State Rep. Katrina Shankland joining 3rd CD race

by Baylor Spears, Wisconsin Examiner
October 4, 2023

State Rep. Katrina Shankland (D-Stevens Point) announced Tuesday that she is entering the race to challenge Republican U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden for Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District. 

The congressional district, which covers the Driftless Area in southwestern and western Wisconsin as well as the cities of La Crosse, Eau Claire and Stevens Point and suburban bedroom communities near Minneapolis, is one of the most competitive in the state. 

Shankland, who has served in the state Assembly since 2013, said in her campaign announcement that she’s running to “bring some common sense to our nation’s capital.”

“I am ready to roll up my sleeves and fight against extremism and get things done for our community — just as I’ve done in the state legislature,” Shankland said in a statement. 

Shankland said that people recognize “overwhelmingly that there is dysfunction in Washington, and they want someone who can cut through that dysfunction.” She said she has a proven track record in the Assembly and across the Congressional District, making her uniquely suited to serve in Congress. 

Shankland said her time in the Assembly — where she has helped to pass  about 170 bills — and work on issues relevant to rural Wisconsinites is going to be key to winning the race. She specifically noted her work on water quality, supporting farmers with sustainable agricultural initiatives and lowering the cost of prescription drugs like epinephrine.

“[People] shouldn’t have to goad their elected officials into doing the right thing by them,” Shankland told the Wisconsin Examiner. “I’ve developed a reputation of being a trustworthy person who honors their word and their oath and that is something I’ll take with me to Washington.” 

Noting her performance in past Assembly elections, Shankland told the Wisconsin Examiner that she has built a coalition of people that have supported her in the past and that she will continue building. 

During her tenure in the Assembly, Shankland has typically won reelection handily. She ran unopposed in her first three reelection cycles and won with 55% of the vote in 2020 and 57% of the vote in 2022.  

“My goal is to not take any area of the 3rd [CD} for granted or any voter and to build a winning coalition of people who recognize my problem solving skills and leadership are needed in Washington,” Shankland said in an interview. 

Shankland’s congressional run could leave her seat representing the 71st Assembly district at a time when the state’s legislative maps are being challenged and Republican state lawmakers are looking at various ways to keep control of the state Legislature. Shankland said she will work with the Democratic Party and local constituents on finding candidates. 

“The Portage County community isn’t just fired up for the 3rd Congressional District. They’re also fired up to ensure we have the best possible representative for the 71st Assembly district,” Shankland said. “Not only is winning up ticket a priority for me, but so is winning down ticket and that is my commitment to not only the 71st Assembly district but to the Assembly districts across the 3rd Congressional District.” 

Shankland said that she made the decision to get into the congressional race recently after a lot of consideration and encouragement from her constituents and others across the district. 

Shankland launched her campaign with endorsements from some state and local elected officials including state Rep. Jodi Emerson (D-Eau Claire) and Wausau Mayor Katie Rosenberg and from several labor unions. 

Last election cycle, Van Orden beat state Sen. Brad Pfaff (D-Onalaska) by about 4 points — a loss that Wisconsin Democrats after blamed on the party’s national campaign arm for withdrawing support from a winnable race in a close district. Prior to Van Orden, Democrat Ron Kind, who retired, had represented the district for 26 years.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) has said that it would target Wisconsin’s 1st Congressional District seat, which is held by Republican Rep. Bryan Steil, and the 3rd in the upcoming election cycle as it looks to secure a majority in the U.S. House of Representatives. 

When asked if she had concerns about whether there will be enough support from the national party, Shankland said that she agreed that the DCCC made an unforced error last election cycle and that she has heard those concerns from across the district. 

“They felt abandoned, and my goal is to ensure that the people of the third never feel abandoned again,” Shankland said. “I am in this race to win it and I am in this race to give everyone in the third a voice and that includes making sure that the DCCC understands the people the 3rd deserve the best possible representation, not an extremist like Derrick Van Orden.”

She added that she will prove to the DCCC and other national groups that the race is one to invest in early. 

Van Orden, who is a retired Navy SEAL, faced criticism from Democrats and Republicans in July after he cursed out a group of high school-aged Senate pages for taking pictures on the floor of the Capitol Rotunda. 

In 2021, Van Orden used campaign donations to attend the “Stop the Steal” protest in Washington D.C. that led to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. He has said that he didn’t enter Capitol grounds, though photos and reports have placed him beyond police barriers that day.

Shankland’s announcement comes after Pfaff and former CIA officer Deb McGrath, who both ran in the last cycle, said they would not run for the seat. She joins a growing pool of Democratic candidates, who hope to flip the seat in 2024.

Eau Claire-based small business owner Rebecca Cooke, who ran for the Democratic nomination for the seat in 2022, was the first Democrat to announce her campaign for the seat. Former La Crosse County Board chair Tara Johnson and Aaron Nytes, who is a Harvard Law student who doesn’t live in the district, are also running for the seat. 

Cooke announced in a press release on Tuesday that her campaign, which launched in July, has raised more than $400,000.

Several prominent Democrats have endorsed Johnson for the seat, including McGrath, state Rep. Steve Doyle (D-Onalaska), Secretary of State Sarah Godlewski, and state Sen. Melissa Agard (D-Madison).

Wisconsin Examiner is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Wisconsin Examiner maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Ruth Conniff for questions: info@wisconsinexaminer.com. Follow Wisconsin Examiner on Facebook and Twitter.