Two Republican Election Deniers Lost Primaries for WI Legislature
Angie Sapik and Scott Harbridge, who was backed by Sean Duffy, lose in northern Wisconsin.
State Rep. Chanz Green, R-Mason, flipped a longtime Democratic seat Republican in 2022 and is seeking to retain his spot in the Assembly this year. Photo courtesy of Green
Two northern Wisconsin Republicans who embraced 2020 election conspiracies lost their primary campaigns for the state Legislature to GOP candidates with establishment ties.
The losing candidates included one who had the backing of MyPillow founder Mike Lindell, not to mention a video endorsement from U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.
They were the latest in a string of elections that have highlighted a rift between two wings of the Republican Party, anchored in President Donald Trump’s false claims about his 2020 presidential loss.
They also come as Wisconsin Republicans are fighting to preserve majorities in the Legislature during an election cycle that historically favors Democrats.
In 74th Assembly District, a rematch between Scott Harbridge and Rep. Chanz Green
The Duffy and Lindell endorsements came in the Republican primary for the 74th Assembly District, a rematch between Rep. Chanz Green, R-Mason, and Army veteran Scott Harbridge of Radisson. Duffy and Lindell backed Harbridge in the primary.
Harbridge’s campaign website and literature also highlighted endorsements from former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn and Wisconsin attorney Karen Mueller, whose 2020 lawsuit sought to toss Wisconsin’s election results.
Others who supported Harbridge included former Republican state Reps. Janel Brandtjen and Timothy Ramthun. Brandtjen led a committee that investigated the 2020 election. Ramthun ran for governor in 2022 on a pledge to overturn it. Both were often at odds with Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester.
Among his policy pitches, Harbridge called for restricting mail-in voting and supporting local governments wanting to switch from electronic voting machines to hand-counted paper ballots.
Scott Harbridge of Weirgor lost a GOP primary rematch against incumbent 74th District Rep. Chanz Green on Aug. 11. Photo courtesy Scott Harbridge
Green’s campaign website describes him as a “common sense conservative” focused on hunting and fishing rights and workforce development in northern Wisconsin.
Green opposed attempts to impeach Wisconsin’s top election official Meagan Wolfe and voted for a bipartisan bill to allow election clerks process absentee ballots before election day to speed results. He did cosponsor a GOP bill to require the Wisconsin Elections Commission to investigate itself if it’s accused of violating the federal Help America Vote Act.
The Trump administration is currently appealing its lawsuit seeking to force Wisconsin to turn over unredacted voter registration data based, in part, on claims the state may not be enforcing HAVA.
On Aug. 9, two days before the primary, Harbridge posted an unexpected video endorsement featuring Duffy, who was in the region supporting his son-in-law Michael Alfonso’s 7th Congressional District campaign.
“This guy is America first, Wisconsin first,” said Duffy, pointing to Harbridge by his side. “He believes in election integrity. It’s the kind of leadership we need in Madison.”
Former Sawyer County Republican Party Chairman John Righeimer, who resigned his position the day after the Aug. 11 primary, said he thinks GOP voters in the 74th District “weren’t really happy” about Duffy deciding to “endorse a guy that’s going after a two-time successful Assembly rep.”
“I think that was just Duffy trying to be self-serving to garnish votes for his son-in-law and to lock up the patriot vote for them,” said Righeimer.
Duffy’s video also got the attention of the state GOP’s Republican Assembly Campaign Committee, which responded with a Facebook ad for Green, shared by Harbridge, that urged voters to “Stop the DC Swamp from taking out our hometown conservative voice!”
“Vote Republican Chanz Green for Assembly in the Republican Primary on August 11th!” said the RACC ad.
Campaign finance reports show the RACC and Republican Party of Wisconsin gave Green’s campaign around $8,500 worth of in-kind support ahead of the primary. In all of 2026, Harbridge raised around $10,000.
In the end, Harbridge lost to Green by around 26 percentage points. In 2024, Harbridge lost by only around 900 votes. Green will now face Democrat Paul Johnson of Spooner in the general election.
In the 25th Senate District, Erik Severson defeats Angie Sapik, who previously championed Jan. 6 rioters
In the race for northern Wisconsin’s 25th Senate District, two former state representatives faced off for the seat being vacated by Sen. Romaine Quinn, R-Birchwood, who was drawn out of the district.
The matchup was between former GOP state Rep. Angie Sapik of Lake Nebagamon, who served in the 73rd Assembly District from 2023 through 2025, and former GOP state Rep. Erik Severson of Star Prairie, who represented the 28th Assembly District from 2011 through 2015.
Wisconsin 25th Senate District candidate Angie Sapik of Lake Nebagamon. Courtesy Sapik for Senate
During her initial run in 2022, the Assembly Democratic Campaign Committee published screenshots of deleted tweets from Sapik in which she talked about the 2020 election being rigged and feeling empowered by the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. Those issues weren’t raised by Sapik during her run against Severson.
The primary was mostly cordial, aside from an attack in July from Sapik claiming Severson received “thousands of dollars in contributions from a data center lawyer.” That lawyer is former Republican state Rep. Adam Jarchow, who also created an independent political action committee called Keep Polk County Rural, which paid $4,977 for mailers opposing Sapik’s senate campaign.
Wisconsin 25th Senate District candidate Erik Severson of Star Prairie. Courtesy Erik Severson for Senate
Jarchow responded to Sapik’s data center insinuation on Facebook, calling her “a lying moron” and that he didn’t have any data center clients when he donated to Severson’s campaign.
Severson also received donations from the campaigns of Republican Senate President Mary Felzkowski, R-Tomahawk, and Michelle Litjens, who served with Severson in the Legislature and is now married to Vos.
Righeimer said he doesn’t think the 2020 election was an issue during the race between Severson and Sapik.
Unofficial results show Severson defeated Sapik by a margin of 54-46 percent. He moves on to face Democrat Charly Ray of Washburn in November.
Insurgent Republicans lose northern Wisconsin primaries for Legislature was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.
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