National Democrats see two Wisconsin districts currently held by Republicans as up for grabs in November — the 1st and 3rd Congressional Districts.
Though both are among their top targets, the latter is seen as their best chance to flip a seat in the state.
Here’s how the primaries in those key districts — as well as an open seat in the 7th Congressional District, where the son-in-law of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is vying to win — are shaping up.
1st Congressional District
Democrat Mitchell Berman will face incumbent GOP Rep. Bryan Steil in Wisconsin’s 1st Congressional District in the November election, CBS News projects.
Berman, a nurse, defeated two other Democratic opponents to win his primary Tuesday. According to the latest data from the Federal Election Commission, Berman raised significantly more than his primary competitors, but Steil has a $6.1 million cash-on-hand advantage over Berman.
Steil was first elected in 2018, replacing former House Speaker Paul Ryan, who represented the southeastern Wisconsin district from 1999 to 2019.
A Democrat has not represented the district in more than 30 years, but House Democrats’ campaign arm, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, considers it as one of 46 districts in play this cycle.
The University of Virginia’s Center for Politics rates the race as likely Republican.
3rd Congressional District
The general election in Wisconsin’s competitive 3rd Congressional District will be a rematch between Democrat Rebecca Cooke and the Republican incumbent, Rep. Derrick Van Orden, CBS News projects.
Cooke — who has the backing of House Democrats’ campaign arm, which considers the seat a top target as the party seeks to regain the majority — beat progressive Emily Berge to win the Democratic nomination.
Cooke lost to Van Orden in 2024 by less than three percentage points. The University of Virginia’s Center for Politics rates the race as a toss-up.
Cooke also has a fundraising edge over Van Orden, according to the latest data from the Federal Election Commission. Cooke has raised about $8.6 million compared with Van Orden’s $7.5 million. Van Orden, however, has nearly $3 million more cash on hand than his Democratic opponent.
Van Orden first won the western Wisconsin seat in 2022, flipping the district red. Cooke lost a primary bid that year for the Democratic nomination.
7th Congressional District
Duffy’s son-in-law Michael Alfonso won the Republican primary in Wisconsin’s solid-red 7th Congressional District on Tuesday, CBS News projects. The Democratic primary remains unsettled.
The district, which stretches across northwestern Wisconsin into the central part of the state, is currently represented by GOP Rep. Tom Tiffany, who is running for governor.
The seat was held by Democrats for decades until Duffy won in 2010. Duffy resigned from Congress in 2019, citing the health complications of his ninth child.
The Cook Political Report considers the seat solid Republican.
President Trump endorsed Alfonso in January, calling him “a young ‘STAR.'”