WASHINGTON — Republican Representative Bryan Steil has represented Janesville in Congress for three terms. He’s seeking a fourth this year, but the water just got muddier with Democrat Peter Barca entering the race.
“I do think this shapes up to be the most competitive race Steil’s had to face,” said Charles Franklin, a professor of law and public policy at Marquette University Law School. “We'll see how actually close it ends up getting, as people get to know the candidates and the campaigns develop."
Barca is a 68-year-old Democrat who served in the State Assembly and held the same congressional seat after winning a special election more than three decades ago. Most recently, he led the Department of Revenue in Democratic Gov. Tony Evers’ administration.
“Barca has run and won before, and that gives him a certain level of credibility when he’s going to donors and trying to convince them to contribute to his campaign,” said Anthony Chergosky, an assistant professor of political science at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.
Political analysts described Wisconsin’s first congressional district as leaning slightly Republican. However they said there is not an overwhelming GOP stronghold.
Others who have entered the race against Steil have little name recognition, so Barca is the only person who, so far, seems like he can put up a fight against the three-term Republican.
“I think that [Barca] has a reputation as a legislator and an administrator, as someone who did do more bipartisan outreach, at least, as opposed to being a firebrand for his party. I think you could say some of that for Steil as well,” said Franklin.
Campaign filings show Steil has more than $4 million in his war chest. Barca, who announced he raised $250,000 in the first 24 hours of his campaign, says he’s running to go to bat for Wisconsin families and criticizes this Congress as “dysfunctional.” He said he will lower costs, defend reproductive freedom, and protect Medicare.
“One thing that I've noticed is that Peter Barca is coming out against congressional dysfunction more generally,” Chergosky said. “We know that Congress as a whole is deeply unpopular with the public. But oftentimes, the public does not hold individual members accountable for the broader perceived dysfunction of the institution. What I'm noticing is that Barca seems to be implying that Steil is part of the problem. And I think that's probably a smart strategy for him. … So I think Steil is going to try to distance himself potentially from the drama and the dysfunction in the House of Representatives, while I think Barca will be eager to link Steil to what's going on in the House, what's going on on Capitol Hill.”
In March, before Barca entered the race, Steil was asked if he was worried about his reelection and the significant amount of money that Democrats have spent on advertising against him.
“They would tell WWII bombers – bomber pilots – that you catch the most flak when you're right over the target, and so I'd like to think that I'm right over the target,” Steil said at a Wispolitics event in Washington, D.C. “So I'm just fine.”
After Barca entered, Steil’s campaign told Spectrum News that Steil is the one working for Wisconsin families, not Barca, and he looks forward to a race focused on the issues.
The most recent Marquette Law School poll showed that Wisconsin voters care most about the economy, immigration and border security, all of which are priorities for both Steil and Barca.