State Sen. Eric Wimberger says he’ll move to the redrawn 2nd SD and run for that seat this fall, setting up a possible primary with fellow Green Bay Republican Rob Cowles.
Under the new maps, both lawmakers were drawn into the 30th SD that Wimberger first won in 2020, and Cowles announced earlier this year he planned to move into the 2nd. That newly drawn district includes a stretch along Green Bay that includes Suamico and Oconto that Cowles represented under the previous maps after he was first elected to the Senate in a 1987 special election.
In his announcement Wednesday, Wimberger played up his conservative credentials and touted his ties to the redrawn 2nd SD. He said moving to the district will allow him to live closer to the family business in Lakewood and the opportunity to help his mom with the Sweet Memories Candy Shoppe.
“From the north of the district near my family’s small business, to the very south where the first generation of Wimbergers immigrated to a Kaukauna farm, I have strong vested ties to the area,” Wimberger said.
The new 30th SD is a 52.6% Dem seat under the new maps, compared to the 57.2% GOP performance in 2022, based off top-of-the-ticket results. It also paired Cowles, Wimberger and Sen. Andre Jacque, R-De Pere.
Jacque is running for the 8th CD this fall after he was reelected to the 1st SD in 2022. It’s believed he could continue representing that seat through the 2026 election without having to move.
Wimberger first hinted at a possible move in an interview with WisPolitics in early March, saying he planned to run for public office this fall, but was still weighing his options and declined to specify what he’s considering.
Shortly after Dem Gov. Tony Evers signed the new maps in February, Cowles told WisPolitics he planned to move into the 2nd SD to run for the seat he’d represented for nearly 27 years.
Dem Jamie Wall, a small business owner who ran unsuccessfully for the 8th CD in 2012, has announced his plans to run for the 30th SD, which now includes Green Bay, Allouez, Ashwaubenon, De Pere and Bellevue.
See Wimberger’s release.
See district maps and track candidates for Assembly here and Senate here.
