KENOSHA COUNTY, Wis. — Congressman Bryan Steil surprised some conservatives this week when he endorsed Kenosha County Sheriff David Zoerner for reelection, despite Zoerner’s history of Democratic politics, soft stances on immigration enforcement, and controversial personnel decisions that have angered many Republican voters. While David Zoerner will be on the ballot for the Republican primary and bears the (R) after his name officially, he is a Democrat.
Steil praised Zoerner’s law-enforcement career and said the sheriff has “served our country and community with distinction.” But many conservatives in Kenosha County have questioned whether Steil is fully aware of Zoerner’s political background and policy positions, especially since Zoerner now runs with an “R” after his name despite previously running as a Democrat.
Zoerner’s past has become a recurring issue in local politics. Before running for sheriff as a Republican, Zoerner ran as a Democrat and was photographed attending liberal marches while wearing a pink “pussyhat,” a symbol associated with the 2017 Women’s March movement and progressive politics. He has also been photographed with Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, who remains unpopular with many conservatives in Kenosha County. Critics have long argued that Zoerner’s switch to the Republican Party was more about electability than ideology.
One of the biggest sources of conservative frustration has been Zoerner’s handling of immigration enforcement. In 2025, Zoerner refused to join the federal 287(g) program, which would have allowed deputies to work directly with ICE to identify and remove criminal illegal immigrants in the jail. Critics said Zoerner campaigned like a conservative on border issues, but once in office refused to follow through. At the time, Kenosha County District Attorney Xavier Solis publicly supported entering into the agreement, but Zoerner declined and instead said participation was not in the county’s best interest. Five other Wisconsin sheriffs moved forward with the program while Zoerner did not.
Zoerner’s critics also point to his decision to hire a twice-convicted felon and former gang member as a deputy sheriff after the man was pardoned by Evers. Zoerner personally backed the hire despite skepticism within the department. The move generated controversy among rank-and-file deputies and conservative residents, especially after the deputy later resigned only months into the job.
The sheriff has also been accused of going easy on politically connected individuals. In early 2025, Kenosha County Eye published an opinion piece alleging that Zoerner protected attorney and former politician Ted Kmiec after marijuana and other drugs were found at Kmiec’s home. Critics argued that Zoerner’s office failed to treat the case as aggressively as it would have for an ordinary citizen, further fueling accusations that the sheriff is soft on marijuana and willing to shield well-connected allies.
Some local Republicans believe Steil may have been told that Zoerner is simply a Republican sheriff seeking reelection, without being fully briefed on the sheriff’s political history and controversial record. Others believe Steil’s endorsement reflects a desire to avoid a public feud with an incumbent sheriff who still has strong name recognition.
Still, for many conservative voters, the endorsement creates an awkward political picture: a Republican congressman backing a sheriff who once ran as a Democrat, marched with liberals, posed with Tony Evers, declined to fully cooperate with ICE, hired a pardoned felon as a deputy, and has been accused of shielding politically connected allies.
32 Responses
Steil is the current GOP archetype. Zero personality, zero core values, zero energy. Might as well vote for a jar of Kalamata olives.
Always hold nose and vote … but, yeah ….. you’re right.
WHY are 90% of republicans spineless people ???????????
Spineless we are? Then why is the military mostly republican? Fuck you Jim Long!
Calm your tits, he said the people who are in office are spineless. We vote for them bc they have an “R” behind their name but they turn out to be RINOS.
The olives are definitely a better choice!
Steil is the current and past GOPe standard archetype. Unlike Paul Ryan, he does not have the jetstream tail winds of the GOPe POTUS Bush/VP Cheney Mullet Age in his favor (Conservative Rhetoric in the Front & RINO Backstabbing Cheat in the Back). The low quality and character of the garden variety Democrat voter, plus the daft willful blindness of the retarded GOPe voter base, primarily the female segment, ensures Steil can consistently pull out winning (clean, non-rigged) electoral pluralities to maintain his peacock perch, perqs, and plush Fed pension benefit vestation. Fully expected that the empty suit Steil would kiss the ring of the Democrat GOPe infiltrator and sabateur, the corrupt fatass Zig-Zag Zoerner and will skate easily over and above any adverse consequences.
I will Not be voting for Zoerner! I think Brian doesn’t know of his history of sheriffing Kenosha County. He is a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
Its all fake and gay
Stupid endorsement by Steil.
Zoerners gotta go.
Still is not paying attention !
This is something he either needs to dive into or just STFU !!
Either way I’m loosing my respect for him.
And Amanda Nedweski is no shining star here. She, or her staff don’t respond to emails and these upcoming listening sessions are just one hour.
20 minutes of her spouting off on her accomplishments, which we see every week anyway by her press releases then probably just a handful of questions from the 15 or so people that show up with her saying she’ll look into it.
Not impressed with politicians at all
They are paid mouthpieces.
It will be interesting to see how Nedweski does without Vos in the driver’s seat.
She seems to have real potential, I think she wants to do good. Nothing gets done without Mr. Shadow Governor’s approval, though.
