2 Democrats to challenge US Rep. Bryan Steil for newly-competitive seat

Two Democratic challengers have emerged to take on incumbent Republican Congressman Bryan Steil for his southeastern Wisconsin congressional district.

Lorenzo Santos, a U.S. Navy Reserve officer, and Anthony Hammes, a trustee of the village of Caledonia, both filed paperwork this week to run for Wisconsin’s 1st Congressional district, which Steil, R-Janesville, has represented since 2018.

The district — once represented by former House Speaker Paul Ryan — stretches west from Lake Michigan along the southeastern corner of the state, covering Kenosha and Racine counties, most of Walworth and parts of Rock and Milwaukee counties.

While the district has historically been safely Republican, this race may be more competitive after the latest round of redistricting, Marquette University pollster Charles Franklin told WPR in an email.

“A Democrat would need to be able to raise a lot for the race,” Franklin wrote. “An opportunity for Democrats, but challenging.”

Under new Congressional district maps implemented in 2022, Wisconsin’s 1st District expanded to include the Democratic areas around Beloit and Janesville, as well as some Milwaukee suburbs, while also losing parts of reliably Republican Waukesha County.

Santos serves as deputy emergency management coordinator in Racine County and chairs the Young Democrats of Wisconsin, according to his LinkedIn account. In a campaign announcement Monday, he said his campaign issues will include “a woman’s right to choose,” fair wages and access to healthcare.

“I’m running because we’ve seen fundamental civil and human rights systematically taken away these past few years, and I’m not going to stand by and let that continue to happen,” the announcement reads.

Santos did not immediately respond to a WPR request for comment.

On his campaign website, Hammes said that healthcare, including mental healthcare, will be a top priority in his race. He also emphasized abortion access, combating climate change and implementing anti-gun violence laws. His campaign did not immediately respond to a WPR request for comment.

This will be Steil’s fourth race. He won reelection in 2022 by nearly 10 points and has about $2.85 million on hand for the 2024 election.

The Steil campaign did not respond to a WPR request for comment.

Elsewhere in the state, Democrats are also mounting a challenge in Wisconsin’s third congressional district, a V-shaped district that covers much of southwestern Wisconsin, stretching down the Mississippi River from Eau Claire through La Crosse and to the Illinois border, and extending back out to Stevens Point.

There, Eau Claire businesswoman Rebecca Cooke has announced she will challenge Republican Rep. Derrick Van Orden. That seat is considered competitive after Van Orden flipped the seat from Democrats last fall.