Lorenzo Santos took a shot at his rivals for the Dem nomination in the 1st CD, saying one doesn’t show up in the southeastern Wisconsin district, one doesn’t live in the seat, and the other can’t win.

Santos, a former Racine County official, didn’t mention his rivals by name in knocking them, though Milwaukee Ald. Peter Burgelis lives outside the seat.

“I know we want to be Wisconsin nice, but right now is the time to kick some ass,” Santos said.

1st CD contenders Santos, Burgelis, UW-Whitewater administrator Miguel Aranda and emergency room nurse Mitchell Berman spoke to activists as challengers for GOP-held congressional districts made their pitch to the state convention.

Burgelis said the gerrymandered 1st CD is a mile from his home and touted his work listening to constituents and getting things done for them.

“What my constituents tell me is the same thing I heard throughout southeastern Wisconsin, where voters are afraid about affordability, frustrated that everything is less and less affordable because of Donald Trump and Bryan Steil.”

Berman recounted how his mother was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer at 49 years old and the costs of her private insurance kept rising until it was unaffordable. He said Medicaid coverage gave her eight more years of life to dance with him at his wedding and to hold his daughter, his first grandchild.

“I find it unconscionable that families like mine might not have that opportunity to spend time with their loved ones,” he said.

Aranda spoke to the convention via video message, saying he knows what it’s like to live paycheck to paycheck and called for raising pay for educators.

“Hey, we can do it for ICE, we can do it for teachers,” he said.

The 3rd CD is seen as a better opportunity for Dems to flip than the 1st. 

Nick Padesky, the campaign manager for Eau Claire Ald. Emily Berge’s, spoke on her behalf at the convention. He recounted his father’s health struggles with kidney failure and later being diagnosed with myeloma, a cancer. 

He said his father fell recently and was denied the health care coverage he needed. 

“This is the reality for people with insurance—with insurance. Emily Berge is the only candidate fighting for Medicare for all. She is the only candidate putting people over the profits of MAGA corporations and the bonuses of their CEOs,” he said. 

Rebecca Cooke addressed activists via video message, saying she was tied up with appearances in the western Wisconsin districts. 

The nonprofit director and waitress, who has worked as a political operative, said she’s running because she believes there needs to be more “working-class folks” in Washington, D.C. She also touted a pledge she took not to accept corporate PAC contributions.

“I’m only influenced by the people in this district,” she said.