Rep. Mike Gallagher announces he will leave Congress in April

Posted: Mar 23, 2024 8:43 PM CDT

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Representative Mike Gallagher announced he is stepping down from the House of Representatives. The Republican represented northwestern Wisconsin since 2017.

“He’s an authentic conservative, but that there is something about the party that he just couldn’t stand," said Mordecai Lee, political expert and professor emeritus at UW-Milwaukee.

Gallagher resigned just shy of finishing his fourth term. 

“That’s gotta tell us something," said Lee. 

Gallagher was one of three Republicans who opposed the impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

“He said my party is crazy. This guy's is never going to get impeached. There are no grounds based on the constitution of the United States for him to get impeached," said Lee. 

Under Wisconsin state law, any vacancies after the second Tuesday in April will not be voted on until the general election in November. Gallagher's last day in office will be April 19, meaning there will not be a special election to fill his seat. Lee says he doesn't believe Gallagher made the decision to resign before that deadline, intentionally. 

“He’s not changing parties. He’s not bolting the party, he’s a loyal Republican," said Lee. 

Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Green criticized Gallagher for his timing -- stating he should be expelled. 

“She believes that the Republican party should always say no unless it got 100% of what it wanted," said Lee. 

Lee says Gallagher's loss in Washington means there are less politicians who are willing to compromise on issues, 

"I don’t think we’ll ever elect a Margarie Taylor-Green, but I think we should regret that we’re losing Mike Gallagher," said Lee.