Robin Vos Drops Janel Brandtjen from Leading Assembly Elections Committee
December 19, 2022

Tamira Musgrave

Journalist

KEY POINTS

  • Janel Brandtjen has lost her spot as chair of the Assembly Committee on Campaigns and Elections.
  • Rep. Scott Krug will be replacing Brandtjen.
  • Rep. Rob Summerfield stated that caucus members lost trust in Brandtjen and said their decision was due to “continual issues from the past.”
  • Brandtjen denied being forced to give up her seat and said she resigned herself for family commitments.

Speaker Rob Vos announced on Thursday that Rep. Janel Brandtjen, known for being an election denier who supported decertifying the 2020 election, will lose her spot as chair of the Assembly Committee on Campaigns and Elections next session. Rep. Scott Krug will replace Brandtjen.

In November, Janel Brandtjen had been barred from attending private Republican Assembly meetings. State Rep. Brandtjen was the chair of the Assembly’s elections committee and has consistently gone after Vos for election issues. WisPolitics first reported that Assembly Republicans voted to bar Janel Barndtjen from their closed caucus meetings. 

In a letter, Rep. Rob Summerfield, the majority caucus chair, wrote that the caucus members had lost trust in Brandtjen because of “continual issues from the past.” 

Brandtjen released a statement denying that she had been kicked out of the Republican caucus meetings, calling them “rumors.” She claimed she left voluntarily due to family commitments. 

In another statement after her initial statement, she called the move by her fellow Republicans “petty.” But, she added, “I will continue to address the issues my constituents have told me are important to them, including voting integrity, with the same determination I have in the past.”

In post-election statements, Robin Vos commented that it was time for the GOP to move past Trump. He also said Bradtjen was “unqualified to have the job any longer.” He added, “I mean, I think she abrogated the trust that we put in the caucus to her. When the caucus voted to say that she could no longer be trusted, that usually means you’re not trusted to lead a committee.”

Brandtjen will sit on the Assembly’s corrections and government oversight committees next session but will not possess a leadership role in either position. Brandtjen was the vice-chair of the government oversight committee last session. 

In addition, Janel Brandtjen recently announced a state Senate bid for a southeastern WI district that GOP members would need to win to obtain a supermajority in the chamber. Several other Republicans are attempting to secure that seat.

Beyond committee work, Brandtjen signed on as a co-sponsor for a resolution to decertify the 2020 presidential election. Brandtjen and Krug’s offices have not responded to requests for comment.

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