An attorney and former president of the Eau Claire City Council will challenge an incumbent state representative this fall. Howard White, who now lives in Altoona, announced recently that he will run as a Democrat against state Rep. Kathy Bernier, R-Lake Hallie, in the 68th Assembly District. White, a third-generation native of Eau Claire, served a total of seven years on the Eau Claire City Council, including four as president. He said he decided to take the step into partisan politics because of what he believes are the misplaced priorities of Republicans, who control both houses of the state Legislature. “There was a morning last fall when I woke up and started reading the paper and decided that I was embarrassed to admit that I was born and raised in the state of Wisconsin,” White said, citing bills such as the ones that legalized switchblade knives and removed retired judges from overseeing state elections as among the measures he opposed. While acknowledging that unseating a three-term incumbent will be a challenge, White said he hopes that changing voter attitudes and higher turnout because of the presidential election work in his favor in November. The 68th Assembly District includes part of the city of Eau Claire’s north side, a portion of Altoona, the village of Lake Hallie, and other parts of Eau Claire, Chippewa, Clark, Trempealeau, and Jackson counties.