Minocqua Brewing Company owner Kirk Bangstad is running for governor in Wisconsin. His announcement comes shortly after he publicly offered free beer in the event of President Donald Trump's death. Bangstad officially declared his Democratic gubernatorial bid on Sunday.
"I’m running for Governor because I believe Wisconsin needs a battle-hardened fighter to join the rest of America to save our Democracy from Trump’s regime, and that person doesn’t exist in the crowded field of Democrats currently running in Wisconsin’s Gubernatorial primary," Bangstad wrote in a Substack post. He hopes to stand out to progressive voters in a crowded primary field.
Bangstad made national headlines just over a week ago following a shooting at the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner. President Trump and several Cabinet members were in attendance during the thwarted attack. The brewery owner used the terrifying incident to advertise a business promotion.
"Well, we almost got #freebeerday. Either a brother or sister in the Resistance needs to work on their marksmanship or he faked another assassination to get a positive news cycle," the company posted to Facebook. "We’ll never know. Regardless, we stand at the ready to pour free beer the day it happens."
The controversial social media post led to Bangstad being investigated by the FBI and the Secret Service. It also caused several prominent members of the Wisconsin Democratic Party to publicly disavow him. Bangstad lashed out at his own political party following the intense backlash.
"The messaging mistake [State Rep. Francesca] Hong made, as well as [gubernatorial candidate Mandela] Barnes and the rest of the Corporate Democrats, spilled progressive blood into the water that created a feeding frenzy against me, my fiancé, and my company. Trump’s propaganda machine and the corporate media that continuously fails America with its cancerous 'bothside-ism,' came after me with full force; and that led to me being interrogated and intimidated by the FBI and the Secret Service," Bangstad wrote.
"After those two agents left my taproom on Thursday night, I told my lawyer Fred that I was going to run for Governor," Bangstad continued. "Since I couldn’t trust the Democratic Party to have my back nor the current slate of gubernatorial candidates—and because I have a social media reach that dwarfs them all—I might as well stand up for myself and the rest of the working class, who I’ve been standing up for with my loud voice for the last 6 years."
The controversial business owner now needs to collect 2,000 signatures by June 1 to qualify for the November election. Fox News Digital reached out to Bangstad for comment regarding his campaign. He responded by harshly criticizing the news outlet.
"I’d tell you that the world is almost as excited about me running for governor as they are about #freebeerday," Bangstad said. He previously ran failed campaigns for Congress in 2015 and the Wisconsin state assembly in 2020.
Bangstad also formed the Minocqua Brewing Company SuperPAC. The company website states the political action committee aims to remove Republican officials from office. The brewery is largely known for selling progressive-branded beers like Resistance Pilsner and Tammy Shandy.