A Wisconsin abortion doctor became the first Democratic candidate for Wisconsin’s 8th Congressional District this past Tuesday. The district will have an open-seat race after the early retirement of longtime Republican congressman Rep. Mike Gallagher.
Dr. Kristin Lyerly, an OB/GYN, is running unopposed in the Democratic primary which is to be decided August 13. Democrats did not run a candidate in the solidly Republican 8th Congressional District in the 2022 election. Trump won the district by 16 percentage points in 2020.
Lyerly made it clear that she would make abortion a central issue in the race in the Republican-led district.
“As an OB/GYN, I have been attacked firsthand by MAGA extremists targeting a woman’s right to make her own health choices,” Lyerly said in a statement. “I will work tirelessly to ensure that every woman in our state has access to reproductive care, including safe and legal abortions, essential services like maternity care, and mental health support.”
Lyerly was one of the plaintiffs in a Wisconsin Lawsuit to keep abortions legal after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. The lawsuit succeeded and Dane County Circuit Judge Diane Schlipper ruled in a 14-page opinion that keeps consensual abortions legal this past July.
Lyerly will face off against one of two official Republican candidates, State Sen. Andre Jacque and former state Sen. Roger Rother. Both candidates oppose abortion.
The district includes the cities of Appleton, Green Bay, and Door County, and covers mostly rural areas North through Marinette.
