Rep. Barca to step down as Assembly minority leader

MADISON, Wis. — Assembly Democractic Leader Rep. Peter Barca will step down as minority leader at the end of the month, according to a release.

Barca, D-Kenosha, announced his decision in a statement Thursday afternoon. He’ll leave the post Sept. 30.

“This afternoon I made the very difficult decision to step down as leader of the Assembly Democrats following deliberate, thoughtful discussions,” Barca said. “I am grateful to my colleagues for their support over the last seven years.”

He said after he leaves the minority leader slot, he’ll put more focus on his district.

Barca recently came under fire from a fellow Democrat after he joined Republicans in voting for a $3 billion tax incentive package for Foxconn Technology Group.

Barca was one of three Democrats to vote for the measure, with 28 Democrats against.

Republicans backed the incentive package designed to attract Foxconn to build a massive display panel factory in the state.

In a statement, Republican Party of Wisconsin executive director Mark Morgan said Barca “took a reasonable vote in favor of good-paying Wisconsin jobs, and his extreme Democrat caucus ousted him for it.”

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