Roger Polack Wins Wisconsin First District Congress Primary

MOUNT PLEASANT, WI — We now know which Democratic challenger will face Republican incumbent Bryan Steil this November in the state's First Congressional District.

Roger Polack, 37, Caledonia, won the Democratic primary Tuesday night over opponent Josh Pade.

"I’m going to bring the same tenacity to Congress that I brought to protecting the United States throughout my decade of service to our country," he wrote in his official campaign bio. "I’ll work harder than anyone to build a real grassroots campaign across this district that can win, and I’m not going to take a dime from corporate PACs and special interests. This campaign is about people right here in Wisconsin—not them."

Polack studied at UW-Eau Claire and UW-Madison before working as a civil intelligence officer with service time in Afghanistan. Polack studied law at Georgetown and also worked in the U.S. Treasury department.

"My priorities lie with Wisconsinites over large corporations. I know what it’s like growing up living check-to-check and will always prioritize families over corporations," he wrote in a Wisconsin State Journal report.

As of July 22, Polack had out raised and outspent Pade by a four-to-one margin. According to opensecrets.org, Polack has raised nearly $233,000 and spent just over $200,000. By contrast, Pade has raised $61,000 and spent $52,000. Polack has just over $32,000 cash on hand and Pade had just over $9,000.

Both Democratic challengers fundraising figures are overshadowed by those of Republican incumbent Bryan Steil, who has raised $2.5 million and spent just over $1 million. Steil has $1.4 million cash on had as of July 22.

Polack's opponent, Josh Pade, 40, Bristol, described himself as a businessman and as well as an expert at public policy. "I learned the importance of servant leadership working for a Wisconsin family company, and I learned the value of political courage as an intern for Sen. Russ Feingold," he wrote in a Wisconsin State Journal Report.

Pade studied political science at Suffolk University Law School before interning for former Sen. Russ Feingold and current Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California. Pade tried his hand in politics in 2018 when he garnered about 1 percent of the vote in the 2018 Democratic primary for governor.

Election Results

✓ Roger Polack 58%
Josh Pade 42%

Polack takes on Bryan Steil (R) incumbent in November.

Steil's top contributors include Northwestern Mutual at $22,700, ABC Supply at $22,600, Michaels Pipeline Construction at $22,400, American Bankers Association at $18.275 and Hendricks Holding Company at $16,800. Steil's campaign war chest is funded primarily through large individual contributions and PAC contributions, which make up 48 percent and 37 percent of overall contributions, respectively.