2 Republicans compete for chance to take on Pocan in 2nd Congressional District

Two Republicans are facing off against each other for the second time on Tuesday in a primary race for the 2nd Congressional District in southern Wisconsin.

The winner of the Aug. 13 election faces an uphill battle to try and unseat U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Town of Vermont, in the heavily-Democratic district.

Two years ago, Madison attorney Erik Olsen won the primary against Charity Barry, a ground crew supervisor in Mineral Point. That win was narrow, with Olsen ahead by just 63 votes, according to a recount requested by Barry.

Now, Olsen and Barry are headed for a rematch in the solidly liberal district, which includes the city of Madison and the rest of Dane County. It also spans Iowa, Sauk and Green Counties, along with parts of Richland and Rock Counties.

“It’s been a very quiet contest in a district that is not likely to elect a Republican anytime soon,” University of Wisconsin-Madison political science professor Barry Burden said of the GOP primary race. “But this is at least an opportunity for the party to pick a favorite and try to make a stab at winning a difficult seat.”

In November of 2022, Pocan beat Olsen in a landslide, winning with about 71 percent of the vote. Pocan has represented the district since 2013, replacing Democrat Tammy Baldwin, who gave up the seat ahead of her successful campaign for U.S. Senate.

Both Barry and Olsen spoke about their priorities with WPR. The candidates are listed below in alphabetical order.

Charity Barry

Barry said her campaign has been defined by voters’ economic concerns.

She called for reigning in federal spending and keeping debt in check. That perspective, she said, has been been informed by working for her family’s tree care business, where she holds the role of ground crew supervisor.

“As someone who doesn’t come from a political background, but more of a small business background, I want to be able to bring more of a balanced budget to Washington, D.C.,” she said.

Barry said she’d make decisions about whether to send aid to foreign allies based on the specifics of each bill package.

“Decisions need to be made in strong consideration to the current state of our country as it is here, and make sure we are not robbing from our own to to support others across the globe,” she said.

And she called for stricter limits on immigration.

“The situation that we have right now on our southern border is not only harming Americans, but also those who would want to come in legally,” she said. “If we want to have a compassionate southern border, we have to cut the chaos that is happening now.”

Barry said she believes in the “human nature of the pre-born child,” but stopped short of calling for federal restrictions on abortion.

“I want to make sure that what ought to be an issue of the states remains an issue of the states,” she said.

While some Republicans have falsely asserted otherwise, Barry acknowledged that President Joe Biden won the 2020 election. She said members of Congress must be prepared to answer questions from voters who are concerned about election integrity and to “make our absolute best effort to deliver free and fair and secure elections.”

Barry has campaigned on behalf of Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson and has held various roles in local politics, including director of constituent services for the Republican Party of Dane County, according to her campaign website.

Erik Olsen

Olsen is a private practice attorney, focused on property rights. In an interview with WPR, he said he’s concerned about middle-class Americans, who are struggling to afford things like housing and groceries. His campaign, he said, aims to bridge political divisions.

“Everything feels very chaotic, very polarized and very unstable right now, and I believe … we have to open our hearts to one another,” Olsen said.

He raised concerns about ballooning national debt, and said the U.S. needs to beef up border security.

He also said America must “unequivocally, 100 percent support Israel,” and said he’s concerned about a “tremendous rise in anti-semitism” from some Democrats and on college campuses.

Olsen blamed the ongoing war in Ukraine on President Biden’s “weak and pathetic leadership,” and said he didn’t believe Russia would have invaded that country if former President Donald Trump had remained in office.

At, the same time, Olsen said that doesn’t mean Congress should cut off aid to Ukraine.

“Whatever aid packages we approve, we have to make sure that discussions about how to end the conflict are occurring in conjunction with them, and that there’s a strong institutional will to end the conflict,” he said.

Olsen told WPR he believes that life begins at conception, but that he’d be hesitant to support federal restrictions on abortion.

“I would like to see a world in which abortion doesn’t occur, but I do not want to see anybody locked up or get hurt due to clumsy attempts to achieve that goal, legalistically,” he said, adding that would support policies to support low-income parents, such as ensuring they have access to free diapers.

While Olsen said he believes the news media has been biased against Trump, he acknowledged that Biden won the 2020 election.

“It’s sad when people can’t just respect, ‘OK, Donald Trump won in 2016 you know, Biden won in 2020,” he said. “How do we know? Because the litigation played out, and there it was.”