PBS Wisconsin Public Affairs

– Announcer: The following program is part of our Here and Now Wisconsin Vote election coverage.

[percussive music] - Kathy Bissen: Hello, I'm Kathy Bissen, acting director of PBS Wisconsin.

One of the most important things that we do is to bring you timely information.

That's especially critical during election years.

Again, this year, we are offering this platform for political candidates to speak directly to the people of Wisconsin.

We've invited all candidates for U.S.

House of Representatives for the eight congressional districts who will be on the November 3 ballot in Wisconsin to make an unedited, pre-taped statement on the topics of their choice.

The order of appearance was chosen randomly.

If you would like more information about any of the candidates running for office in Wisconsin, visit our election website, WisconsinVote.org.

Remember to vote on Tuesday, November 3, and thank you for watching PBS Wisconsin.

[percussive music] - Mitchell Berman: Hi, I'm Mitchell Berman, emergency room nurse and Democratic nominee and "Red to Blue" candidate running for Congress here in Wisconsin's 1st Congressional District.

As a kid who grew up in a small, rural Wisconsin community, I never saw running for Congress on my bingo card.

I went to public schools.

My parents were working-class folks.

My dad built a small roofing business from the ground up, and my mom worked long hours in the foundry.

They taught me the values of hard work, perseverance, and selflessness, and always stick up for the little guy.

I was a first-generation college student, and I worked three jobs just to make ends meet.

In college is where I got my first union job.

I worked for UPS, unloading trucks at 4 o'clock in the morning so I could get to class by 8:00.

And that job taught me the value of being part of a collective and having a unified voice.

It also gave me insurance when I otherwise wouldn't have had it.

And so, I carried that with me into my nursing career.

After graduating, I became an emergency room nurse and spent the last 11 years at the VA, taking care of the men and women who served our country.

And it was in that capacity when this administration took over last year, and Elon Musk and DOGE came in, and they started making indiscriminate cuts to the VA, implementing hiring freezes, and making it more difficult for us to do our jobs.

That's when I realized that it was gonna take somebody from the ground floor to stand up and fight for change if we really wanted to see it.

And so, like so many of you, I got tired of our politicians in Washington forgetting about the promises that they made to us back home.

And we are constantly being asked to tighten our belts and do more with less.

Well, enough is enough.

We need somebody who's actually gonna fight for us.

We need someone who's gonna make sure that if you work 40 hours a week, that you earn a living wage.

When you get sick, you can afford to go to the doctor, and that you can trust is not sitting in Washington enriching themselves while folks at home are struggling.

And that's what I intend to do.

I intend to make sure that we pass the PRO Act and make sure that workers have a seat at the table that they helped build, that we raise the minimum wage to a living wage, that we fully fund Medicaid, and make sure that safety net is there if you need it.

Also, restore the ACA subsidies so that people can afford insurance and offer a government option to create competition and bring costs down so that if you get sick, you don't have to worry about losing your house or going bankrupt.

And also, we need to make sure we get money out of politics and end the corruption in Washington.

Right now, too many of our politicians are getting rich while we're left holding the bill, and that shouldn't be the case.

So, thank you so much for giving me this opportunity to chat with you, and I look forward to earning your support in November.

– Bryan Steil: Wisconsin families are working hard, but costs are still too high.

From the grocery store to utility bills, families deserve an economy where they can get ahead.

Your government needs to work for you, not for itself.

That means lowering costs, protecting Social Security and Medicare, and cleaning up Washington.

I'm Bryan Steil, and I'm running for Congress to deliver results for Wisconsin.

One of the biggest concerns I hear from families is the rising cost of everyday life.

For decades, dysfunction in Washington has led to too much spending, making it harder for families to afford the things they need.

In previous years, inflation exceeded 9%, as Washington increased spending and imposed burdensome regulations.

Thankfully, it's come down from there, but costs are still too high.

We're making progress, but there's more work to do.

That's why I'm working to cut wasteful government spending, reduce unnecessary regulations, expand American energy production, and make it easier to build homes right here in Wisconsin.

We need to build on our work lowering taxes and making life more affordable, including no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, and the increased standard deduction and tax relief for our seniors.

I'm focused on helping working families and seniors keep more of what they earn.

I'm also fighting to protect Social Security and Medicare.

These are promises our government has made to seniors.

I'll continue working to protect and preserve these programs for today's seniors and future generations.

I'm also working to fight waste, fraud, and abuse in government programs, strengthening them for the Americans they were designed to serve, including pregnant women, children, and disabled Americans.

That includes passing work requirements, 20 hours a week for able-bodied, childless adults of working age to receive taxpayer-funded benefits.

It also means securing a new $1 billion increase in Medicaid funding for Wisconsin, a 10% increase in historic levels to support those who need it.

We also need to clean up Washington.

Members of Congress should be working for you, not for their position to trade stocks.

That's why I don't trade stocks in Congress.

It's also why I introduced legislation to ban all members of Congress from purchasing individual stocks.

My bill includes stiff penalties on those who violate the law.

If you want to trade stocks, go to Wall Street.

Congress should be focused on working for American families.

We've made progress.

My bill passed the House, becoming the first congressional stock trading ban in history to do so.

