Lawyers vying for seats in Congress advance to general election

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MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Two lawyers who are candidates for congressional seats have advanced to the general election.

A Balsam Lake attorney on Tuesday won the Democratic nomination for a congressional seat northern Wisconsin.

Margaret Engebretson defeated Marshfield doctor Brian Ewert in Tuesday’s primary in the 7th Congressional District. Engebretson will face incumbent Republican Sean Duffy in the Nov. 6 general election.

Engebretson holds a law degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and handles child custody cases.

The 7th Congressional District covers a massive swath of mostly rural western and northern Wisconsin.

Also, a lawyer and former aide to House Speaker Paul Ryan has won the Wisconsin Republican primary race to replace him.

Bryan Steil won Tuesday over five other competitors. Steil far outraised his opponents and secured the backing of prominent donors and Republicans, including Ryan.

He will face off against union ironworker Randy Bryce in November.

Steil is general counsel for Milton-based Charter NEX Films Inc., an independent producer of polyethylene film used for food and consumer packaging. He previously worked eight years as a corporate attorney at electric motor manufacturer Regal Beloit Corporation.
He is from Janesville, the same hometown as Ryan, in southeast Wisconsin, not far from the Illinois border. The congressional district leans Republican.