Former Assembly Speaker Mike Sheridan considering Democratic run for Congress in Steil district

WASHINGTON – The Democratic primary to challenge Republican Rep. Bryan Steil for his southeastern Wisconsin House seat could soon grow.

Former Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Mike Sheridan, a Janesville Democrat, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on Monday he is considering a campaign for the 1st Congressional District. And he said a potential run from former Democratic Congressman Peter Barca would not dissuade him from joining the race.

"I just think we need some leadership. We need people with the ability to get things done," Sheridan said. "I think this is the time. If I’m going to do it, I need to take a serious look at it now.”

The comments make Sheridan the latest former lawmaker to consider a challenge to Steil in what has so far been a quiet race for a seat that on paper is the state's closest battlegrounds.

Barca, who represented the district in Congress from 1993 to 1995 and recently announced his departure from his role as secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Revenue, told the Journal Sentinel last month he is "strongly considering" a run and had been encouraged by national Democrats to enter the race.

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Two Democrats — Lorenzo Santos, deputy emergency management coordinator in Racine County, and Racine native Diane Anderson — are currently the only Democrats in the race.

Sheridan served as speaker of the Wisconsin State Assembly from 2009 until 2011. In 2010, he faced criticism after it was disclosed that he was dating a lobbyist for the payday loan industry around the time he softened his stance on regulating that industry. He lost his reelection bid that year.

He later served as a lobbyist for the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO and unsuccessfully ran for state Senate in 2014, placing third in the primary. Sheridan told the Journal Sentinel on Monday that he also sold cars, worked as an addiction recovery coach and did small-business consulting after his time in office. He said he is currently "semi-retired" but drives for Uber.

In an interview, Sheridan lamented the lack of productivity in the current Congress, attacked former President Donald Trump and pitched himself as an underdog.

"Somebody needs to stand up to Trump, and they're all ducking and hiding," Sheridan said of lawmakers on Capitol Hill. "I've just seen so much it's hard to sit by and watch this train wreck, and nobody's trying to fix it."

Still, Barca's potential entrance into the race could pose a big challenge for Sheridan. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, House Democrats' main campaign arm, has for months encouraged Barca to enter the race, Barca told the Journal Sentinel, and could support Barca with resources should he choose to run.

Sheridan, a former United Auto Workers president, on Monday acknowledged Barca is also considering a run and said a primary "is going to be challenging."

But Sheridan said he has been making calls "to "checking the temperature" about making a run of his own. He declined to elaborate on those discussions.

"I certainly have not made a final decision, and a lot of it depends on what kind of support is out there," Sheridan said.

He added: "In my entire career, I always kind of ran as an underdog. I've had pretty good success over the years."

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Ex-Wisconsin legislator Mike Sheridan considering riun for Congress