Now, we need to finish the job.

I'm also working to support Wisconsin workers, our veterans, and families across our state.

Our community has a strong workforce, hardworking families, and people who look out for one another.

I'm proud to work for our community, and I'll continue working to make Wisconsin a place where families can afford to live, work, and raise a family.

I'm Bryan Steil, and I'm asking for your vote.

I'll continue listening to you, working for our community, and delivering results right here in Wisconsin.

[percussive music] - Mark Pocan: Hello, everyone.

I'm Congressman Mark Pocan from the 2nd Congressional District in Wisconsin.

I am running unopposed this fall.

But I do want to share some of what's happening in Washington and see if I can help you to have a better idea what people are thinking about when it comes to federal politics.

This has been a very volatile session.

Thanks to actions by President Trump, we're all paying more for groceries and everyday goods because of the erratic nature of the use of tariffs.

Tariffs are the power of Congress.

Only emergency tariffs are the power of the president.

But the current Congress and Republican majority under Mike Johnson have refused to stand up for that.

So, because of it, we are paying essentially a tax on goods that come into America, and we're the ones as consumers who pay for that.

So, we're paying more for groceries and everyday goods.

We're paying more for gasoline because of an illegal war in Iran.

I think there's been five or six votes to give Congress the power back again, a War Powers resolution.

It is up to Congress to go to war.

Only if we are in imminent attack can the president initiate one.

Well, we were never in imminent attack.

However, right now, we are paying a lot more for gasoline because this war wasn't planned out well.

It's not executed well, and there doesn't seem to be a plan to get out of it.

We're paying more for healthcare and utilities because of actions that were in the Big, Beautiful Bill, so-called "Big, Beautiful Bill," that was passed in Congress a year ago.

And because of it, we are seeing people lose access to health insurance, about 4 million people nationally through the Affordable Care Act who lost the subsidies that were provided.

That's what made it affordable.

And after January, 7 million people will lose access through Medicaid, largely because of paperwork requirements.

And we saw this happen in Arkansas, and 70% of the people who lost access were eligible, just they couldn't figure out how jump through all the hoops in order to get the healthcare they need.

And let's face it.

People are still gonna get sick if they don't have coverage.

We all cover it, which is why we're starting to see rates increase as much as 30% for some group plans.

So, we're just paying a lot more for things in this country than we need to.

Healthcare is at risk, and more people are losing access than I can remember ever before.

And the outright corruption of what's happening in the Trump administration, from, you know, building a ballroom after tearing down part of the White House without anyone's approval, to trying to build an arch, to putting out cryptocurrency and meme coins and all sorts of things to enrich the president and his family.

It's been a really difficult session on many fronts.

Unfortunately, the Republicans of Congress have allowed all this to happen.

They haven't stood up for us as a co-equal branch of government.

And that's what we are.

We're not a subservient branch according to the Constitution-- power of the purse, Article 1.

We're watching the White House steal funds that Congress appropriated.

Much needs to be done.

The good news is, I think you're gonna see a lot of faces change in Congress this November.

I think you could see the majority change in the House and possibly in the Senate.

And if that happens, you can have real accountability.

We can have oversight.

We can bring in administration officials and make sure that we're protecting the public and the purse, your tax dollars, the best we can, and we can stop any bad actions from happening.

And we can do lawsuits on behalf of Congress, which would be much stronger than some of the lawsuits we've seen that have stopped some of the president's illegal actions.

That's, in a nutshell, what's happening in Washington.

It's been a pretty wild session, but I appreciate your support in going back to Congress another term, and I will do all I can to make sure I'm helping to lower the cost of goods for Americans, making sure that we're bringing healthcare back for people, especially those who've lost it, and to end the corruption that unfortunately happens on a daily basis there.

So, thank you so much for listening, and I look forward to working with you.

[percussive music] - Alexander Kent: Hello, Wisconsin.

My name is Alexander Kent, and I am an independent candidate for the United States House of Representatives in Wisconsin's 3rd Congressional District.

And I want to use these four minutes a little differently.

I don't want to tell you everything I believe.

I want to ask you what you believe, because representation should be simple.

If you want to know what voters want, ask us.

Ask voters what they need, want, and believe about everything.

That is the core idea behind my campaign, built on three principles: full voter empowerment, ending political corruption, and servant leadership.

And together, I believe these ideas offer something our politics desperately needs: hope.

Imagine living in a country where your political power doesn't end when you leave the voting booth.

Imagine securely opening your phone or computer and entering your congressional district's online public forum on voter-directed network.

Verified voters could propose ideas, discuss the issues affecting our lives, develop solutions together, and vote, one voter, one vote, issue by issue.

That is what we call a voter-directed democracy in a voter-controlled republic.

We already use secure technology for banking, education, business, communication, and so much more.

Why not use Internet technology to strengthen political representation?

And when voters have real political power, corruption becomes much harder.

That is why my campaign takes no money, no donors, no lobbyists, no super PACs, no political parties.

And all four of those mechanisms of political corruption are not in the U.S.

Constitution.

And that brings me to our third principle: servant leadership.

Political leadership should not be about acquiring power over people.

It should be about accepting responsibility for people.

