Varnam were unsuccessful candidates in the 2022 Republican Primary for Lt. Governor which included eight candidates.

In the Secretary of State contest there are four candidates. Nathan Pollnow, a lifelong Wisconsinite from Dodge County, second generation beef farmer, and an auctioneer was the only one of the four candidates to be deemed a viable candidate and considered for endorsement at the Republican Party of Wisconsin State Convention in May. (He got the endorsement.) He has also been his town’s Chairman. Pollnow’s webpage highlights the words “Transparency”, “Accountability”, and “For the People”. Pollnow has a long list of endorsements from State Legislators and has been seen campaigning in the Coulee Region. Another candidate, Brayden Myer of Manitowoc County, is an extremely intelligent young man but at twenty-something years old, lacks life’s experiences that will make him an excellent public servant and leader in the future. The other two candidates, Cindy Werner and Jay Schroeder, have both run unsuccessful statewide campaigns in the past and seem to lack luster in western Wisconsin in 2026. For these reasons and more, I am encouraging a vote for Nathan Pollnow for Secretary of State.

Pick your favorites for the August 11th Primary and ask other conservative citizens to vote too! But, remember, the Primary is only the first major step as our candidates must win in November too!