Trumpworld claims GOP rival employs ‘Biden lawfare playbook’ against its endorsed candidate

Allies in former President Donald Trump’s close circle are sounding off against a Republican candidate in Wisconsin after Trump’s chosen contender was hit with a complaint accusing him of misleading voters in order to secure a spot on the ballot.

Tony Wied, who is running to replace former Rep. Mike Gallagher in Wisconsin, faces a complaint that his campaign misrepresented his nomination papers while soliciting signatures from state voters. However, the complaint was submitted by Tony Theisen, who has also volunteered to collect signatures for Andre Jacque, one of Wied’s top Republican challengers for the seat, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

“Career politicians will do anything to stay in power,” said a spokesperson for Wied’s campaign, referencing Jacque’s time serving in the state Assembly and Senate. “Just like the Democrats are trying to do to President Trump, Andre Jacque and his allies are trying to remove the Trump-endorsed conservative from the ballot. This is nothing more than dirty political games, and Wisconsin voters will see right through it.”

Jacque’s campaign pushed back on those arguments, with a spokesperson telling the Washington Examiner it was not involved with the complaint that was filed.

“Andre has fought for voter integrity his entire career, including standing with President Trump following the 2020 election,” Will Terry, campaign manager for Jacque, told the Washington Examiner. “Since this bombshell report, there have been other citizens confirming the facts of this complainant. Tony Wied must address the underlying issue. Did his campaign commit fraud?”

However, the complaint has prompted some of Trump’s close allies to accuse Jacque of using lawfare to attack the former president’s chosen candidate. Trump endorsed Wied for the seat earlier this year.

“Andrew Jacque is following the Democrat playbook of attempting to kick MAGA candidates like Tony Wied off the ballot,” Donald Trump Jr. told the Washington Examiner. “Tony is endorsed by my father, and MAGA will not stand for this leftist tactic.”

It was reported that the complaint accuses volunteers for Wied’s campaign of soliciting signatures from voters by describing the paperwork as a petition to provide shelter for homeless people. Theisen argued he witnessed several voters “readily signing” the petition without looking at the paperwork thoroughly.

As part of his complaint, Theisen challenged at least 425 signatures that were collected and pressed the elections commission to “conduct a thorough investigation into all of the nominating petitions” submitted by Wied’s campaign.

However, sources for Wied noted the paperwork was “clearly” marked as nomination papers with his name and position listed, which is legally required for signature gathering. They also pointed to Theisen’s mention of other volunteers who collected signatures “the right way,” according to the outlet.

Even if the signatures in question were removed from Wied’s petition, it would still likely not be enough to drop him below the threshold required to qualify for the ballot, prompting other Trump allies to accuse Jacque’s campaign of using the complaint as a way to harm his campaign.

“It is ridiculous that Andre Jacque is following the Biden lawfare playbook Democrats used against Donald Trump on one of his endorsed candidates, Tony Wied,” a person close to Trump told the Washington Examiner. “I don’t think MAGA supporters in WI-08 will be thrilled by this.”

The backlash from Trumpworld comes as the former president has wielded his influence in a number of elections by gifting his coveted endorsement to some candidates and attacking those who challenge his chosen contenders.

One such example is Rep. John McGuire (R-VA), who is challenging House Freedom Caucus Chairman Bob Good (R-VA) in the state’s primary later this month. Good drew the ire of the former president last year after endorsing Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) for the presidential nomination, throwing his reelection into question.

“Bob Good won’t be electable when we get done with him,” Chris LaCivita, a senior adviser to Trump’s presidential campaign, told the Cardinal News earlier this year.

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Wied is running for the seat vacated by Gallagher, who retired in early April. Wied will face off against two other Republicans for the nomination, including Jacque and former state Sen. Roger Roth. The winner of the GOP primary in August will be favored to win the seat in November.

Whoever wins the primary is likely to face Kristin Lyerly, who is the only Democrat running so far. The seat is rated as “Solid Republican” by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report.