MADISON, Wis. (AP) - Former state Rep. Duey Stroebel credits hard work and a good message for his win in Wisconsin’s 20th Senate District.
Stroebel collected about 67 percent of the vote in Tuesday’s special primary election, easily beating Ozaukee County Board Chairman Lee Schlenvogt and military veteran Tiffany Koehler.
No Democrats are running in the April 7th general election, making it all but certain that Stroebel’s win will increase the Republican majority in the Senate to 19-14.
The Cedarburg real estate developer couldn’t beat Glenn Grothman last year in a run for Congress, but he’ll take Grothman’s seat in the Senate. Stroebel finished third to Grothman in the Republican primary last year for the congressional seat. Stroebel spent nearly $800,000 of his own money on that losing effort. He served in the state Assembly from 2011 through 2014.
In unofficial returns, Schlenvogt trailed with about 24 percent of the vote and Koehler brought in about 8 percent.
“It is a long time coming. We worked really hard. I think we had a good message,” Stroebel told the Journal Sentinel (https://bit.ly/1A5kOJj ).
“I think everyone ran a good race. It was a nice clean race. We talked about the issues. Conservatives had a clear choice who they could vote for,” he said.
The bedrock Republican Senate district is north of Milwaukee and includes parts of Dodge, Fond du Lac, Sheboygan, Ozaukee and Washington counties.
Stroebel will likely be casting votes in coming months on the state budget - which includes such issues as giving the University of Wisconsin System more autonomy while also cutting its funding by $300 million - and a bill to make Wisconsin a right-to-work state.
Republican Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald has said he’s wanted to wait on debating right-to-work until after the April election when the Republican majority will be larger. Stroebel supports making Wisconsin a right-to-work state. Under that law, private-sector employees would no longer be required to join a union or pay dues as a condition of employment.
Walker, a longtime supporter of right-to-work who is also taking significant steps toward a presidential run, has urged the Republican-controlled Legislature to wait on debating that issue because he fears it will distract from his agenda.
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Information from: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, https://www.jsonline.com
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