MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A first-term Wisconsin Republican who was in the nation’s Capitol during the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection was vying for a second term Tuesday, while another candidate running with the backing of former President Donald Trump was hoping to keep an open district under GOP control.
A former Democratic congressman and state lawmaker was also trying to defeat a Republican in southeast Wisconsin.
Here are the three most-watched congressional races in Wisconsin:
Western Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District, which had been represented by a Democrat for 26 years before it flipped in 2022 with the win by Republican Rep. Derrick Van Orden, is the most competitive district in the state.
Van Orden is a former Navy SEAL who was at the Capitol during the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection and remains one of Trump’s loudest backers in Wisconsin.
He is a top target for Democrats. Former small-business owner and political activist Rebecca Cooke won a three-person primary to take on Van Orden. She has raised more money than any other Democratic challenger in the state, a sign of Democratic optimism for the race.
With the Mississippi River and Minnesota to the west, the district includes the rolling hills of the Driftless Area and Chippewa Falls. From Illinois, it stretches 250 miles (400 kilometers) north past Prairie du Chien, known for its Cabela’s outdoor gear distribution center and 19th-century riverside historic sites.
Former gas station chain owner Tony Wied, running his first race, won the endorsement of Trump to emerge from the Republican primary. He faces Dr. Kristin Lyerly, an obstetrician and abortion rights advocate who sued to overturn Wisconsin’s abortion ban.
Lyerly tried to make the race about abortion. The heavily Republican district includes cities such as Green Bay as well as rural areas.
The seat was vacant after the surprise resignation earlier this year of Republican Mike Gallagher, a sometime critic of Trump's.
Peter Barca, a former congressman and member of the state Legislature, is trying to win back the seat he previously held 30 years ago.
Barca is challenging Republican Rep. Bryan Steil, who is seeking a fourth term representing southeast Wisconsin. Steil succeeded former House Speaker Paul Ryan.
The seat, which leans conservative, was made more competitive for Democrats following the latest round of redistricting.
Barca represented the district in Congress for less than two years, leaving in 1995. He served in the state Assembly two different times for a total of more than 18 years. Before running for Congress, Barca spent more than five years as state revenue secretary.
The district touches Illinois on the south and includes the cities of Kenosha, Racine and Janesville.
FILE - Rebecca Cooke, Democratic candidate for Wisconsin's 3rd Congressional District, attends a candidate's forum, May 1, 2024 in La Crosse, Wis. (Saskia Hatvany/La Crosse Tribune via AP)
FILE - Rep. Derrick Van Orden, D-Wis., speaks with reporters as he arrives for the Republican caucus meeting at the Capitol in Washington, Oct. 19, 2023. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)
SEATTLE (AP) — Unionized machinists at Boeing voted Monday to accept a contract offer and end their strike after more than seven weeks, clearing the way for the aerospace giant to resume production of its bestselling airliner and generate much-needed cash.
Leaders of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers district in Seattle said 59% of members who cast ballots agreed to approve the company’s fourth formal offer and the third put to a vote. The deal includes pay raises of 38% over four years, and ratification and productivity bonuses.
However, Boeing refused to meet strikers’ demand to restore a company pension plan that was frozen nearly a decade ago.
The contract’s ratification on the eve of Election Day clears the way for a major U.S. manufacturer and government contractor to restart Pacific Northwest assembly lines that the factory workers’ walkout have idled for 53 days.
According to the union, the 33,000 workers it represents can return to work as soon as Wednesday or as late as Nov. 12. Boeing’s CEO has said it might take “a couple of weeks” to resume production in part because some could need retraining.
Leaders of IAM District 751 endorsed the latest proposal, saying they thought they had gotten all they could though negotiations and the strike.
“It is time for our members to lock in these gains and confidently declare victory,” the union district said before Monday’s vote. “We believe asking members to stay on strike longer wouldn’t be right as we have achieved so much success.”
The average annual pay of Boeing machinists is currently $75,608 and eventually will rise to $119,309 under the new contract, according to the company.
A continuing strike would have plunged Boeing into further financial peril and uncertainty.
CEO Kelly Ortberg, an outsider who started at Boeing only in August, has announced plans to lay off about 10% of the workforce, about 17,000 people, due to the strike and a series of other factors that diminished the company’s reputation and fortunes this year.
Koenig reported from Dallas. Associated Press writer Hannah Schoenbaum contributed from Salt Lake City.
Boeing employees arrive to vote on a new contract offer from the company Monday, Nov. 4, 2024, at the Aerospace Machinists Union hall in Renton, Wash. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Boeing employees arrive to vote on a new contract offer from the company Monday, Nov. 4, 2024, at the Aerospace Machinists Union hall in Renton, Wash. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
A Boeing employee driving a "union express" van carries carafes as workers vote on a new contract offer from the company Monday, Nov. 4, 2024, at the Aerospace Machinists Union hall in Renton, Wash. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
A truck displays a small strike sign in the parking lot of the Aerospace Machinists Union hall as Boeing employees arrive to vote on a new contract offer from the company Monday, Nov. 4, 2024, in Renton, Wash. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
A Boeing employee walks by a picket sign urging people to vote no on a new contract offer from the company, Monday, Nov. 4, 2024, in Everett, Wash. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
An Everett police officer stands inside the Angel of the Winds Arena as Boeing employees arrive to vote on a new contract offer from the company, Monday, Nov. 4, 2024, in Everett, Wash. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Boeing employees arrive to vote on a new contract offer from the company, Monday, Nov. 4, 2024, in Everett, Wash. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Boeing employees leave after voting on a new contract offer from the company, Monday, Nov. 4, 2024, outside the Angel of the Winds Arena in Everett, Wash. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Boeing employees arrive to vote on a new contract offer from the company Monday, Nov. 4, 2024, at the Aerospace Machinists Union hall in Renton, Wash. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
A Boeing employee, wearing a union shirt, arrives to vote on a new contract offer from the company, Monday, Nov. 4, 2024, at the Aerospace Machinists Union hall in Renton, Wash. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Boeing employees gather around a burn barrel as others arrive to vote on a new contract offer from the company Monday, Nov. 4, 2024, at the Aerospace Machinists Union hall in Renton, Wash. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
EDS NOTE: OBSCENITY - A Boeing employee holds up flyers encouraging others to vote no on a new contract offer from the company, Monday, Nov. 4, 2024, in Everett, Wash. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Boeing employee Adrian Camez, who works in Seattle, stokes the fire of a burn barrel as others arrive to vote on a new contract offer from the company Monday, Nov. 4, 2024, at the Aerospace Machinists Union hall in Renton, Wash. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