It should be about listening, learning, reducing suffering, protecting peace, and leaving our communities better than we found them.

Throughout this campaign, I have talked with thousands of voters.

And those conversations have given me tremendous hope, because beneath all of the political noise, we share so much.

We love our families.

We want safe communities, meaningful work, affordable lives, freedom, peace, and opportunity for our children.

We are not each other's enemies, and our political future does not have to be another endless battle between red and blue.

We can choose something better: greater freedom, greater participation, greater transparency, greater compassion, and greater political power in the hands of ordinary people.

We do not have to wait for someone powerful to give us this future, because in a democratic republic, we are the power.

So, I am not asking you to give me your political power.

I am asking you to take yours back.

That is, build a government that listens, a government that serves, a government that sources the will of the people and implements it.

I'm Alexander Kent, and I believe our political future can be more peaceful, more honest, and more compassionate than our politics today.

– Derrick Van Orden: Hey, everybody, it's Congressman Derrick Van Orden.

I've had the pleasure of representing you in Washington, D.C., for a little over three years now, but because of all the garbage they send out in these flyers and newspaper ads and on the Internet and whatnot, I don't think you really understand who I am.

So, I just wanna take a couple minutes and explain to you my background, and then maybe you'll understand why I feel so strongly about serving in Congress and protecting and defending the United States of America and our wonderful Constitution.

I was raised in abject rural poverty by a single mother.

We had to move in with my grandma until my ma could get her feet underneath her.

We had food stamps when it was actually a stamp that you took to the grocery store and stuck it on a card to get food.

We had subsidized lunches and government cheese.

I dropped out of high school when I was 16 years old, and I've been supporting myself financially since then.

I joined the Navy at 18.

I wound up doing 26 years and retired as a United States Navy SEAL senior chief with multiple combat tours.

I have the distinction of being the longest-serving enlisted member of the United States military to ever get elected to Congress in the history of our country.

I've worked with my hands my entire life.

My wife and I, Sara Jane, have been married for about 34 years, and last week we had our 12th grandchild, and we have our 13th and 14th on the way.

And that is what this election is about.

It's about the future.

It's about giving our children and grandchildren a country that they can take pride in, that they wanna raise their children and grandchildren in.

And we are at a precipice right now in our nation.

There are people that want to fundamentally change our system of governance to socialism, and that does not comport with the American Dream.

It simply does not.

Let me tell you some of the things that we've done in Washington, D.C., to help our fellow Americans.

We got the biggest tax cut in the history of our country.

There's no longer a tax on tips for the folks that are working when we're watching the Packer game or the Brewer game in the tavern.

There's no more tax on overtime for someone that wants to pick up an extra shift on a manufacturing floor.

And our seniors who built this nation are no longer paying taxes on their Social Security.

We permanently got rid of the death tax, which has caused so many of our family farms to close, because they simply cannot afford to pass the farm on to the next generation.

Under the Biden administration, there was, on average for his entire time in office, over 200,000 illegal aliens entering the country every single month.

In the last 19 months, not a single illegal alien has been released into the United States.

Not one.

And that's incredibly important.

Why?

Just this year, there's over 22,000 Americans that will not have to attend the funeral of a loved one because they did not die of fentanyl poisoning.

That is a direct result of us closing the border.

What was my play in that as a member of Congress?

Well, I made sure that the border patrol and all of our relevant law enforcement agencies are fully funded.

Here's something else that you've been hearing about me that's a lie.

I have never bought, sold, or traded a individual stock my entire life, let alone as a member of Congress.

I'm an original co-sponsor on the bill that prevents members of Congress from trading stocks.

So, if anybody's telling you I've been doing that, that's simply a lie.

There's no other way to state that, and that's part of the public record.

Another thing that you should know about me is that I care deeply about our environment in the Driftless region.

That's why I am standing up with my neighbors here in the Driftless to prevent these horrible 765-kilovolt transmission lines coming through this unique area and destroying it for the future.

We must protect our environment so that we can pass it on to our children and our grandchildren.

Here's the last thing I'll say.

I've been working to protect and serve my fellow Americans my entire life, and my service in Congress is a continuation of that.

And if you see fit to send me back to Washington, D.C., I will continue tirelessly working to make sure once again that your children and grandchildren have a fantastic country that they can be proud of and that they can be proud to hand off to their children and grandchildren.

So, with that, God bless you, God bless your families, God bless the state of Wisconsin and the United States of America.

[percussive music] - Gwen Moore: Hi, I'm Congresswoman Gwen Moore, and I'm a Democrat seeking reelection to Wisconsin's 4th Congressional District of Wisconsin.

As your representative, I've deeply appreciated the trust that you've put into my representing our district.

Serving on behalf of our community continues to be the honor of my lifetime.

My commitment to public service began long before I came to Congress.

I served as a volunteer, worked for multiple city and state departments, and represented our communities in Wisconsin's State Assembly and Wisconsin's Senate.

Throughout my public life, my mission has remained the same: making government work for people and creating opportunities where families can live safely, work with dignity, and have a genuine opportunity to thrive.

Lord knows, these are some extraordinary times, and I am still honored to be here, ready to stand with families who are dealing with rising costs, economic uncertainty, and difficult decisions on everything from groceries and gas to healthcare and childcare.

