Democrats Competing For Chance To Snag Paul Ryan’s Congressional Seat

When Democratic voters in Wisconsin’s 1^st Congressional District go to the polls on Tuesday, they’ll have to choose between two candidates who they think has the best chance to unseat incumbent and Republican rising star, U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan. One contender came relatively close to defeating Ryan in the election two years ago, but he’s now facing a fellow candidate whose father was killed in a high-profile hate crime.

Former Kenosha County supervisor Rob Zerban took on the longtime Republican congressman two years ago when Ryan was also running for vice president. Zerban said he did better than other Democrats had in the 1st District since Ryan first won in 1998.

“You know, it’s a pretty big accomplishment getting Paul Ryan below 55 percent and winning his hometown of Janesville. His home voting ward even in Rock County,” Zeran said.

Zerban said he’s been campaigning since last fall, promoting measures that he said will help working people. For example, Zerban supports the federal government raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour.

Zerban’s Democratic primary opponent, Amar Kaleka, is a first-time political candidate. Kaleka backs — for now — raising the minimum wage to $11.45 per hour. Kaleka also wants Congress to more broadly address poverty, and mentions the man who shot his father and five others at the Sikh temple in Oak Creek two years ago.

“Poverty leads to a number of things like violence and anger (and) antagonism — like what happened here at the temple. The gentleman was obviously going through veterans’ benefits cuts and had a horrible time in the economy. And those are things we can change.”

Kaleka said that Zerban might have gotten relatively close to toppling Ryan two years ago, but still lost by 11 or 12 percent in a congressional district that only slightly went for the Mitt Romney-Ryan ticket.

Ryan does face his own primary challenge, but he’s expected to easily defeat opponent Jeremy Ryan in the Republican primary.