An executive with plastics packaging firm Charter NEX Films Inc. won the Republican nomination for the U.S. Congress in an Aug. 14 primary for the Wisconsin seat being vacated by retiring House Speaker Paul Ryan.
Bryan Steil, general counsel for the Milton, Wis.-based Charter NEX, will face off against Democrat Randy Bryce in the November general election.
Steil, a former aide to Ryan, won just over 51 percent of the primary vote and bested several challengers.
He touts his manufacturing background and featured it prominently in his campaign's first television advertisement, in late July.
"I am focused on creating high paying Wisconsin jobs, cutting spending, and lowering the cost of health care," he said in a statement on winning the primary.
Steil entered the race in late April, after Ryan unexpectedly announced his retirement. The Congressional district has been in Republican party hands since 1994.
Steil comes from a prominent political family in southeastern Wisconsin and has been active in local Republican party politics. He was appointed to the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents in 2016 by Gov. Scott Walker. Prior to joining Charter NEX, Steil, 37, was corporate counsel at electric motor manufacturer Regal Beloit Corp. in Beloit, Wis., and a worked as a lawyer in private practice.
