Democratic Rep. Peter Barca Won’t Run For Paul Ryan’s Congressional Seat

Democratic Rep. Peter Barca has decided against running for House Speaker Paul Ryan’s congressional seat.

Barca represented the First Congressional District in the 1990s and started thinking about running again after Ryan announced he won’t seek re-election.

Barca said in a statement Tuesday that after talking with family, friends and supporters he has decided not to run for that district and will seek re-election to his current seat representing Wisconsin’s 64th Assembly District, which includes Kenosha.

Barca and U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan both say they recently talked about how hard it would be for Barca to get into the race so close to the Aug. 14 primary. Two other Democrats, Randy Bryce and Cathy Myers are already running.