Politics & Government

Fitzgerald Projected Winner For WI 5th House District

Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald faced off against political newcomer Tom Palzewicz.

MILWAUKEE, WI —Scott Fitzgerald is the projected winner for the Fifth Congressional District seat, according to The Associated Press. Tom Palzewicz, a Brookfield Democratic resident and political newcomer was his opponent.

Wisconsin's 5th Congressional District includes Jefferson and Washington counties and parts of Dodge, Milwaukee, Walworth, and Waukesha counties.

Voters took to the polls wearing face coverings, and standing in marked spaces six feet apart across Wisconsin. Many others chose to vote early and absentee.

Find out what's happening in Waukeshafor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Palzewicz: 87,650

Fitzgerald: 166,506

Find out what's happening in Waukeshafor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Vote amounts are according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

The seat opened after longtime Republican Congressman James Sensenbrenner announced he wouldn't seek reelection.

Sensenbrenner, 76, has served in the House of Representatives for 40 years and prior to his election to Congress, served 10 years in the Wisconsin State Legislature. The district covers portions of Milwaukee, Waukesha, Dodge, and Walworth counties, and all of Jefferson and Washington counties.

On Wednesday, Fitzgerald released the following statement:

“I'm so grateful for the outpouring of support that we've received throughout this race, and we're honored by today's decisive victory," said Fitzgerald. "This year brought some unprecedented challenges, and I'm proud that we ran a positive, aggressive campaign amid the current crisis facing our nation. Despite these challenges, we ran a campaign centered around the issues that the voters of Wisconsin's Fifth care about: keeping Wisconsin families safe, rebuilding our local economy, and protecting our Wisconsin values. The steadfast support that we received from the grassroots leaders of Wisconsin's Fifth and conservatives from all over Wisconsin was instrumental to today's victory."

Fitzgerald, Republican, has been outspoken about fighting "liberal efforts in Congress to defund the police and ensure public safety programs are fully funded — providing families with the stability to live, work and raise a family," according to his campaign website.

In Congress, Fitzgerald vowed to help Wisconsin’s small businesses recover from the pandemic, and fight for lower taxes and fewer burdensome regulations to get government out of the way of job creators.

"I entered this race because I wanted to bring the common-sense, conservative reforms that we've championed here in Wisconsin to Washington," Fitzgerald said in a statement after he won the Republican primary in August. "The events of recent months have further cemented the idea that we need experienced, proven conservative leaders in Congress to stand with our Commander in Chief and protect our democracy. I'm excited to bring my years of experience championing conservative reforms to our nation's capital, where I'll fight alongside President Trump to clean up the dysfunction, get people back to work, and keep Wisconsin families safe."

Fitzgerald is a longtime resident of Juneau, Wisconsin, where he owns a small horse farm with his wife, Lisa. A former Lieutenant Colonel in the Wisconsin Army Reserve, Fitzgerald served his country for 27 years, on top of his 25 years of public service in the Wisconsin Legislature.

Palzewicz released the following statement:

"Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald called Tom Palzewicz this morning and thanked him for keeping the race “above board,” after Palzewicz called Fitzgerald to concede the seat for Wisconsin’s Fifth Congressional District. Fitzgerald won U.S. House District 5 with 60% of the vote, totaling 265,417 votes. In 2018, Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner received 225,619 votes, with 62% of the total vote for this seat.

“I respect my opponent for running and his military background. I know this will ensure he embodies servant leadership in Congress. We led our campaign with facts and integrity, and I am proud of what we accomplished. I hope he will lead with the idea of progress over partisanship in Washington. Thank you to all of our supporters and congratulations to Representative Robyn Vining and Representative Sara Rodriguez, who worked tirelessly for their seats. I look forward to watching them lead in the State Assembly,” stated Palzewicz.

Stay updated with the latest election results and news in Wisconsin. Subscribe to free real-time news alerts and newsletters from Patch.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.