Four Democrats and a Jan. 6 Participant Vie for Ron Kind's Seat in Congress

As someone who didn’t always vote with the pack, US Rep. Ron Kind is going out as independently as he came in—a trait which provides a backdrop for Wisconsin’s most competitive congressional race this year. Kind was the only Democrat in the House of Representatives to vote against a bill Wednesday that proposes a public notification system for active shooter situations, similar to an Amber Alert system for missing children. The bill passed, 260-169, with 43 Republicans voting for it alone with every other Democrat except Kind.

Retiring from Congress after 13 terms, the La Crosse Democrat is no stranger to being an outlier in his caucus, and he frequently notes that his electoral success has come from mirroring an independent streak among voters in the 3rd Congressional District. Prior to Kind’s lengthy tenure, the seat was held for 16 years by Republican Steve Gunderson, who also held moderate positions that didn’t sit well with some of his party’s rank and file. Kind narrowly defeated Republican Derrick Van Orden in 2020, 51%-49%, even as former President Donald Trump carried the 3rd District, as also did in 2016 when Kind benefitted from Republicans failing to put any challenger on the ballot.

With Kind stepping down, four Democrats have put themselves on the Aug. 9 primary ballot, each hoping to face Van Orden—the presumptive GOP nominee—this fall. Whichever candidate becomes the nominee will likely put immense focus on Van Orden’s presence on the US Capitol grounds on Jan. 6, 2021—when a mob attacked the Capitol as part of a plot by former President Donald Trump to delay the counting of electoral votes or steal the election with fraudulent electoral ballots that overturned the will of voters in Wisconsin and other states.

Van Orden—who used campaign funds for the trip—claims to have left the Capitol area before the deadly violence began. The four Democratic candidates include a former CIA officer, a small-business owner, a physician, and a current state senator who previously worked for Kind.

https://upnorthnewswi.com/2022/07/15/four-democrats-and-a-jan-6-participant-vie-for-ron-kinds-seat-in-congress/

I hope we are going to hold on to this seat.