Despite his massive cash advantage and national profile, Randy Bryce is in a dead heat with Cathy Myers just over a month before the two are set to face off in the Democratic primary for the seat of outgoing House Speaker Paul Ryan, according to a new poll obtained first by the Washington Examiner.
The survey was taken among 1,020 likely 2018 Democratic primary voters from July 8-9 by the Congressional Leadership Fund, a super PAC affiliated with Ryan. Asked which candidate they would vote for if the election were held today, 34 percent of respondents said Myers, 33 percent said Bryce, and an additional 33 percent said they were undecided. The poll’s margin of error is ±3.06 percent.
Bryce, an Army veteran and ironworker, surged to national fame last summer after his first campaign advertisement went viral. Democrats saw the combination of his progressive politics and blue collar credentials as evidence they could win back support from the white working class in Midwestern districts like Ryan’s. Over the course of his campaign, Bryce has raked in more than $6 million dollars, earned shoutouts from celebrities, endorsements from high-profile politicians and interest groups, and a coveted slot on Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s “Red to Blue” list.
But a steady stream of bad press has plagued Bryce’s candidacy, most recently a CNN report last week that revealed a record of nine arrests, including three for driving with a suspended license, and one that resulted in a 1998 guilty plea for drunk driving. He had previously admitted to tardy child support payments and a bankruptcy, in addition to other financial struggles. The CLF poll was taken just days after CNN’s report was published.
Myers is a local school board member who, like Bryce, supports progressive proposals including “Medicare for All” and increasing the minimum wage to $15 an hour. At a debate on Sunday, she referred to ICE agents as “thugs” and slammed Bryce for taking money from PACs funded by corporate PACs. The pair will face off in another debate on Wednesday.
“Just like Democratic primary voters, CLF is having a tough time deciding which candidate will be more fun to defeat in November,” Corry Bliss, the PAC’s executive director, said in a statement. “Wisconsin Democrats have a difficult choice between a deadbeat dad who has been arrested nine times, or a candidate who not only wants to dismantle ICE, but calls ICE officers ‘thugs.’ We’re looking forward to defeating whoever comes out of the primary.”
Thirty-seven-year-old attorney Bryan Steil is the Republican frontrunner. Steil, who worked previously as a staffer in Ryan’s office and is now a member of the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents, jumped into the race in late April. His campaign announced on Tuesday that Steil raised over $650,000 in just over two months. He also has Ryan’s endorsement.
The primary will be on Aug. 14. Between his cash advantage and national profile, on paper at least, Bryce should not be in a tie at this stage of the race. His struggle to jump ahead could have national Democrats fretting they bet on the wrong candidate.
