Wisconsin newspaper The Capital Times ripped Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) as a virus that infects the states GOP in a blistering editorial calling for him to face a serious Republican challenger in his reelection bid .

Johnson is little more than a placeholder for former President Donald Trump who could care less about what Wisconsin Republicans think, the newspapers editorial board wrote in the stinging essay published Wednesday.

The Times ripped Johnson as a delusional huckster and a political grifter in the article that charted the papers own 105-year history alongside the evolution of Republican politics, for the worse, in the state.

Were not nave. We dont imagine that dislodging Johnson in his own partys primary is a likely prospect. But we do believe that he should be challenged, sincerely and aggressively, the editorial board said, suggesting a serious GOP primary challenger could expose how out of sync he is with traditional GOP values.

By confronting and exposing the incumbent as the charlatan he is, such a challenge could lay the groundwork for the slow but necessary restoration of the honor of the Grand Old Party, which has been so severely damaged by political grifters such as Ron Johnson, the board concluded.

Read the full editorial here.