Berrien exits Wisconsin governor race amid pornography fallout

MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin businessman Bill Berrien, a supporter of President Donald Trump and a former Navy SEAL, is quitting his Republican bid for governor amid fallout over online activity that included following sexually explicit accounts, including a nonbinary pornography performer. He said he could not win the GOP primary and announced his decision after weeks of scrutiny. The primary is in August, and his departure leaves U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany and Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann as the remaining Republican hopefuls. There are numerous Democrats running in the race on the other side of the ballot.

Details of Berrien's online activity emerged after the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that he followed Jiz Lee and several other authors of sexually explicit essays on Medium, a platform that hosts user-generated content. He also followed accounts described as “publications,” which deal with exploring sexuality and relationships with multiple partners. Lee issued a statement Thursday calling Berrien a hypocrite, and several prominent Republicans publicly urged him to drop out. A Wisconsin Democratic Party spokesperson, Phil Shulman, attributed his departure less to the social media activity and more to his past criticism of Trump. In the run-up to the primary, some Republicans questioned Berrien’s viability because he had backed Nikki Haley in the 2024 presidential cycle and said in 2020 that he hadn’t yet decided whether to support Trump.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s reporting followed by a sequence of public defenses from Berrien. He spoke with The Associated Press on Tuesday, saying the media had fixated on “stupid articles I read years ago.” He called the coverage “stupid articles” that had been cherry-picked to paint him in a sensational light. He argued there was no illegality, no unethical behavior, and no immorality in his reading history, insisting that reading broadly is something political and business leaders—and society at large—should do to stay informed and thoughtful.

In a longer statement issued Friday announcing his withdrawal, Berrien described the articles he read and the people he followed as “cherry-picked” and said the resulting portrayal was a targeted attack piece. He declared that his decision to end his campaign was made “in the best interest of the party, voters, donors, and my family.” He added, “I had no idea that running for political office could be almost as dangerous as hunting down war criminals in Bosnia.” He also asserted that his engagement with diverse ideas did not reflect past or present moral compromise, framing his critics as basing conclusions on selective information rather than a complete record.

Berrien, the chief executive officer of Pindel Global Precision, had built a campaign around “family values” and campaigned as a practical businessman who could bring corporate experience to state government. He had been open about his conservative views, including opposition to transgender policies, and his exit from the race underscores the high level of scrutiny GOP candidates face in Wisconsin’s crowded field. His campaign had also stressed his financial commitments and readiness, but his fall from the race demonstrates the tight rope some candidates walk in aligning a broad base with the expectations of Trump-era Republican voters.

With Berrien out, Tiffany and Schoemann remain as the only Republican contenders for governor in Wisconsin, where the August primary will determine who faces a field of Democrats. Democrats have been more unified in fielding multiple candidates across the state, keeping a wide range of options on the ballot for Wisconsin voters.

Reaction from party officials and political observers highlighted a broader dynamic within the state’s GOP. Shulman said Berrien’s exit reflects the difficulty of maintaining loyalty to Trump, suggesting that candidates who are insufficiently aligned with the former president risk ceding ground to rivals in an increasingly loyalty-driven primary race. Still, some GOP insiders noted that Berrien’s professional background and stated policy priorities had given him a credible profile, even as critics argued his past stances could complicate his path to the nomination.

The episode illustrates how rapidly a campaign can shift when a candidate’s online activity becomes a focal point of scrutiny and how allies and opponents alike interpret past statements and behavior through the lens of current political pressures. Wisconsin voters will decide in August, with the party and its donors watching closely to determine whether the field can unify behind a nominee who can gain traction in a general election against Democratic contenders.