And while the president and his cronies have made cuts to BadgerCare, SNAP benefits, and childcare funding, all whilst lining their own pockets, you know, I have been standing with you.

And it's not just that they're undermining public trust in our very democracy, but every backroom deal, bribe, and corrupt bargain is coming directly at your expense, whether it's higher costs, more onerous drug fees, or eroding your savings and retirement benefits.

In these midterm elections of 2026, we have to keep asking ourselves who is government working for?

Because the American Dream ought to mean more than just barely getting by.

It ought to mean having the opportunity to buy a home, to build a business, to pursue an education, to leave something even better for our next generation.

Economic opportunity should begin in our own neighborhoods and not solely with corporations and billionaires.

It ought to mean having healthcare as a right for all people and not just a privileged few.

And in my time in Congress, I have worked to pass the historic Affordable Care Act, which Trump has since gutted, leaving hundreds of thousands of Wisconsinites without the care they deserve and worked so hard for.

And there's a reason that I believe so strongly in investing in our communities.

The last three Democratic presidents presided over approximately 15 million jobs created and budgets that came down.

And even Clinton balanced the budget compared with Republican presidents who've rung up multitrillion-dollar deficits with tax breaks for billionaires and corporations.

You know, and so while dealing with these tumultuous times, I've continued to show up for you.

I've championed legislation that helps banks and small rural communities get capital.

I've authored legislation that keeps public funds in public schools, introduced legislation that allows spouses of our military veterans be exempt for first-time home restrictions and have access to certain housing allowances.

The magic, people, is helping just ordinary people and communities in all walks of life and not focusing on helping the billionaires and corporations.

That's the kind of work that I've dedicated my life to.

And right now, we have a real chance to take back the majority in the House, to hold Trump accountable, and to continue to work Wisconsin forward.

Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to serve you.

And I assure you that I will not let up the fight.

I humbly ask for your vote on or before November 3.

Take care.

[percussive music] - Mike Thurow: I'm Mike Thurow.

I'm running to serve Wisconsin's 6th Congressional District in the United States Congress.

I'm not a politician.

I'm a union fire captain and a father of four, born and raised right here in the 6th Congressional District.

For the past 13 years, my job has been to show up when things go wrong.

And it's that job, my work as a firefighter, that drove me to run for office now.

You see, every day I report to work to help my fellow Americans, often on their worst day.

And every day, I see our politicians on both sides of the aisle continue to leave them behind.

Sure, they show up for the people with the big checks.

They show up when the camera's on.

But the things that are really squeezing families across this district?

They're nowhere to be found.

I got sick of waiting for someone else to show up, so I am, because, excuse the pun, but the house is on fire.

We are over $40 trillion in debt.

We're ensnared in yet another foreign war, and we have monopolies in every sector of our economy, raising prices, delivering worse products, and pushing down wages, all while sitting on record profits.

They get the deal, and you get the bill, and we're all left to suffer the consequences.

We feel it at the grocery store, at the gas pump.

We feel it when our health insurance premiums go up again and again.

We feel it when a new data center is approved in our backyard against an outcry from the local residents.

This isn't the free market working.

This is market power being abused.

It's the reality we all live in, in an economy that's been built for the few.

The same old parties won't fix the problems that they both created.

Different votes will.

I'm running not as a Democrat or a Republican, but as an American-- an American offering, for the first time in a long time, an off-ramp from a broken two-party system filled with lawyers, businessmen, and career politicians who have left us behind.

We're all sick of the dysfunction in Washington.

We're all sick of getting to the polls and picking between two bad options.

Now, somebody will tell you a vote for an independent is a wasted vote.

I would say a wasted vote is one more term for someone who does not show up for you.

You don't have to leave your party to do this.

But on this one race, I'm asking that you see this beyond red versus blue.

It's a working father versus a broken two-party system.

I don't take money from special interests.

I don't answer to any party leaders.

I answer to you, because here's the thing I learned in the fire service.

When the call comes in, you don't get to pick who to save.

You don't ask how someone voted.

You show up and you do the work.

That's what I'm offering to do for you.

To show up and do the work.

My name is Mike Thurow.

I'd be honored to have your vote.

Thank you.

– Elizabeth Fitzgibbon: My name is Elizabeth Fitzgibbon, and I'm running as an independent for Congress in Wisconsin's 6th Congressional District.

Let me ask you a simple question.

Do you think Washington is working for you?

Because I don't.

I think it's working for the political parties.

I think it's working for lobbyists.

I think it's working for massive corporations, bureaucracies, and special interests.

But for the family standing in a grocery store, putting things back because the bill got too high, for the small business owners getting crushed by costs, for the parents staring at medical bills that make absolutely no sense, not so much.

And yet, every election, we're told the answer is the same.

Give Republicans more power.

Give Democrats more power.

Trust them just one more time.

We've done that.

Look where it got us.

More debt, more spending, more bureaucracy, more surveillance, higher costs, less trust, and somehow, after all that, Washington still wants you to believe that the problem is just that the other team hasn't been defeated badly enough yet.

I don't buy it.