STEIL IS A SCUMBAG LIKE ZOERNER
No thank you
Conservative eh? Nice hat, what is that, “salmon”…
If Steil is truly endorsing the current Sheriff for reelection then he is completely tone deaf to this Sheriffs record. If so, shame on Steil ! Retract the endorsement immediately. There are better qualified candidates who are not RINO.
Aah, a eugenicist clad in his pussy hat. It screams politics are my game and opportunist is my name.
So, he supports a candidate who refused to co-operate with ICE. You should have it painted on your car like Sherriff squads did.(TAXPAYERS EXPENSE OF COURSE) UP YOUR ‘S STIEL!
Voters need to pay attention to this Sheriff’s race in August! Zoerner has not followed through with his campaign promises from 4 years ago!
I’ve heard he’s an absentee “sheriff “ who manipulated a $20,000 per year raise for himself; not a bad pay raise for someone who works part time! Sounds like he needs the money, apparently he’s had 6 foreclosures over the years! He needs to be voted out! Beller or Tony Gonzalez seem to be solid candidates. Gonzalez getting the edge due to his vast experience on the Sheriff’s Department!
Steil’s record is what should be raising questions.
That looks like a cardboard cut-out of Tony E.
It’s not a cutout.., it’s the real Evers!
Zoerner made a statement that he was a true Democrat. He ran as a democrat that year.
We can’t take another 4 years of Zoerner! Rino 😂
Zoerner is in bed with Steil for that endorsement Sgt hard
Back when he was running in mid-2022, I expressed to Erin Decker that I had concerns about Zoerner. I had seen this picture of him in the p— hat, I had spoken with him about issues that I found to be important, and I knew he previously ran as a Democrat. Even back then, he was pretty open about the fact that the out of control speeding and dangerous, imprudent drivers didn’t matter to him.
Decker read me the riot act, told me that I HAD to vote for Zoerner if I was actually a Republican, and she was overall very nasty to me.
In the famous words of Michael Gary Scott, “How the turntables have turned.”
I’m voting for Beller.
Beller is a decent candidate, but he has zero experience with jail administration; which the largest part of the Sheriff’s budget. Tony Gonzalez (R) is the only candidate who has a chance to beat Zoerner (D). Gonzalez has all the credentials and has been the jail administrator for several years. He has military experience, FBI training and has held almost every position on the Sheriff’s Dept, including his current position of Captain. It’s is very likely that the Deputy Sheriff’s Association and EVERY member of the Sheriff’s Dept command staff will endorse Gonzalez. He is the real deal with TRUE leadership skills. Follow each candidates page to see what they bring to the table!
My concern with Gonzalez is that the Kenosha Sheriff’s Department doesn’t seem to care at all about traffic safety.
Driving in Kenosha County seems unsafe. There’s zero traffic enforcement— I see patients throughout Racine, Kenosha, and Walworth counties, and spend a lot of my day driving. In Kenosha, I can go weeks without seeing a deputy, whereas I see them everywhere in Racine & Walworth. I’ve had so many near-accidents in Kenosha County from people speeding, running stop signs and lights. At least when I occasionally see a patient in the city, I typically will see some sort of law enforcement out and about.
If we elect someone who is currently part of the department that clearly doesn’t care about the safety of travelers, will anything change from that perspective? Given the large number of lane miles in Kenosha County, traffic enforcement should be a huge priority for them— but it’s not. That’s probably why road deaths are so comparatively high in Kenosha County.
The policies and staffing levels are set by the sheriff and administration, not the road deputies. Zoerner doesn’t prioritize traffic enforcement and administration doesn’t schedule/hire enough deputies to keep them on the road instead of other details. Don’t blame the deputies, put it squarely on Zoerner. Let’s also not forget his license and registration issue that he used his position as Sheriff to get out of in Sturtevant.
Zoerners other part time job is working for Cove as a realtor. Isn’t being a Sheriff a 24/7 job? They need to focus on doing a good job for Kenosha and those who voted for them.
I am undecided. Zoerner had internal support from deputies who didn’t like Beth. (And Beth had support from insiders who didn’t like the incumbent.) Now it’s deja vu all over again with Gonzales (who is a good guy). But Beller is also a good guy with experience, too. It’s not necessary for the sheriff to have jail experience if there’s an experienced jail administrator. Question in my mind is whether a not-too-far outsider like Beller might help get things back under control in an agency with a bloated budget and management problems.
If you hear each candidate speak about their platform and vision, voters will be amazed at how articulate, thoughtful and transparent Tony Gonzalez is. I’m hoping that all 3 candidates will have some type of public debate so voters can hear their agenda to make an informed choice.
It’s time for a real debate between these three candidates, featuring genuine questions and thoughtful rebuttals. Kevin, you should sponsor a candidate sheriff showdown with a series of real questions, with audience participation.
Ok. Who is the alternative candidates? I would like to see a breakdown on their agendas or platforms. We need a debate for sure!