Minocqua Brewing Company owner Kirk Bangstad announced he is running for Wisconsin governor over the weekend.
In a Facebook post, Bangstad addressed campaign logistics following the announcement the previous day. He noted the strong support but admitted the campaign is still sorting basic operations.
“That overwhelming support from supporters throughout the U.S. make it seem like we’ve got our act together over here, but the truth is we’re still figuring out some basic campaign plumbing,” Bangstad said.
The immediate task is ballot access. Bangstad said he must collect 2,000 signatures from Wisconsin residents before June 1. The initial nomination forms he distributed had no information on them and were blank. That link is still live on his Facebook page currently, but shared a new link to updated nomination papers.
One small issue, it would appear from an initial assessment that these nomination papers are also incorrect, potentially invalidating every signature he collects.
Bangstad listed his residential address as 727 Lorillard Ct. #314, Madison, WI 53703. This differs from the listed candidate mailing address which is 2927 East Washington Ave, Madison and happens to be the Minocqua Brewing Company’s Madison taproom.
The Wisconsin Election Commission is the final arbiter on what would be approved, but our initial estimation is that since these are not the same location, the sheet would be invalidated. Bangstad’s Facebook post mentioned that he wanted completed nomination papers to be sent to his Madison Taproom location. However, listing the taproom as the mailing address is incorrect procedure.
The candidate mailing address line on the nomination form is only required if his residential mailing address is different than the mailing address, which it is not.
He urged Wisconsin supporters to download the form, sign it themselves, secure additional signatures and return the completed sheets.
“Thanks for reading, and thanks for sticking with the Minocqua Brewing Company and me,” Bangstad wrote.
