Sen. Glenn Grothman (R-WI)
Citing concerns about what he sees as the out-of-control growth of federal entitlement programs, state Senator Glenn Grothman (R-West Bend) announced this morning that he is launching a bid for Congress. The West Bend Republican plans to file a declaration of candidacy this week to run in Wisconsin’s 6th Congressional District, a seat currently held by longtime U.S. Representative Tom Petri (R-WI).
Grothman, a staunch conservative, describes Petri as a “decent, genial person,” but argues he lacks the sense of urgency that’s needed to stop a rush towards government reliance. He says he’s become frustrated by “a federal government that seems to be out of control at a time when, by many standards, our great country is in a state of decline.”
Grothman says he’s not worried about turning off Republican voters by taking on an incumbent GOP lawmaker. He says “as I get around the Sixth Congressional District, I think most Republican voters want a change. And so far, I’ve got nothing but positive response from those Republican voters.”
Grothman, a former attorney, has been in the Senate since 2005, and was in the Assembly for 12 years before that. He’s currently the Senate’s assistant majority leader. Petri has spent 36 years in the U.S. House. The two would face each other in a mid-August primary.
In a statement from his campaign, Petri said “My record of pragmatic conservatism will speak for itself. I respect Glenn and the work he’s done at the state level. I will run a strong campaign and I expect to win in August and November.”