Rumors are circulating that the Republican Party of Kenosha County may issue a pre-primary endorsement in the upcoming sheriff’s race — potentially backing the incumbent.
If that happens, it would come at a time when confidence in the current leadership appears deeply fractured within local law enforcement.
The Kenosha County Deputy Sheriff’s Association delivered a decisive message, with about 95% backing Captain Tony Gonzalez. Perhaps more striking, about 98% chose someone other than Sheriff David Zoerner. Meanwhile, Captain James Beller secured unanimous support from the Kenosha Professional Police Association board, representing an even larger force of sworn officers.
Taken together, those endorsements paint a clear picture: both challengers have strong backing from their respective agencies, and both have emerged as the frontrunners in the race.
And yet, the Republican Party of Kenosha County hasn’t even paid lip service — or even pretended — to care about those candidates. There has been no meaningful outreach, no effort to hear their vision for the department, no indication that their plans for Kenosha County even matter in this process. By all appearances, the party is prepared to move forward with an endorsement without even inviting the two leading challengers to speak.
That alone should concern every Republican voter.
Because it suggests the decision is already made — not based on merit, not based on leadership, not based on what the men and women in uniform are saying — but based on one simple factor: incumbency.
But let’s be clear — Sheriff Zoerner isn’t the one running to shots-fired calls. He’s not traveling across the country to track down suspects in cold cases. He’s not the one stepping into volatile domestic disputes. That responsibility falls on deputies, sergeants, lieutenants — the men and women who put themselves in harm’s way every day.
If the party moves forward with endorsing the incumbent now, it would be choosing leadership optics over the judgment of those actually doing the job. It would be elevating photo ops over front-line experience. It would be sending a message that party politics matter more than the voices of those who wear the badge.
And the pattern doesn’t stop there.
The party appears willing to overlook serious concerns — from past opposition to cooperating with ICE, to allegations that certain high-ranking individuals were allowed to avoid charges. Whether those issues are debated or disputed, the fact remains: they are not even being meaningfully considered.
Because right now, it seems one thing matters more than anything else — that there is an “R” next to the name, and that the name belongs to the current sheriff.
At its core, the Republican Party brands itself as the party that backs the blue. But in this moment, endorsing the incumbent before the primary would suggest that incumbency — and party convenience — matter more than the overwhelming sentiment inside law enforcement itself.
The party has a choice. It can take the easy path — endorse the incumbent and move on. Or it can take the smarter path — let Republican voters decide in the primary and unify behind the nominee.
One path respects the rank-and-file. The other ignores them.
If you’re going to claim you back the blue, you can’t ignore about 98% of them.
