MILWAUKEE – Incumbent U.S. Rep. Bryan Steil (R-Wisconsin) defeated Democrat challenger Peter Barca on Tuesday in the race for Wisconsin’s 1st Congressional District.
Who is Bryan Steil?
Steil is a Janesville native who attended Craig High School before earning degrees from Georgetown University and the University of Wisconsin.
In 2018, Steil was first elected to serve Wisconsin’s 1st District in the U.S. House of Representatives – defeating Democrat Randy Bryce and Independent Ken Yorgan. Republican Paul Ryan, who eventually became the country’s youngest House Speaker since 1869, had held the seat since 1999. Steil went on to win a second and third term, which he is currently serving, in 2020 and 2022.
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Before he was elected to Congress, Steil worked in the manufacturing sector for more than a decade in southeast Wisconsin. Then-Gov. Scott Walker appointed him to the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents in 2016.
The Steil campaign lists lower prices, community safety and workforce development as key issues for the Republican incumbent. You can find details about Steil’s stance on those issues and others on his campaign website.
Who is Peter Barca?
Barca grew up in Somers. He graduated from Bradford High School and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee before working as a teacher and director at a camp for children with disabilities before embarking on a lengthy career in government.
In 1984, Barca was first elected to represent the Kenosha and Racine areas in the Wisconsin Assembly. He served in the state Legislature for nearly a decade, but resigned in 1993 upon his election to the same U.S. House of Representatives seat he is now running for again. Republican Mark Neumann beat Barca and took the seat in 1995, and the GOP (Ryan 1999-2019, Steil 2019-present) have held it since.
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Barca returned to the Wisconsin Assembly in 2008 and served until 2019. He was also Midwest Regional Administrator for the U.S. Small Business Administration – and later became Wisconsin’s secretary of revenue – after his time in Congress.
The Barca campaign lists bringing down costs, workers’ rights and reproductive freedom as key issues for the Democrat challenger. You can find details about Barca’s stance on those issues and others on his campaign website.
