Barca Announces Run For Congress, Challenging Steil
Peter Barca, a Democrat, stepped down as secretary of Wisconsin’s Department of Revenue earlier this month.
Peter Barca. Photo from Barca’s campaign.
Democrat Peter Barca, a former state representative who served in Congress 30 years ago, announced a new congressional run Thursday.
Barca will attempt to unseat incumbent U.S. Rep. Bryan Steil of Janesville, a Republican, to serve Wisconsin’s 1st Congressional District. Barca most recently served as the secretary of Wisconsin’s Department of Revenue, but he stepped down from that role earlier this month.
Barca previously served as a U.S. representative for the 1st District from 1993 to 1995.
The Kenosha resident spent a total of nine terms as a representative in the Wisconsin State Assembly. That included a stint as Democratic minority leader before he stepped down from that role in 2017.
In the statement, Barca said his record has included “creating good-paying jobs and building a world class workforce; lowering costs and delivering tax relief to middle class families,” as well as “expanding access to health care.”
“This stands in stark contrast to the do-nothing, dysfunctional Congress we have in Washington,” Barca said in the statement. “We need someone to step up and start going to bat for our families again.”
Bryan Steil. Photo courtesy of the campaign
Steil was first elected in 2018, winning an open seat after former House Speaker Paul Ryan of Janesville decided not to seek reelection. He’s a member of the House Financial Services Committee, as well as the Chairman of the Committee on House Administration.
In response to Barca’s announcement, Mike Marinella, spokesperson for the National Republican Congressional Committee, said Barca would be “too extreme for Southeast Wisconsin.”
Wisconsin 1st Congressional District is among those Democrats hope will flip in 2024, after new electoral maps made the district more competitive.
Steil won his re-election bid in 2020 by getting nearly 60 percent of the vote. In 2022, after his district was redrawn, he won with 54 percent.
The seat already has three other people running for it, including Lorenzo Santos, a U.S. Navy Reserve officer, and Anthony Hammes, a trustee of the village of Caledonia. The primary for the race will be held on August 13.
Barca’s statement said if elected, he will work to grow the middle class, defend reproductive freedom and the right to vote and protect Social Security and Medicare.
Barca scheduled a press conference for Thursday afternoon at Apple Holler in Racine County. He’s expected to be joined by state Rep. Christine Sinicki, D-Milwaukee and former Kenosha Mayor John Antaramian, who just retired.
Editor’s note: This story will be updated.
Democrat Peter Barca announces bid for Wisconsin’s 1st Congressional District was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.
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I guess Lynn E. Stalbaum wasn’t available.