Zerban will form committee to explore Ryan challenge in 2014

KENOSHA (WITI) -- As the House of Representatives prepared to vote Wednesday, March 20th on the Paul Ryan budget small business owner Rob Zerban announced the formation of a committee to explore a 2014 challenge to Congressman Ryan.

Zerban, a Kenosha businessman who built two food service companies and a former Kenosha County supervisor, released the following statement Wednesday:

"Since the election, I have been inundated with phone calls and emails from people all over the First District urging me to come forward again to give the people of Southeast Wisconsin a viable alternative to Paul Ryan. I've been listening to people from Janesville to Racine talk about their need for jobs and economic security, good schools and fair pay, and a strong social safety net for the hardships life sometimes throws our way. The formation of this exploratory committee is simply a formalizing of that process of listening to my friends and neighbors.

My hope is that, over the next few months, we will begin to have a conversation about what the people of the Wisconsin's First District really want: a secure future, not federal austerity."

In 2012, Zerban gave Ryan the closest challenge of his Congressional career - and shaved nearly 20 points off Ryan's average victory margin, even while Ryan was on a presidential ticket with Mitt Romney. It was the closest 2012 Congressional election in Wisconsin.

Republican Party of Wisconsin Executive Director Joe Fadness responded to Zerban's announcement on Wednesday, saying:

“Failed Congressional candidate Rob Zerban announced his intention to launch another desperate negative campaign against popular eight-time elected Representative Paul Ryan. 

Zerban’s 2012 campaign was light on substance and heavy on misleading falsehoods. If elected, he would be nothing more than a rubber stamp the destructive policies of President Barack Obama and Nancy Pelosi’s that have left this nation with record debt, high unemployment and ruinous spending. 

In stark contrast, Congressman Ryan is one of the nation’s leading taxpayer advocates. He has a strong record of working to balance the budget, reduce the tax burden facing the middle class families and give job creators the tools they need to grow the economy.”