Peter Barca launches campaign for Wisconsin’s 1st Congressional District

Democrat Peter Barca officially launched his campaign Thursday for Wisconsin’s 1st Congressional District — a seat currently held by four-term U.S. Rep. Bryan Steil, a Republican from Janesville. 

This isn’t Barca’s first run for Congress, having represented the district from 1993 to 1995. He said in his announcement that he is running this cycle because he has “always stood up for working families.” 

“My record has been one of creating good-paying jobs and building a world class workforce; lowering costs and delivering tax relief to middle class families; and expanding access to health care,” Barca said. “This stands in stark contrast to the do-nothing, dysfunctional Congress we have in Washington. We need someone to step up and start going to bat for our families again.”

Prior to Congress, Barca served in the state Assembly from 1985 to 1993. He was elected again to the state Assembly in 2008. He served as Democratic minority leader from 2011 to 2017, including during the party’s struggle against former Gov. Scott Walker’s Act 10 law, which repealed most collective bargaining rights for public employees. 

Barca most recently served as the Wisconsin Department of Revenue secretary, after being  appointed to the position by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers in 2019. He stepped down from the position this month. 

The 1st Congressional District, which represents portions of southeast Wisconsin, is a top target for national Democrats as they aim to flip control of the U.S. House of Representatives. The district has been represented by Steil since 2018. He won his reelection campaign in 2020 with 59% of the vote, and after more competitive maps were adopted in 2022, he won with 54% of the vote.