Kristin Lyerly, an obstetrician and gynecologist from De Pere, Wisconsin, is running to represent the state’s eighth congressional district. She joins two Republicans — state Sen. Andre Jacque and former state Sen. Roger Roth — in her bid for the seat currently held by Republican Rep. Mike Gallagher. Pro-Trump political consultant Alex Bruesewitz is also expected to join the race in the near future. The district, which stretches from the Door Peninsula to the Menominee Reservation, encompasses the cities of Green Bay and Appleton. Republicans generally win it comfortably.
Dr. Lyerly became the first Democratic candidate in Wisconsin’s 8th Congressional District, entering the race for the open seat created after the surprise retirement of Republican Rep. Mike Gallagher. She launched her candidacy two weeks before Gallagher plans to step down, with no special election being held due to the timing of his resignation. Lyerly remains unopposed in the Democratic primary to be decided on August 13, as Democrats did not field a candidate in the 2022 election. On the Republican side, state Sen. Andre Jacque, former state Sen. Roger Roth, and Republican consultant Alex Bruesewitz are running for the seat, with Bruesewitz planning to make an announcement soon.
Kristin Lyerly has made clear that abortion will be a central issue in the race, having been one of the plaintiffs in a Wisconsin lawsuit that successfully kept abortions legal after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. She performed abortions across Wisconsin but temporarily moved her practice to Minnesota after the Supreme Court’s ruling. Lyerly stated that she will work tirelessly to ensure that every woman in Wisconsin has access to reproductive care, including safe and legal abortions, essential services like maternity care, and mental health support. Gallagher, the retiring Republican incumbent, had found himself at odds with former President Donald Trump and his supporters due to his stance on various issues.
The district being solidly Republican, with Trump winning it by 16 points in 2020 despite losing the state by less than a point to President Joe Biden, presents a challenging landscape for Democratic candidates like Lyerly. However, Democrats have vowed to make the district competitive. Gallagher had won re-election three times by sizable margins, leaving Republicans with a narrow majority in the House following his early departure. Candidates like Jacque, Roth, and Bruesewitz who are all Trump supporters and oppose abortion will likely focus on their support for Trump’s policies and their conservative stance on issues like abortion in their campaigns.
Overall, the race for Wisconsin’s eighth congressional district is shaping up to be a fiercely contested battle between Democratic candidate Kristin Lyerly and the Republican candidates vying for the seat. With Lyerly’s focus on reproductive rights and Democrats aiming to make the traditionally Republican district competitive, the outcome of the race will be closely watched. As the candidates continue to campaign and make their cases to the voters, the district’s voters will ultimately decide who will represent them in Congress.
