Wisconsin's 8th congressional district election, 2006

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The Wisconsin 8th congressional district election of 2006 took place on November 7, 2006, and is Wisconsin's most expensive House race to date ^[1] ^[2]. Wisconsin's Representative for the 109th Congress, Mark Green, announced that he would run for governor of Wisconsin rather than seek re-election to the House. The candidates for the open seat were Republican nominee John Gard and Democratic nominee Steve Kagen. Steve Kagen won the general election with 51% to Gard's 49%.

1 Overview
2 Primaries
3 Candidates
- 3.1 John Gard
- 3.2 Steve Kagen
4 References
5 External links

[edit] Overview

Wisconsin's 8th congressional district is a moderate district with Republican leanings. Democrat Jay W. Johnson was elected in 1996, followed by Republican Mark Green in 1998. In the 2004 presidential election, 55% of the district voted for Bush. ^[3] The Cook Political Report currently listed the district as Republican Tossup. ^[4]

[edit] Primaries

In the September 12th Republican primary, John Gard won 71% of the vote to win the nomination over State Representative Terri McCormick ^[3].

In the Democratic primary held the same day, Steve Kagen won 47% of the vote to win the nomination over Mayor of De Pere Nancy Nusbaum and Jamie Wall.

[edit] Candidates

[edit] John Gard

Main article: John Gard

John Gard was a Republican member of the Wisconsin State Assembly representing the 89th district from 1987 until 2007, and had served as Republican leader and Speaker of the Assembly.

[edit] Steve Kagen

Democratic nominee Steve Kagen is a physician who founded four allergy clinics in Wisconsin, and is assistant clinical professor at the Medical College of Wisconsin.^[5]

He started his career as a Teamster working in the sugar industry before earning an honors degree in Molecular Biology and his medical degree from the Medical College of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.