Bernie Sanders endorses Randy Bryce in congressional bid against Paul Ryan

Independent U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont endorsed Democrat Randy Bryce, who is seeking to challenge Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan next year.

The announcement came in a video released by the Bryce campaign Monday. The video features a conversation between Bryce, an ironworker from Caledonia, and Sanders, who ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2016.

"We've got to protect Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid from people like Paul Ryan," Sanders said in a statement. "I think Randy Bryce has an agenda that is going to make sense to working families. We need Randy in Congress."

In the August 2018 Democratic primary, Bryce faces Cathy Myers, a Janesville School Board member.