For the first time since Amanda Stuck in 2020, you will have a Democratic candidate on the ballot for Wisconsin’s Eighth Congressional District.

Dr. Kristin Lyerly told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel ahead of her official announcement at a Green Bay brewery on Thursday that she will run for Congress this fall. “I think people have really felt unrepresented, like their voices have gone unheard, and that needs to change,” Lyerly told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. “There is a path here (for Democrats) for the first time in a really long time.”

Lyerly, an OB/GYN doctor from De Pere, has never held elected office but is not a stranger to politics. She lost to Rep. John Macco in 2020 in a bid to replace him in the 88th Assembly District by less than 2,000 votes. She has also been a leading voice in the Democratic Party’s stance on women’s healthcare decisions. Former journalist Kelly Peterson and Navy veteran Alicia Saunders had also been weighing a run for Congress, but they will instead turn their attention to elected positions at the state level.

Earlier this year, State Senator Andre Jacque and former State Senator Roger Roth declared their candidacy for the Republican nomination shortly after Gallagher announced he would not seek a fifth term. GOP Strategist Alex Bruesewitz said he would also consider a run for the seat and could make his intentions known next week.