The problem is the system, a system where people go to Congress promising to change Washington, and Washington changes them instead.

A system where politicians campaign against corruption and waste, then vote for 1,000-page bills they've not read.

A system where both parties scream at each other on television and quietly keep the machine running behind the scenes.

I'm not running to manage that machine.

I'm running to challenge it.

I want to know where your money is going.

I want to know who benefits from every major federal program.

I want to know why government keeps demanding more from you while delivering less.

And when something is wasteful, corrupt, or unnecessary, get rid of it.

I want healthcare bills that people can actually understand.

I want patients to know prices before they receive informed care.

I want communities to have a say before massive projects strain their water, energy, and infrastructure.

I want government surveillance exposed in the sunlight, and I want every federal agency to remember one very simple fact: you work for us.

I learned how powerful corrupt institutions can become when I fought my own landmark family law case all the way to the U.S.

Supreme Court.

I learned that systems rarely reform themselves.

They defend themselves.

They protect their budgets.

They protect their power.

And they protect the people already inside.

Change comes from the people who refuse to accept that's just how it works.

I refuse to accept it.

I don't care whether a bad idea comes from a Republican or a Democrat.

It's still a bad idea.

I don't care which party gets credit for a good idea.

If it helps Wisconsin, I will support it.

That's what being independent means.

Not sitting in the middle, but standing on my own two feet.

So, if you're happy with Washington, you already have candidates for that.

If you think the system is working just fine, vote for more of the same.

But if you look around and think, "This cannot possibly be the best we can do," then I'm asking you to do something different.

I'm Elizabeth Fitzgibbon.

Send me to Congress, and I won't owe either party a thing.

I will owe you.

– Matthew Arndt: Hello, I'm Matthew Arndt.

I'm running for the 6th Congressional District of Wisconsin.

I chose to run with the Green Party of the United States because the two major parties no longer represent ordinary people.

They serve billionaires, corporations, Wall Street, and the permanent political class that profits off our nation's decline.

They argue and perform outrage before cameras.

But when it comes to the interests of defense contractors, Israel, Big Insurance, and Wall Street, both parties fall right in line.

That's why nothing fundamental ever changes.

Endless wars continue.

Healthcare remains unaffordable.

Housing is unreachable.

Wages stagnate while billionaires accumulate unimaginable wealth.

And every election becomes another scripted performance where the American people are told to fear the other side more than the system itself.

No one can serve two masters.

A political party cannot serve billionaires and working people at the same time.

It cannot claim to defend democracy while being financially dependent on the very interests that are undermining it.

It cannot promise reform while being bankrolled by the industries it is supposed to regulate.

The political establishment wants you to believe that there are only two choices in every election, but a system that offers only two corporate-funded options is not meaningful democracy.

Real democracy requires independence.

It requires courage, and it requires the willingness to stand up to the powerful interests that are growing wealthy off our nation's misery.

The future of this country will not be changed by the people who benefit from its decline.

It will be changed by ordinary citizens like you deciding that they have had enough.

I don't take corporate money.

I don't take billionaire money.

I don't want meetings with lobbyists, and I don't want a career in Washington, and I sure as hell don't need to ask permission from party leadership to tell you when something is rotten.

I want to break up monopolies.

I want Medicare for all.

I want a $30 minimum wage.

I want to tax economic extraction more and productive labor less.

I want private equity out of our housing market.

I want members of Congress banned from trading stocks.

And I want America out of endless foreign wars.

No more sacrificing American lives and treasure for somebody else's geopolitical ambitions.

No more war with Iran.

No more financial and military aid for Israel.

And absolutely no insane march toward nuclear war that will end human civilization.

If you want another politician who grovels before the donor class, bends the knee to lobbyists, and then comes home to tell working people to lower their expectations, don't vote for me.

But if you believe, like I do, that this country belongs to the people who work, build things, farm, raise families, and actually keep America running, then send me to Washington.

Thank you.

– Glenn Grothman: I'm Congressman Glenn Grothman, and I'm running for reelection in Wisconsin's 6th Congressional District.

I'd like to cover issues I intend to focus on in the next term.

When addressing any issue, the federal debt must be considered.

Total debt is now over $40 trillion, or over $100,000 per person.

Military spending is the largest discretionary line in our budget.

We have over 700,000 non-uniformed employees.

DOGE suggested this bureaucracy is too large and should be cut, and members of the military confirm.

Ukraine shows us many of our weapons are also obsolete, and military spending should be done smarter.

We should stop using million-dollar missiles to shoot down hundred-dollar rockets.

The second area of government needing reform is welfare.

There are over 70 programs tied to poverty levels, meaning that the harder you work, the more you lose.

Food stamps, low-income housing, earned-income tax credit, and Pell grants are all examples of this.

Employers hear employees say, "I cannot earn more money, or I'll lose my benefits."

These programs discourage work, but a more significant effect is these programs discourage marriage.

We all know-- We all know single parents who do a fantastic job.

But a single parent who gets married can lose $25,000 in benefits.

Beginning with the Great Society, we've had a decline in traditional families.

In the 1950s, only 4% of the families didn't have a father at home at birth.

After 40 years of increased welfare benefits, that figure now exceeds 40%.

