A Democratic ironworker fueled by a massive fundraising haul will try to win a district that Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan and his GOP predecessor held for more than two decades. Randy Bryce, who won Wisconsin's 1st District Democratic primary on Tuesday, embodies his party's strategy as it pushes to flip red-leaning seats and take a House majority in November. The Army veteran and cancer survivor has raised piles of money from mostly small-dollar donors as he promotes a platform of protecting workers, expanding access to health care and shielding social safety net programs. But Bryce faces a difficult task in turning the GOP-leaning 1st District blue as Ryan heads to retirement. He will have to overcome Republican opponent Bryan Steil, Ryan's former aide and handpicked successor behind whom the House speaker has put his fundraising clout. The Democrat already faces a slew of attacks from GOP groups over past arrests, including one for driving under the influence. Steil, who earned an endorsement from President Donald Trump on Wednesday morning, is a slight favorite to win November's election. Still, Democrats project confidence that they can score a major coup in flipping the seat now occupied by the House's most powerful member, in part with messaging about the difficulties working-class Americans face. "Working people have been shut out of politics. Working families have been forgotten by their representatives," Bryce said as he accepted the Democratic nomination on Tuesday night. "But we took a stand. We fought back." Bryce, who is nicknamed "Iron Stache" because of his occupation and thick mustache, entered the race before Ryan announced his retirement in April and initially planned to challenge the House speaker. When Ryan said he would not seek re-election, the race quickly became more favorable to Democrats. The seat has a solid Republican foundation: Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index, which gauges how a district votes in presidential elections relative to the country as a whole, lists it an R+5 district. Cook, a nonpartisan website, considers the seat one that leans Republican, while the nonpartisan Sabato's Crystal Ball considers it a toss-up. One potential concern for the GOP surfaced on Tuesday: More Democrats than Republicans voted in the district primary. The GOP easily outvoted the Democratic Party in the 2014 primaries.<doc-sep>House Speaker Paul Ryan's retirement creates an opening in his southeastern Wisconsin congressional district for the first time in 20 years, fueling hopes among Democrats that they can pick up the seat that leans Republican. But a former Ryan aide from a prominent family in his hometown of Janesville is looking to keep the district bordering Illinois under GOP control, even if there's a Democratic "blue wave." Bryan Steil, who won Ryan's endorsement, was the front-runner in a five-way Republican primary Tuesday for the chance to run for Ryan's 1st District seat in November. On the Democratic side, union ironworker Randy Bryce drew national attention and money when he entered the race a year ago with a splashy launch video. The thickly mustachioed Bryce, who goes by the nickname "Iron Stache," entered the race months before Ryan's April retirement and has raised about $6 million — six times what primary challenger Cathy Myers brought in. Bryce has also snagged big-name endorsements from the likes of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who campaigned for Bryce in Wisconsin, and labor activist Dolores Huerta. But personal baggage, including a history of legal and financial trouble, has plagued Bryce and fueled attacks from Myers, a teacher and Janesville school board member. She argues that Bryce's past, which includes failure to pay child support and a 20-year-old drunken-driving arrest, makes him unreliable and unelectable. Steil is an attorney who has worked for a variety of manufacturers in the district. Since 2016, he's also served as a member of the University of Wisconsin board of trustees, appointed by Republican Gov. Scott Walker. In other Wisconsin congressional races: — 3rd District: In this Milwaukee district, seven-term Democratic incumbent Gwen Moore faced a longshot challenge from Gary George, a former state senator who was convicted of a felony in a kickback scheme in 2004 and ran unsuccessfully against Moore in 2014 and 2016. On the Republican side, deliveryman Tim Rogers faced Cindy Werner, a U.S. Army veteran who moved to Milwaukee 18 months ago from Texas. — 5th District: In the suburban Milwaukee district, Republican Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner, the second-longest serving member of the House first elected in 1978, faced his first primary in a decade, with pediatrician Jennifer Vipond making her first run for office. — 7th District: In this northern Wisconsin district, Democrats Margaret Engebretson, an attorney, and Brian Ewert, a doctor, were battling for a chance to take on Republican Rep. Sean Duffy.