PHOTO: Courtesy of WLUK
(WTAQ-WLUK) — Last week, Tony Wied won the Republican nomination for the 8th Congressional District with 41% of the vote.
He beat out State Senator Andre Jacque and former State Senator Roger Roth.
Wied was the only candidate in that race endorsed by former President Donald Trump.
Jerald Podair, a history professor at Lawrence University, said Trump’s endorsement holds a lot of weight.
“That Trump stamp of approval, I think, was crucial, getting him over the top,” Podair said of Wied. “He didn’t win by all that much in the primary.”
Podair also said with Wied taking less than 50% of the vote, in a runoff state, things could’ve been different.
“That would’ve been very interesting,” Podair explained. “To see a Roth/Wied runoff. That, I think, would have been a very close election, and it’s quite possible Roth would have won it.”
George Bureau, campaign chair of the Winnebago County Republican Party, said the split vote is nothing to be worried about.
“I think that plays into it, only if we stay divided,” Bureau said. “And I think again, the stakes are so high for this election, and we as a party recognize it.”
Dr. Kristin Lyerly — Wied’s Democratic opponent on the November ballot — feels the Trump endorsement may be detrimental to his campaign.
“He put’s Trump before himself. He is Trump-endorsed Tony Wied. So I think it is incredibly important for his candidacy, and it makes me question, what kind of a candidate can’t stand on his own?” Lyerly said.
But Bureau believes it’s more than the Trump endorsement driving Wied’s campaign.
“Tony Wied was endorsed by President Trump as the candidate that would represent the platform that we’ve adopted as a party, and I think most aligned with the outlook regarding what we believe the priorities of the county are,” Bureau said.
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