Dan Knodl Wins Republican Primary For State Senate Special Election

By Baylor Spears, Wisconsin Examiner

February 22, 2023

Rep. Dan Knodl (R-Germantown) will face Democratic candidate Jodi Habush Sinykin in the general election for Wisconsin’s 8th Senate district.

Knodl beat Trump-backed Rep. Janel Brandtjen (R-Menomonee Falls) and Thiensville village president Van Mobley in the Republican primary Tuesday. The seat, which represents parts of Washington, Ozaukee and Waukesha counties — also known as the WOW counties — and northern Milwaukee suburbs, was vacated by retired Republican Sen. Alberta Darling, who had represented the district since 1992.

Republicans are looking to continue the tradition of Republican representation for this suburban seat, especially as it will determine whether Republicans regain a supermajority in the state Senate, which would give them the ability to impeach and remove “civil officers.” Democrats see an opportunity to flip the traditionally Republican seat, where Republican support in certain statewide races has waned in recent years, and stop the party from regaining the two-thirds majority in the state Senate.

Knodl’s victory signals another defeat for Brandtjen, who was recently booted from the Assembly Republican caucus after supporting the opponent of Speaker Robin Vos during the 2022 midterm elections. Brandtjen was also removed from her position on the campaigns and elections committee, where she had used her chairmanship to promote false claims about the 2020 election.
Republicans and Democrats strategically spent money throughout the primary.

Democrats, mirroring tactics seen nationally during the 2022 midterms, paid for mailers and TV ads to boost Brandtjen, well-known for her endorsement of false claims about the 2020 election, during the primary. Anti-Trump groups paid for ads that urged people to vote against Brandtjen in the primary, calling her “inept” and “unqualified.” In the days leading up to the primary, Brandtjen was, again, endorsed by former President Donald Trump.

Knodl, who was first elected to the Assembly in 2009, said he wants to continue the work of Darling, and that his previous service in the district and relationships with other lawmakers place him in the best position to do so.

“We want to carry on the good work that [Darling] has done. I’m very familiar with the Senate district,” Knodl said in an interview prior to the primary. “The constituents are very familiar with me and have seen my name on the ballot before which puts me in a good position to hold the seat, and want to keep the seat in Republican hands.”

Knodl said in his campaign announcement that he would support law enforcement, expand educational opportunities, roll back bureaucratic overreach and pursue continued tax reform. He has also said crime and education are two issues that he hopes to address head on in the seat.
Habush Sinykin, a Whitefish Bay environmental lawyer and small business owner, has said her top priorities would be restoring abortion access in the state and addressing public safety issues. She has said she would use her experience working across the aisle to work towards compromises on issues.

“We can’t keep putting the same people back in power and expect different results, and that is what I’m hearing, whether it’s from Democrats or Republicans,” Habush Sinykin said in an interview before the primary. “If people want different results, and they do, put a different person in office in Madison, who will work for you and work across the aisle and work together with others. That is where I would like to direct my abilities and my professional experiences to help Wisconsin move in that direction.”

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