Congressional District WI-8

WI-8 Congressional District In 2006, in one of the most competitive open seats in the country, Dr. Steve Kagen, a first-time candidate, defeated Wisconsin’s Republican Speaker of the House John Gard 51% to 49% in Wisconsin’s 8th Congressional District. Republican incumbent Mark Green decided not to seek a fifth term to run for governor. Gard was considered the clear frontrunner throughout most of the race.

The race two years ago was considered one of the nastiest in the nation. Both sides ran weeks of negative ads and the Republicans dubbed Kagen “Dr. Millionaire” for his self-financing. The Democrats tagged Gard as a corrupt politician for associations with scandals in the legislature. This year may well be a repeat in one of the most contested seats that the Democrats need to protect.

The 8th District is located in the northeastern corner of the state, with Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and Lake Michigan to its north and east respectively. It consists of 14 mostly rural counties and runs as far south as Appleton, which is about 100 miles north of Milwaukee and is the second largest town in the district after “Titletown USA” better known as Green Bay, Wisconsin.

The district is largely rural and has traditionally voted Republican. In fact, Kagen is only the third Democrat to represent the district in Congress since World War II.

In addition to incumbency, Kagen will have a geographical advantage in his rematch with Gard. Kagen is from Appleton, the second largest city in the state and an area where Kagen won handily in 2006 despite being a traditionally Republican stronghold. Outagamie County has four times as many voters as Gard’s home county of Marinette.

Prior to being elected, Kagen had no elected political experience and used his reputation as a doctor to promote a campaign centered on health care reform. His ads often referenced his accomplishment of being voted one of the “Best Doctors in America” by Wisconsin doctors. He also pushed a plan he called “No Patient Left Behind” that would among other things give healthcare coverage to children and employed adults.

Kagen’s medical background not only lent to his creditability as a candidate, but to his war chest as well. Kagen was able to spend more than $3.1 million on his race thanks in large part to a personal loan to the tune of $2.57 million. Gard, who was the Wisconsin Assembly Speaker, was able to keep pace in terms of spending by dishing out just shy of $2.8 million. This contest was the most expensive congressional race in Wisconsin history, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (11/8/2006).

Both candidates appear to be gearing up for another expensive election this year. Kagen leads with $926,654 cash on hand as of mid-year 2008, while Gard has $649,355.

The campaign thus far has somewhat mirrored the presidential race between Senators Barack Obama (D-Ill) and John McCain (R-Ariz) with gas prices and energy plans being a recent focus of the race. Like McCain, Gard has also called for a series of town hall meetings to discuss the price at the pump. No events have been scheduled.

 

Like the race for the White House, the Democrat is leading in Wisconsin’s 8th Congressional district. Kagen holds a 46%-42% lead according to a Public Opinion Strategies poll conducted July 7-8th. Obama has not trailed in a major poll since May and currently holds a 5 point lead according to a Strategic Vision poll, but has held as much as a 13 point lead during the last two months.