Take Action Wisconsin Duplicate

Open: Senate, WI-03

Republican Senator Ron Johnson’s decision not to seek reelection has opened the door to a crowd of candidates – at last count, 11 Democrats, two Republicans, and three Independents.

Topping the list of Democrats is Mandela Barnes, the first African American to serve as a Lieutenant Governor in Wisconsin and the second African American to hold statewide office. Barnes has picked up a score of endorsements from across Wisconsin and beyond. He’s also raised $1.1 million. Other Democratic challengers include Wisconsin Treasurer Sarah Godlewski and Alex Lasry, Milwaukee Bucks senior vice president.

In WI-03, U.S. Rep. Ron Kind, D, is retiring, leaving open one of the country’s most competitive swing seats. Kind has served the district since 1997. Kind has endorsed his former staff member, state Sen. Brad Pfaff, a member of the Wisconsin State Senate. Democrat Brett Knudsen, a political newcomer, is also running.

Two Republicans Derrick Van Orden and Denise Hurless have filed. Van Orden narrowly lost to Kind in 2020, one of Kind’s toughest opponents since he took office in the 1990. A possible rematch between the two was flagged early by the Republican Party as instrumental to flipping the House.

Wisconsin will be a tough battleground. The two most recent presidential elections were both decided by less than 1 percentage point. Biden defeated Trump by 0.7 points, and Trump defeated Clinton by 0.7 points.