(IMAGE: Courtesy of the office of Congressman Mike Gallagher)
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Congressman Mike Gallagher’s announcement he won’t be seeking re-election is energizing to the Democratic Party of Wisconsin. A movement was already underway to try and unseat Gallagher.
Congressman Mike Gallagher is the latest is a line of republicans to hold the 8th congressional district seat in Wisconsin.
The most recent democrat to represent the 8th district was Steve Kagen. He served two terms before being beaten by Republican Reid Ribble in 2010.
Gallagher ran for Ribble’s seat in 2016, after the three term congressman retired, winning re-election twice since then.
A republican stronghold, the democrats didn’t even put a name on the 2022 ballot and Gallagher ran unopposed.
“There’s no doubt that it is a tough district. I think the other piece of it is that Mike Gallagher was a really tough incumbent. I think he was somebody that was a really talented politician and somebody who made what was a tough district even tougher,” said Joe Oslund with the Democratic Party of Wisconsin.
But state democrats see things differently as they look to the 2024 election, especially now that Gallagher said he’s stepping away and won’t be seeking re-election.
Oslund said, “I was confident we were going to have someone on the ballot either way. And this time, with Congressman Gallagher’s retirement I think our chances got a little bit better but we were absolutely committed to competing for the seat either way.”
While no democrat has officially announced they’re running for Gallagher’s seat, three women from Northeast Wisconsin have expressed interest. Those women include Kristin Lyerly, Kelly Peterson, and Alicia Saunders — all part of the Women Win Wisconsin movement.
According to Kristin Lyerly, “The three women I’ve been working with, we’ve been working together. And actually there are four of us that have presented a united front coming from different perspectives with different experiences, different motivations but all of us are unified with the idea that we want to see a brighter future for Wisconsin and we truly believe that that begins in Northeastern Wisconsin.”
And with women like Lyerly, Peterson and Saunders considering a run for the 8th district, Lyerly says 2024 is the year of women — confident change is coming. She added, “I keep saying hope, but I’m really feeling hope. It’s in the air and I think that enthusiasm on the ground with the party organization is going to make all the difference in the world. November is going to be a game changer in Wisconsin and across the country.”
Lyerly says voters should expect to hear more about the candidates looking to fill the 8th congressional district seat by March or early April.
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