<doc-sep>Union steel worker Randy Bryce easily won the Democratic nomination in Wisconsin’s 1st Congressional District on Tuesday, after becoming the first viral-video darling of the midterms cycle last year. The victory gives Democrats a well-funded nominee in Paul Ryan’s home district, and it should give Bernie Sanders a temporary reprieve from questions about his endorsees repeatedly coming up short in primaries this year. With more than 80 percent of the vote in, Bryce led former teacher and current school board member Cathy Myers by more than 22 points—61 percent to 39 percent. Bryce will now face Bryan Steil, a former Ryan aide who won the GOP nomination Tuesday, in a race nonpartisan handicappers believe Democrats have a chance to flip this fall. Advertisement Bryce became a liberal sensation last year with a two-plus minute campaign ad calling out Ryan by name and introducing himself, his mustache, and his mother, who has multiple sclerosis. He turned his viral fame into frequent appearances on MSNBC and fundraising cash. Sanders’ endorsement eventually followed, and later so did the backing of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Advertisement Advertisement Bryce was a rare point of agreement for Sanders and the DCCC this cycle, and his victory allows both of them to notch a victory in a race they would very much like to win in November. Sanders, in particular, has faced questions about his record of endorsements, after two high-profile candidates backed by the senator lost last week. “I [could] be 100 percent in terms of my endorsements,” Sanders said earlier this summer after a former campaign staffer he endorsed got crushed in a crowded congressional primary. “All you’ve got to do is endorse establishment candidates who have a whole lot of money, who are 40 points ahead in the poll. You know what, you’ll come and say, ‘Bernie, you were 100-percent supportive of these candidates, they all won.’” Advertisement Bryce coasted to victory on Tuesday, but he’ll have his work cut out for him in November. Wisconsin Republicans redrew the district in 2010 to make life easier for Ryan, who was then the chairman of the House Budget Committee and a rising star in the party, and with Ryan on the presidential ticket in 2012, Romney won the district by 5 points, despite losing Wisconsin by 7. Four years later, Trump won the district by 10 points while winning the state by less than a single point. That built-in GOP advantage was on display yet again this spring, when a Republican-backed candidate for the state Supreme Court carried Ryan’s district by 5 points despite losing the statewide race by 11. Still, the Cook Political Report reclassified the race after Ryan’s exit from “Likely Republican” to “Lean Republican,” signaling a legitimate opening for Democrats despite the district’s GOP tilt.<doc-sep>Ironworker Randy Bryce, more popularly known as "Ironstache,” is projected to win the Democratic primary for the seat being vacated by House Speaker Paul Ryan Paul Davis RyanPaul Ryan to headline Kinzinger fundraiser Biden's relationship with top House Republican is frosty The Hill's Morning Report - Presented by Emergent BioSolutions - Facebook upholds Trump ban; GOP leaders back Stefanik to replace Cheney MORE (R-Wis.). Bryce, the mustachioed 53-year-old endorsed by Sen. Bernie Sanders Bernie SandersSenate competitiveness bill includes B authorization for Bezos space company Sanders wants government to get 'piece' of US semiconductor companies in exchange for aid Poll: 51 percent oppose Sanders-led resolution to block weapons sales to Israel MORE (I-Vt.), defeated local school board member and teacher Cathy Myers, 55, on Tuesday, The Associated Press projected, in a primary that turned bitter and personal. He won 59 percent of the vote in Wisconsin's 1st District, compared to Myers's 41 percent. ADVERTISEMENT Bryce captured national attention with his emotional campaign announcement video. In it, Bryce's mother talks about the difficulty of affording life-saving drugs. At the end of the video, the ironworker calls on Ryan to “trade places” with him. The union organizer won the endorsement of Sanders late last year and was elevated by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee to its “Red to Blue” program, which gives financial and organizational support to designated candidates. Bryce’s video star power also translated into donations, and