Here & Now

Wisconsin 7th District Democratic Candidates Make Their Case

Frederica Freyberg:
Three Democratic candidates are also running in the 7th Congressional District primary. Former state Representative Fred Clark, attorney Ginger Murray and IT company owner Chris Armstrong appeared at a debate this week. Among the questions in such a solidly red district, why do they think a Democrat has a chance to win the election? Murray started by noting recent liberal wins in the state Supreme Court.

Ginger Murray:
Most notably, Susan Crawford pushed this district over the 50% mark and showed that counties that haven’t voted blue in the longest time voted blue for her. They are looking for a progressive candidate. They are tired of the corruption that is happening in Washington, D.C. They want people who are listening and showing up, talking to the folks here, and who will stand for justice. As a lawyer, that’s been my entire career defending the Constitution. I studied it, I defended it. It is time to get back to the rule of law, and that is what I do best. I believe that the voters in this district are absolutely looking for someone to take the reins.

Chris Armstrong:
I think what people are looking for is just normal people that are going to get up there and advocate for them and really hold this administration accountable and start, you know, advocating for policies that are really going to make a difference in people’s lives. What I’ve heard across the district, not just in Richmond, is it’s not just Democrats, but it’s also independents and Republicans that are really sick of the status quo. You know, they’re really frustrated with this administration being, you know, corrupt and criminal, not being held accountable, not following the Constitution. And I think we just need, you know, a fresh perspective, you know, new people to represent us here in the 7th district.

Fred Clark:
This election is more about character than it is about party. On the ride over to Farm Technology Days in the wagon today, I ended up speaking with a farmer for about five minutes who told me, “Are you a Democrat?” And I said, “Yes, I am. I’m a proud Democrat.” He said, “Well, I haven’t voted for a Democrat since Jimmy Carter. I don’t know if I’m going to vote for you,” but we ended up talking for another four minutes about his dairy herd, about his knee replacements, and about what life is like managing a small farm. And it’s exactly the commitment that I want to bring to everybody in the 7th Congressional District, the representation that works for everybody.