GOP consultant Alex Bruesewitz can count on congressional endorsements from a slate of MAGA voices in the House if he runs for the seat of retiring Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI).
But the Republican also has allies close to House GOP leaders, at least one of whom has offered to fundraise on his behalf.
Bruesewitz, a Wisconsin native who moved to Florida in 2019, has spent his political career attempting to “reshape the Republican Party in the name and the image of President Trump.” He’s emerged as a vocal defender of the former president on X and has advised a crop of House lawmakers in his orbit.
So when Bruesewitz threatened to primary Gallagher over his decision not to impeach Alejandro Mayorkas, the president’s border chief, it was not surprising that he found early backing from the MAGA base.
He received encouragement from Roger Stone, a former Trump consultant who called the vote a Republican “betrayal.” Meanwhile, local activists in Wisconsin offered preemptive endorsements.
A primary threat, and the venting of grassroots anger it represented, became moot when Gallagher announced days later that he would retire from the House at the end of his term. Yet the support Bruesewitz can expect has begun to crystalize since then, in particular within the House, as he weighs whether to follow through with a run.
Three Florida Republicans, Reps. Matt Gaetz, Anna Paulina Luna, and Cory Mills, told the Washington Examiner they would back his candidacy, as did Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN), who is running for Senate in Indiana.
“When it comes to the new Republican Party and understanding that we are in a war against the radical Left to save this country, nobody understands that as well as Alex Bruesewitz,” Banks said. “He’s the kind of fire that we need in Congress.”
The support reflects Bruesewitz’s place in Trumpworld. At age 26, he has close ties with the former president’s family, in particular Donald Trump Jr. and his wife, Kimberly Guilfoyle. His allies praise him as a “talented operator” who understands the MAGA base and expect he would receive “overwhelming support” in that sphere of the political universe should he announce a run.
Indeed, Trump allies marshaled to his defense when the Montana GOP rescinded his invite to be the keynote speaker at their winter convention, as first reported by the Washington Examiner in January.
But more notable are the allies Bruesewitz has close to House Republican leadership. Three sources in that camp indicated support for his bid.
“If Alex Bruesewitz runs, he will be a member of Congress, and he will be a great asset to the House conference,” one House leadership aide told the Washington Examiner.
Bruesewitz can expect competition for Gallagher’s seat if he decides to move forward. (As of now, he tells reporters he’s giving the race a “very strong look.”)
Former state Sen. Roger Roth, a Republican who lost a 2022 bid for lieutenant governor in Wisconsin, launched his candidacy within hours of Gallagher’s announcement. Another Republican, state Sen. Andre Jacque, is also considering a run.
Bruesewitz stands to benefit from the endorsements, possibly including that of the former president himself, and one operative close to House leadership plans to fundraise on his behalf.
“He’s got a lot of loyal friends in the House and quite a few friends like me that know how to raise money,” the operative said. “I’ll support him, for sure.”
But Bruesewitz would have to overcome the high name ID of Roth, who represented parts of Gallagher’s district in the state legislature for years. Former Gov. Scott Walker also endorsed Roth’s candidacy on Friday, a sign of establishment support.
Bruesewitz acknowledged having “tremendous” conversations about a House run with Banks, Luna, and others and will be making a trip to Washington, D.C., at the end of February.
As for a Trump endorsement, he confidently predicted that would come on “day one.”
But the thrust of his efforts, he told the Washington Examiner in an interview, is gauging whether he can attract local support within Gallagher’s district.
Bruesewitz traveled to Wisconsin over the weekend to speak with the Oconto County Republicans — their chairman endorsed him earlier this month — and has multiple visits lined up for March.
Bruesewitz has family ties to the 8th Congressional District but is sensitive to the perception he would be “parachuting out of nowhere” after four years spent out of state. He is from Ripon, Wisconsin, but moved to West Palm Beach to be close to Mar-a-Lago in 2019.
He plans to use the coming weeks to meet with county officials, business leaders, and members of the state Assembly.
“If I get a positive reception, I will obviously be more inclined to do it,” he said of a run. “I’m not going to rush into a decision, but I am going through the steps.”
Bruesewitz has until the June 1 filing deadline to decide but suggested he would not take that long.
So far, he’s previewed a campaign centered on his loyalty to Trump. Similar to Stone, he called Gallagher’s impeachment “no” vote, which forced House Republicans to make a second and eventually successful attempt the following week, a “betrayal” of the “MAGA movement,” and he continues to be a virtual bulldog for the former president on X.
His persona stands in contrast to Gallagher, who broke with Trump over the Jan. 6 Capitol riots.
One GOP operative in Wisconsin questioned whether Bruesewitz is “too brash for his own good,” even in a district that voted for Trump by 16 points in 2020. Bruesewitz himself is keenly aware of that impression.
Part of his outreach would be to “ease the concerns of some folks in the political middle” who might be turned off by his online presence.
“Yes, Alex Bruesewitz is a Trump ally, super MAGA, super America First, but I have the ability to have respectful dialogue with people that don’t necessarily agree with me,” Bruesewitz said.
“I think they would realize pretty quickly that I’m a reasonable guy who wants to do the right thing,” he added.
Bruesewitz cast himself as a “team player” who would help leadership fundraise for Republicans across the country. He said that does not mean he would “bend the knee to their will” but indicated he would be a constructive force in the conference should he win the seat.
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He spoke highly of his colleagues in the House Freedom Caucus, a constant thorn in Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-LA) side, but doubted he would join with Chairman Bob Good (R-VA) at the helm. Good endorsed Trump’s rival, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), before he dropped out of the 2024 race.
“I’d have to put myself and my constituents first, but I would absolutely be able to work well with House leadership,” Bruesewitz said.
