Voelkel, ex-Johnson aide, to run for lieutenant governor

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Ben Voelkel, a former aide to Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson, said Thursday he’s running for lieutenant governor.

Voelkel was communications director for Johnson, a Republican, from 2017 until earlier this year. He also worked on Johnson’s re-election campaign in 2016.

Voelkel, a native of Mukwonago, also worked on Tommy Thompson’s 2012 Senate campaign and former Gov. Scott Walker’s 2018 re-election campaign.

David Varnam, the mayor of the small Grant County town of Lancaster, earlier announce plans to run for lieutenant governor.

___

(This story has been corrected to show Voelkel no longer on Johnson’s staff.)