That is why I'm trying to work with Vice President Vance, the son of a single mother, and 16 nonprofit organizations, to make adjustments so we no longer penalize married couples.

Many programs are vulnerable to fraud because they're paid for by the federal government and administered by the state.

Since the federal government pays, states can ignore fraud because it doesn't affect their budget.

Last year, I introduced legislation that passed the House to penalize states with high fraud rates.

Wisconsin is one of the better performing states, but with federal deficits and state surpluses, states should pick up at least 30% of these programs.

Additionally, noncitizens should not receive welfare benefits while our nation carries a $40 trillion debt.

As for other priorities, I'll continue to be Congress's leading advocate for 14(c), allowing individuals with disabilities to continue to work.

I'm fighting to cap interest rates on payday loans, where rates average 600%.

I'm trying to require insurance companies to cover oral chemotherapy.

Doctors who feel drug chemotherapy is superior must try and fail at hospital-administrated chemotherapy first.

Sometimes killing a bad program is more rewarding than passing new laws.

We must reject divisive diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in government education and business that categorize Americans by ethnicity rather than individual character.

The goal of the far left is to get Americans to view themselves as different ethnic groups, creating permanent division.

Lastly, I'll fight environmentalist extremists who try to prevent new refineries and advocate for more oil production, which will drop oil prices in the future.

I'll continue to fight anti-pipeline, anti-drilling, anti-fracking, anti-refinery extremists, which have sadly taken over much of the discourse in America.

More frugal government spending should also produce lower interest rates and less inflation.

I look forward to continuing to meet folks at church breakfasts, car shows, farmers markets, American Legions, and parades.

I don't feel any congressman spends more time meeting constituents than I do.

And I'll also bring back my popular tele-town halls after the election.

Thank you.

– Brad Smith: Hi, I'm Brad Smith, nominee for Congress here in the 6th Congressional District.

I'm a lifelong Wisconsinite and resident of this district.

I'm a husband, a father of two, an Army veteran, and a leader who has spent my career solving difficult problems.

And my family's story closely mirrors the story of this district, from generations of dairy farmers in central Wisconsin, to my parents' working class beginnings in the Fox Valley, and now to my family in Ozaukee County, where I own a small business.

Our story has been one of opportunity, hard work, and economic mobility, where each generation of my family helped build and pass opportunity on to the next.

In other words, the American Dream.

And sadly, that path has become so much harder today, and that is what has led me to run for this office.

As a parent and lifelong resident, I feel a deep responsibility to restore that opportunity.

I'm a proud public school graduate and earned my bachelor's and master's degrees from our amazing UW system.

And to make that all possible, I enlisted in the Wisconsin National Guard, where I served eight years, rose to the rank of staff sergeant, and led soldiers during a 14-month overseas deployment after 9/11.

I'm also proud to have helped FEMA following Hurricane Katrina, earning the Federal Humanitarian Service Medal.

Over the past 20 years, I've led organizations through times of major change where there is no playbook.

I've helped grow a local company out of bankruptcy and save jobs.

I've helped lead a small Wisconsin company onto the Nasdaq.

I've worked internationally across cultures, helped a nonprofit get more people riding bicycles, as well as help building owners reduce their carbon emissions.

My career hasn't been spent in politics or in government.

It's been spent building teams, leading through change, and being accountable for results.

And that's exactly the outside perspective I'll bring to Congress.

See, the middle class opportunity that gave my family a shot is disappearing, and families here are doing everything right, and yet they're still falling behind.

Our small businesses and farms are being squeezed, struggling with chaotic tariffs and damaging immigration policy.

Our families are struggling to afford a home, basic healthcare, and now even the cost of essentials like gas and groceries are breaking our budgets.

But I believe we can still build an economy that works for everyone here with good-paying jobs, where everyone pays their fair share, with affordable and usable healthcare available as a right, and education and training investment for all paths.

I also believe we need to legislate aggressively to protect our natural resources from irresponsible development, and make sure our communities have a voice on major developments like data centers and transmission lines.

You see, these are not partisan issues.

These are people issues that touch everyone living here.

And I'm here to fight for us.

I've spent my life serving my country, solving problems, and delivering results.

I would be honored to do exactly that for the 6th District.

I'm Brad Smith, and I'm asking for your vote this November 3.

Thank you so much.

[percussive music] - Michael Alfonso: Hello, everyone.

My name is Michael Alfonso, and I'm the Republican nominee for Congress here in the Wisconsin 7th.

First, I want to thank everyone who supported me in the primary.

I'm incredibly grateful for your trust, and I'm ready to carry that momentum into November.

During this campaign, I put on more than 60,000 miles on my car, and I traveled to all 26 counties of this district, and I went through three pairs of shoes.

I've met people on farms and in factories, at fairs, parades, taverns, and everywhere in between.

And everywhere I've gone, I've been reminded why I love this district and why I'm fighting so hard to represent it.

I'm running for Congress because I know what "free" costs.

My grandparents fled communist Cuba in the pursuit of the American Dream.

Their story taught me that freedom, opportunity, and prosperity can never be taken for granted.

I started working when I was 14 years old.

I worked construction to put myself through college, and I graduated debt free.

