Retiring GOP U.S. Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner has endorsed state Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald to replace him in the 5th CD.
Sensenbrenner, who has held his current Congressional seat since 1979, touted the Juneau Republican as “someone who can look to the future and stand up against Nancy Pelosi’s liberal agenda that will cripple our nation.”
“It’s imperative the Fifth District has representation with commonsense values and Scott is eminently qualified,” Sensenbrenner said in a statement. “His leadership in the Republican State Senate demonstrates he has the toughness and commitment to represent us in Washington.”
Sensenbrenner is the most senior sitting member of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Fitzgerald in a statement said he was “beyond humbled and deeply grateful” for the longtime incumbent’s endorsement. He called Sensenbrenner a “proven, experienced conservative,” and said the 5th CD deserves another like him.
Businessman Cliff De Temple and Fitzgerald face off on Aug. 11 for the GOP nomination in the historically conservative district.
Federal Election Commission July finance reports show Fitzgerald raised $179,032 in the second quarter of 2020, finishing the period with $635,034 in the bank.
Meanwhile, De Temple raised $102,650 over the same timeframe, though $100,000 of the money he put up himself. He ended the second quarter of 2020 with $42,225 cash on hand.
The primary winner will then go up against Dem Tom Palzewicz, who lost to Sensenbrenner in 2018, in the November General Election.
