Wausau School Board President Tricia Zunker, a Democrat, was the first candidate to file papers with the state to officially add her name to the ballot.
Zunker submitted her papers Nov. 26 in Madison, according to the Wisconsin Election Commission website, along with 1,518 signatures from 7th District voters supporting her candidacy.
As of Monday evening, Republicans Jason Church and state Sen. Tom Tiffany had also submitted their nomination papers. Church submitted 1,620 signatures, while Tiffany submitted 1,982. Democrat Lawrence Dale also submitted nomination papers, along with 1,103 signatures.
Each candidate is required to submit between 1,000 and 2,000 signatures to the Wisconsin Election Commission to secure a spot on the ballot for the special election, by 5 p.m. Monday. Any challenges to nomination papers are due to the Elections Commission on Dec. 5.
The primary for the special election will be held on Feb. 18, coinciding with the local spring election primaries. The special election will be held on May 12.
The seat was vacated in September when Duffy resigned, saying he needed to spend more time with his wife, Rachel Campos-Duffy, and their newborn daughter, who has a heart defect and Down syndrome.
The 7th District covers most of the northern parts of Wisconsin, including all or some of 26 counties. The district is home to about 710,000 people, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, and is the state’s largest congressional district geographically.