Here & Now

3rd District Candidates Debate, Vie in Democratic Primary

Frederica Freyberg:

We do have an invite out to incumbent U.S. Senator Ron Johnson for an interview. Democratic candidates for the Third Congressional District made their case to west central Wisconsin voters this week. Debate partners included Wisconsin Public Radio. The seat is up for grabs following Ron Kind’s announcement that he’s stepping down. Take a listen to moderator Anthony Chergosky explain the race.

Anthony Chergosky:

Out of all the 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, this upcoming election in this seat here in Wisconsin is absolutely one of the most closely watched in the nation. Congressman Ron Kind has announced his intention to retire at the end of his current term in office, and Derrick Van Orden is the only candidate in the race on the Republican side to be his party’s nominee in this November’s election. All of that brings us here today to the campus of the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. We have the four Democratic Party candidates with us who are competing in the upcoming primary election on August 9th. And each candidate is seeking to be the Democratic Party’s nominee in the November election. The candidates joining us are Rebecca Cooke, Mark Neumann, Deb McGrath and Brad Pfaff.