Mike Gallagher | |
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Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Wisconsin's 8th district |
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Assumed office January 3, 2017 |
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Preceded by | Reid Ribble |
Personal details | |
Born |
Green Bay, Wisconsin, U.S. |
March 3, 1984
Nationality | American |
Political party | Republican |
Residence | Green Bay, Wisconsin |
Alma mater |
Princeton University Georgetown University |
Occupation | Senior global market strategist |
Website | House website |
Military service | |
Service/branch | Marines |
Rank | Captain |
Michael John "Mike" Gallagher (born March 3, 1984) is an American politician who is the U.S. Representative for Wisconsin's 8th congressional district. He was elected in the 2016 elections and took office on January 3, 2017.
Gallagher was a United States Marine Corps officer, serving seven years of active duty (2006 - 2013). He twice deployed to the Al Anbar Province, Iraq, serving on General Petraeus’ CENTCOM Assessment Team as a commander of intelligence teams. He assessed American military strategy in the Middle East and Central Asia while as a counterintelligence officer, and member of the CENTCOM (Central Command) assessment team. During his time in the Marine Corps, Gallagher attended the National Intelligence University in Washington, D.C. and earned his a Master of Science in Strategic Intelligence in 2010.
Gallagher served as a Republican staffer on the United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. Scott Walker, the Governor of Wisconsin, hired Gallagher as a foreign policy advisor in February 2015, in preparation for his 2016 presidential campaign. After Walker dropped out of the presidential race, Gallagher decided to run for Wisconsin's 8th congressional district seat, for which Reid Ribble was not seeking re-election. Gallagher won a primary against Wisconsin state senator Frank Lasee and Forestville village president Terry McNulty. Gallagher then squared off against Outagamie County Executive Tom Nelson in the general election. The race became heated when Nelson said that Gallagher lacked moral courage, causing Gallagher to fire back with more insults. In the end, Gallagher won the election 63 percent to 36 percent, a larger margin than the 16 percent margin that the race was polled at in August 2016.