he outraised Myers by $5 million. He backs a progressive agenda that includes single-payer health care, or “Medicare for all,” and a $15 minimum wage, a platform that is also supported by Myers. Bryce was also one of the first Democratic candidates to call for abolishing the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), a movement that gained steam at the height of the family separations crisis that consumed the Trump administration in recent weeks. The Democratic primary was heated and, at times, personal. Bryce weathered a number of negative headlines that included past arrests in the 1990s for driving under the influence of alcohol and marijuana possession, which he has apologized for. He also endured stories about his failure to pay child support, which he started paying after launching his bid. Myers sought to frame Bryce as unfit to serve in Congress and has used his past transgressions against him in campaign ads. But Bryce pushed back on Myers in his own ad that criticized her for “attacking” Sanders, 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham ClintonHillary Clinton takes on conspiracy theories on Borat special Top general: Russia, China will look to expand influence in Middle East as US pulls back We have a chance to halt climate change if we stop destroying carbon sinks and cut methane MORE and Rep. Gwen Moore Gwen Sophia MooreDemocrats offer bill to encourage hiring of groups hard-hit by pandemic Shining a light on COINTELPRO's dangerous legacy Lawmakers urge IRS to boost outreach about tax credits for low-income Americans MORE (D-Wis.), though the basis of the accusation against the school board member is unclear. Bryce will face Republican Bryan Steil, an attorney and business executive endorsed by Ryan, who emerged the winner in the crowded GOP primary. Bryce goes into the general election with a money advantage over Steil, who jumped into the race nearly a year after the Wisconsin Democrat. Bryce has nearly $1.7 million on hand, compared to Steil’s $630,000. Democrats believe they can win Ryan's seat now that the House Speaker is retiring after representing the district since 1999. The race is rated by Cook Political Report as "lean Republican." President Trump Donald TrumpTrump lashes out after grand jury seated for New York criminal probe Schumer tees up vote on Jan. 6 commission bill Senators struggle to save Jan. 6 commission MORE won Ryan's seat by 10 points in 2016. And while former President Obama narrowly lost the district in 2012, he won it by 3 points in 2008.<doc-sep>
Democrats in House Speaker Paul Ryan’s Wisconsin district have decided: They want Randy “Ironstache” Bryce to try to flip the seat blue. Bryce, the populist ironworker and union organizer who goes by the nickname “Ironstache,” beat out Cathy Myers, a school board member and teacher, in the district’s bitter Democratic primary battle Tuesday. The race was called with 68 percent of precincts reporting; Bryce led by more than 20 points. He will face Republican Bryan Steil, a well-known local business executive with Ryan’s endorsement, in November. For months, Bryce and Myers have been embroiled in a messy mudslinging match to clinch the chance to win Ryan’s congressional seat. Bryce first gained a national platform after releasing a viral campaign ad in the summer of 2017, raking in donations and winning some high-profile endorsements, like Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Wisconsin Rep. Mark Pocan (D), the chair of the House Progressive Caucus. But the ugly primary race could damage Bryce for the general. Bryce has had media flubs and has faced questions over his past failures to pay child support and past arrests for marijuana use and a DUI — a record Myers actively attacked Bryce on in the lead-up to Tuesday’s election. An Army veteran who bills himself as the working-class candidate, Bryce was a Sanders delegate for Wisconsin in the 2016 Democratic National Convention. His platform mirrors that of progressive candidates across the country, from Medicare-for-all to tuition-free college. He’s also the first congressional candidate who has a unionized campaign staff. Unseating Ryan has always been something of a pipe dream for Democrats. But with Ryan’s retirement, Democrats have a real chance to win the open seat. The Cook Political Report rates the race Lean Republican or R+5. Hillary Clinton lost the district by 11 points in 2016, and Barack Obama lost it by 5 in 2012. But Obama won the district by 3 points in 2008, and a surge in Democratic voters could catapult the party to a win. If Bryce can brush off the negative primary, it’s possible Paul Ryan’s seat could see a Democrat for the first time in more than two decades.