I got my hands dirty building the very same communities I'm now running to represent.

And today my wife, Evita, and I are raising our daughter, Rosita, right here.

And I want her generation to have the same opportunity that the generations before her had.

But too many young people are wondering whether they'll ever be able to afford a home, start a family, or build a life in the communities that they grew up in.

That's why affordability will be my number-one priority in Congress.

I'll work with President Trump and House Republicans to make sure President Trump's tax cuts are permanent, to rein in spending, lower costs for working-class families, and strengthen American manufacturing and keep more money in the pockets of hardworking Americans.

I'll always be a voice for the people who keep Wisconsin running: our skilled tradesmen, blue collar workers, farmers, manufacturers, and small business owners.

I'll fight for family farms and reliable, affordable American energy, and the roads, bridges, and infrastructure rural Wisconsin needs to keep our communities connected and our economy moving.

This election is also about what kind of country we want to leave to the next generation.

My family learned firsthand that there's no such thing as free.

People always pay the price.

My grandparents came to America because they believed that if you work hard, play by the rules, and take responsibility for your future, you should have the opportunity to build a better life for yourself and your family.

That promise is the American Dream, and I believe we have a responsibility to preserve it.

My opponent and I offer very different versions for the future.

He would support the same radical, socialist agenda we're seeing from Democrats across the nation.

I'll take a different path.

I'll work to lower taxes, strengthen our economy, support our farmers, and defend our freedoms.

And I'll partner with President Trump to advance the America First agenda.

Those are the priorities I hear as I travel across the Wisconsin 7th.

People want affordable utilities, grocery bills, and homes.

They want good jobs, strong communities, and opportunities for their children to build a future right here in Wisconsin.

And that's what I'm fighting for.

I'm incredibly thankful to everyone who has supported me this campaign, especially my wife and daughter.

But we're just getting started.

I'm ready to bring the same energy and work ethic that carried us across 60,000 miles to Congress.

I'm running to represent a new generation of conservative leadership, advance the America First agenda, and preserve the American Dream that my grandparents came to this country to find.

– Fred Clark: You know, northern Wisconsin is so much better than the broken politics that we see every day coming out of Washington.

We have serious challenges facing us right now, but those challenges won't get fixed until we all demand change.

My name is Fred Clark, and I'm running for Congress because I wanna be part of a Congress that works for all of us.

And I'd like to remind people that our neighbors today are not our enemies.

We all want clean air and clean water, good schools, good jobs, and good roads.

And we want a roof over our heads.

We want good health and good food.

Northern Wisconsin is rich.

We're rich in people, rich in culture and traditions and know-how.

We're rich in resources, like our farms, our forests, and our waters.

We have everything we need right here to lead a good life.

But for far too many people today in northern Wisconsin, no matter how hard they work, the American dream of buying a home, affording childcare, pursuing education, even just staying healthy, those things have grown out of reach for so many of us.

The affordability crisis is straining our safety net.

So, things like Medicaid, SNAP, housing, and childcare assistance, those are more critical than ever.

But the growing dependence on these programs?

That means something larger is failing.

And what's failed is that over the last 30 years, while our lives have changed and businesses have changed, technology has changed, and even our culture has changed, but the rules?

They've never changed to account for any of this.

So, Democrats and Republicans alike, they both own the failures that make reaching the American Dream so hard today.

The wealthiest people in our nation, they're making money hand over fist, avoiding accountability, and they're dodging taxes while the rest of us struggle.

Well, it's long past time for a new set of rules that works for everybody, new rules that are based on principles that have built this country.

Fairness.

We need a fair tax code that ensures everybody, including the wealthiest people and corporations in this country are paying their fair share.

And we need to take the power back from the big banks, the Big Pharma, Big Oil, and Big Tech to create a level playing field.

That's essential because if we don't restore economic fairness, then we can't restore affordability for working people, period.

Responsibility.

You know, a responsible government that creates rules that work for all of us.

A responsible government invests our tax dollars to ensure that we get the benefits that we've earned.

And it partners with private enterprise to jump-start economic growth, to fund large-scale infrastructure, and ensure that everybody has access to healthcare.

And, finally, innovation.

That's our lifeblood, and adapting to a new future, it's gonna require reimagining our economy and doing the research, the development, and the hard work needed to develop new products and services for that new economy.

And when boldness and innovation meets the work ethic of the Northwoods, we have the tools we need to bring about an economic renaissance for northern Wisconsin.

That's an exciting opportunity.

And with a Congress that works, we can grow a new Northwoods economy to help our communities thrive and make life affordable again in Wisconsin.

But this Congress, they failed at every turn to restore fairness and level the playing field.

This Congress, they haven't done a thing about the rampant corruption in Washington.

This Congress hasn't done a thing to stop another senseless war that we're all paying for at the pump every day.

And they gave away the power to stop tariffs that are creating economic chaos for businesses.

And they cut essential programs for healthcare and food assistance.

Why?

Just to fund more tax cuts for billionaires and pay for a stupid ballroom that nobody wanted.

This Congress has failed us.

And there's no path to prosperity without a Congress that does its job.

So, it's long past time for a new majority in Washington.

And I wanna go to Congress next year, and I wanna do that work for you.

