WASHINGTON — A second Democrat has entered the race to take on freshman Congressman Derrick Van Orden, R-Prairie du Chien, next year.
Aaron Nytes, a 25-year-old Harvard Law School student, acknowledged he’s a political newcomer when he announced his bid for Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District seat. He said he believes he can convince voters that his passion for social justice and work as an undergraduate student providing free legal services in civil cases closely aligns with western Wisconsin values.
“The issues that affect the district are issues that I take seriously are issues that I'm very interested in,” Nytes said. “Corporate greed, suffering education, lack of worker protection and a system that really degrades the climate beyond repair — those are all issues that I think my skills can help address and solve potentially.”
Nytes was born and raised in Hartford, Wis. He said his hometown is very conservative, which is why he's looking to represent a different region of the state.
He got his undergraduate degree from Maquette University, interned at the Milwaukee Justice Center and worked with the Legal Aid of Society to help Milwaukee tenants avoid evictions.
Republicans are calling out Nytes for being from eastern Wisconsin and currently living in Boston.
“Nytes should stick to what he knows best: The east coast,” Brian Schimming, WisGOP chairman, wrote in-part in a statement to Spectrum News.
Nytes said he is brushing off negative comments about his campaign’s authenticity.
“It is true that I'm not from the district and it is true that our press release mentioned a lot of different things — as press releases do,” he said. “But, I think the important aspect is, as I talked about, who is going up against Derek Van Orden, the fact that he has not represented the people that he claims to represent and he's advocated for policies that don't align with the interests of the people that he represents.”
He is the second Democrat to challenge Van Orden. Rebecca Cooke, a former small business owner and candidate for the seat in 2022, announced her bid last month. Her campaign said she’s since raised more than $200,000.
Nytes said he still believes he can compete. He’s planning on ramping up his in-person campaigning soon.
“I'm actually returning to the state this week,” he said. “I'm really hoping that as I continue to go back and forth, that individuals will see my determination; they'll see my resilience and they'll really take to the policies that I'm advocating for.”
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), the campaign arm of House Democrats, is pledging to spend more on this race than it did last year. It’s expected to be one of the most closely watched congressional races in 2024.