Barca has raised nearly $2 million in the race, with strong support from many labor unions and one Hollywood star.
By Maggie Zale, THE BADGER PROJECT
Kenosha native Peter Barca has raised almost $2 million in the race against Republican incumbent Rep. Bryan Steil, according to his last mandatory campaign finance report before the election. Barca also reported having more than $130,000 on hand in the final weeks before the election.
Barca is an experienced politician, and well-known in the district. He didn’t enter the race, and start fundraising, until the spring. He held this congressional seat for one term in 1993-1994, and later served as the state Assembly Minority Leader for several terms.
But Barca, 69, trails far behind Steil in fundraising, who has raised $5.3 million in the leadup to this election, according to the Federal Election Commission. Steil also reported having almost $2.3 million in the bank for the last three weeks of the campaign.
Steil, 43, from Janesville, first won the seat in 2018 after its former holder, then-Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, retired. Like most incumbents, he has been fundraising for this campaign since the election cycle started nearly two years ago.
Barca has received large donations from many individuals, including Kevin Conroy, CEO of Exact Sciences and attorney and former Democratic state Rep. Dana Wachs.
Mark Ruffalo, the Oscar-nominated actor who plays the Hulk and is also from Kenosha, gave $3,300 to Barca.
Donations to candidates for federal offices from individuals are capped at $3,300 per election, so a person can give a candidate for Congress a max of $6,600 per election cycle, as it includes both a primary and a general. Political Action Committees that give to multiple candidates can donate up to $5,000 per election, for a total of $10,000 per election cycle.
Top donors to Peter Barca in 2024:
| DONOR | NOTES | AMOUNT |
| INTERNATIONAL UNION OF PAINTERS AND ALLIED TRADES POLITICAL ACTION TOGETHER PAC | $10,000 | |
| JOBS, EDUCATION, & FAMILIES FIRST PAC | $10,000 | |
| INTERNATIONAL UNION UNITED AUTOMOBILE AEROSPACE & AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENT WORKERS OF AMERICA PAC | $10,000 | |
| UNITED FOOD AND COMMERCIAL WORKERS INTERNATIONAL UNION ACTIVE BALLOT CLUB PAC | $10,000 | |
| SUSAN BETTERS | PA | $7,000 |
| MARK BAKKEN | WI | $6,600 |
| TIM CULLWN | WI | $6,600 |
| STEPHEN ENGLISH | CA | $6,600 |
| WILLIAM H. HARRIS SR. | MA | $6,600 |
| PETER KELLNER | MA | $6,600 |
| DEBORAH KERN | WI | $6,600 |
| BOB LEE | WI | $6,600 |
| MARGARET MERRICK-BAKKEN | WI | $6,600 |
| JOHN W. MILLER | WI | $6,600 |
| MOLLY MUNGER | CA | $6,600 |
| PATRICIA NOEL | WI | $6,600 |
| BILL PUGH | MD | $6,600 |
| NANCY ROEHR | MN | $6,600 |
| VINCE RUFFOLO | WI | $6,600 |
| ADAM RYAN | WI | $6,600 |
| BRITT RYAN | WI | $6,600 |
| SCOTT SHENKER | CA | $6,600 |
| DEBORAH SIMON | IN | $6,600 |
| ELIZABETH SIMONS | CA | $6,600 |
| TOMAS TORRES | TX | $6,600 |
| DENNIS TROHA | WI | $6,600 |
| NATALIE TROHA | WI | $6,600 |
| LYNDE B. UIHLEIN | WI | $6,600 |
| KALIM M. BEG | WI | $5,000 |
| CARPENTERS LEGISLATIVE IMPROVEMENT COMMITTEE UNITED BROTHERHOOD OF CARPENTERS AND JOINERS PAC | $5,000 | |
| INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF FIREFIGHTERS INTERESTED IN REGISTRATION AND EDUCATION PAC | $5,000 | |
| INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF SHEET METAL, AIR, RAIL AND TRANSPORTATION WORKERS PAC | $5,000 | |
| INTERNATIONAL BROTHERHOOD OF ELECTRICAL WORKERS PAC | $5,000 | |
| MACHINISTS NON PARTISAN POLITICAL LEAGUE OF THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF MACHINISTS & AEROSPACE WORKERS PAC | $5,000 | |
| EVERGREEN PAC | $4,000 | |
| FRIENDS OF DON BEYER | $4,000 | |
| PRADEEP ASNANI | FL | $3,300 |
| TOM BARRON | CO | $3,300 |
| ERUM BEG | WI | $3,300 |
| MARK BETTERS | PA | $3,300 |
| MARK RUFFALO | NY | $3,300 |
| TANYA BJORK | WI | $3,300 |
| MARCIA BUHLER | WI | $3,300 |
| PAUL BUTLER | CA | $3,300 |
| KEVIN T. CONROY | WI | $3,300 |
| JIM CONYNGHAM | TX | $3,300 |
| NABIL DIB | AZ | $3,300 |
| JAMES DOYLE | WI | $3,300 |
| MAX DUCKWORTH | WI | $3,300 |
| ALBERT DWOSKIN | VA | $3,300 |
| HATEM EL-GABRI | IL | $3,300 |
| SHAH HAQQI | WI | $3,300 |
| HOPE HARRINGTON | DC | $3,300 |
| JEFF HOOK | FL | $3,300 |
| IRWIN M. JACOBS | CA | $3,300 |
| BOB KERREY | NY | $3,300 |
| HELENE KOCHER | CA | $3,300 |
| KIM LEEBOVE | FL | $3,300 |
| MARK LEEBOVE | FL | $3,300 |
| ALFRED MCCONNELL | IL | $3,300 |
| LINDSAY MICKLES | CA | $3,300 |
| MARY NIKOLAY | WI | $3,300 |
| JOHN M. NOEL | WI | $3,300 |
| FORREST NORROD | TX | $3,300 |
| KATHY OLSEN | TN | $3,300 |
| JAMES ROSAPEPE | MD | $3,300 |
| BENJAMIN ROSS | MD | $3,300 |
| JACK SALZWEDEL | WI | $3,300 |
| MARTIN SCHREIBER | WI | $3,300 |
| AVERY SEAVEY | NY | $3,300 |
| GWENDOLYN SONTHEIM | CA | $3,300 |
| LYDIA SPOTTSWOOD | WI | $3,300 |
| MATT STIPPICH | WI | $3,300 |
| JOHN STOCKS | WI | $3,300 |
| MARK THOMSEN | WI | $3,300 |
| DANA WACHS | WI | $3,300 |
| SAGE WEIL | WI | $3,300 |
The Badger Project is a nonpartisan, citizen-supported journalism nonprofit in Wisconsin.