It’s a packed race for GOP nomination in the 57th Assembly District as four candidates seek the seat held by retiring Rep. Kevin Peterson, R-Waupaca.

Seeking the GOP nomination for the central Wisconsin district, made up of parts of six counties, are Bill Lorge, a former state legislator; Ed Delgado, a Marine Corps veteran and sales representative; Dylan Testin, a small business owner; and Kevin Krentz, a dairy farmer and former president of the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation.

The winner of the primary will face Joey Marschall, a bartender and custodian, who was the only Democrat to file for candidacy.

Each of the candidates interviewed by WisPolitics voiced their support for the preservation of natural resources, including renewing the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program. Additionally, all candidates said they support local control and communities making decisions. 

The biggest policy difference between the three is on the topic of online gambling. Lorge said he opposed gambling in any form except for “church bingo,” Delgado said he’d like to see some regulations, while Testin said it’s not the government’s job to police how citizens spend their money.

Krentz, who has been endorsed by Peterson, declined a request for an interview.

*Delgado, of Redgranite, said he’d like to go further than just representing conservative values in the Legislature and develop productive relationships with both his constituents and other lawmakers.

He does not support the use of public money for data center developments and would like to see some form of state regulations without “sacrificing innovation.”

Delgado said he’s supportive of increased funding for special education but would like to take another look at state tax policies to see if there are ways to save taxpayers money.

“We want to see more money in our pockets, we want to see a better environment, economic prosperity, and to keep this, this way, that way of life we have here in Central Wisconsin, and I believe I’m the right person to represent that in Madison,” Delgado said.

*Lorge, a former state legislator from 1989-99, said he’s once again running for office to fight “corrupt politics” he sees at the state and federal levels.

“I wasn’t ever going to get back into politics because of the roller coaster ride, the bad experiences that I had. I got turned off pretty badly, and just exited and raised my family. But now I’m back in, I’m in it to win it,” Lorge said.

The Waupaca resident unsuccessfully ran for governor in 2002 and attempted to run for state Senate in 2004 but did not have enough signatures to make the ballot.

Lorge said he’ll prioritize public infrastructure such as roads as well as school funding and working to return money to taxpayers. He said he supports local control in almost all aspects, from decisions about data center developments to local law enforcement taking the lead. 

Lorge said he’d like to see the state invest more in nuclear energy, but above all he wants to continue working to preserve the Wolf River.

*Testin, of Waupaca, said if elected he’d prioritize continually staying in touch with constituents and voting based on the feedback that he gets.

Testin ran as an independent in the district two years ago, when Peterson won his reelection campaign with 62.4% of the votes. Dem Ruth Caves secured 28.4%, and Testin won 9.2% of the votes. He said he’s running as a Republican this year since there is no incumbent.

Testin said he’ll work with other lawmakers to find ways to address cost-of-living burdens and would consider a moratorium on data center developments if needed to protect natural resources.

“We can have all the data, have all the infrastructure in the world, but if we don’t have drinking water, none of it matters. So protecting our natural resources would be my number one issue when it comes to any data center or solar farm or anything like that,” Testin said.