And I would love to have your support.

[percussive music] - Rick Crosson: Hello, friends.

I'm Rick Crosson, and I'm running to be your representative here in Wisconsin's 8th Congressional District.

I'm running a campaign that is truly a people's campaign.

One that is focused on affordability, accountability, and results.

I want you to keep those three words in mind as I talk through our campaign and what it is that our objectives are and how we can use your help.

Let's first talk about who I am and why I'm running.

I've lived in Wisconsin now since 2001.

I moved here upon my retirement from the United States Army.

I'm the son of a command sergeant major and the son of a Blue Star mom times four.

For you veterans out there, you know exactly the world that I came from.

It's a world where we were taught as kids to leave things in a better state of being than they were when we got there, and that has carried on into how I do my life today.

I'm running on a platform of affordability, accountability, and results.

If you look at the condition of our country and our world today, you know that those three things are not where they need to be.

I'm a visionary.

I start with the end and work my way back to where we are today.

We're in a situation right now where the cost of living, the cost of groceries, fuel, fertilizer, you name the commodity or the event and the action, and it is certainly not priced where we need it.

We're also in a position where wages have not kept up with the rate of inflation, where the cost of healthcare is something that where we're just one critical event away from total calamity.

All of those things I intend to fight for.

As your congressman, I intend to go into Congress and do the things that are necessary to move this country forward.

That's where the accountability part of it comes into play.

One of the things that I intend to do, and I'm really not waiting to be elected to do this, is to stand before you and account for the progress and/or the lack of progress with any and all actions that are of importance to the people of Wisconsin.

We're already doing that now with town halls.

To date, throughout our campaign, we've hosted more than 20 such meetings, and we're continuing to do that.

And that will continue when I become your congressman.

I have no problem standing before you and being held accountable for the progress that we've made.

That's my pledge to you.

And as far as results, that's part and parcel of the accountability thing in that we're gonna measure our progress towards the objective of that more perfect union.

These are the things that I, as your fighting congressman, intend to bring to bear as I go to Washington, D.C.

I think the people of Wisconsin have been making it very clear to me, primarily saying, "Rick, just do what you say you're going to do."

I have absolutely no problem in doing that as we move forward.

So, here's where I could use your help.

I'm looking for you to provide your active advocacy with anyone and everyone who you know is interested in moving this country forward.

This is a scenario where we will all win.

No one will be excluded, no one will be left out.

This is one where we truly are moving towards that objective of a more perfect union.

So, I need your help.

If you wanna know more about me and my campaign, please look on my website at RickCrosson.com.

I think we got this.

In fact, I know we do.

I look forward to seeing you as we go forward to November 3.

Thank you for your time.

– Tony Wied: Hi, this is Congressman Tony Wied, and I am running for reelection here in Wisconsin's 8th Congressional District.

I wanna continue to fight for the great people here in northeastern Wisconsin.

I am a small business owner.

My wife and I ran and built businesses right here in northeastern Wisconsin for almost 30 years.

I am a political outsider, and I wanna continue to serve you and take those same principles that I learned running a small family business to Washington and continue to fight for you.

You know, the Biden administration, we had the highest inflation that we had seen in 40 years, and people were very concerned, and they should have been.

We brought that down to a more reasonable level.

But we wanna continue to do everything we can to keep inflation in check and bring that down.

We also saw during the Biden administration, the border was completely overrun.

Over 20 million illegal immigrants came across our border unchecked and unvetted, which really promotes sanctuary cities and really brings crime and, again, more drug trafficking and sex trafficking in our country.

We secured the border.

The border is completely closed and fully funded and very, very proud of that action.

The Working Families Tax Cuts was something that brought really tax relief to everyday Americans.

You know, no tax on tips, no tax on overtime.

We really drastically reduced or eliminated tax on Social Security.

We also increased the child tax credit, as well as increased tax incentives for adoption.

And so, I think that's really important that we return more money into your pocket.

I think that's obviously very important.

Another thing that we did this first term was delivering over $12 million in dollars to northeastern Wisconsin for infrastructure in places like Suamico and Kaukauna, Green Bay, and others.

And I'm gonna continue to do everything I can to deliver more money back to northeastern Wisconsin.

I think that is so important.

Some legislation that I introduced, the REAL Butter Act, which really protects our great dairy farmers.

We have some of the greatest dairy farmers in the country.

I think the best.

Right now, what we're seeing is these lab-grown butters by Bill Gates and these globalists, unfortunately, right down in Illinois.

I think it's important that we label it as such so that people know that they're getting good, nutritious butter.

The DUMP Red Tape Act is something that I introduced, and it passed through the House, which really allows for small businesses, small family businesses to call a hotline, report any burdensome regulations so that our agencies can get to work and reduce those to make for a more fair playing field for our small businesses and truly improve our economy.

Another piece of legislation that I introduced is the SERVE Act, which really, I think, makes sure that we have integrity in Congress.

What it does is it says, look, you can't enrich yourselves once you're done in Congress and go become a lobbyist or get some high-paying job in Washington, D.C.

The legislation that I introduced will ban just that, give people a 10-year cooling-off period, again, so that they're not using their influence to enrich themselves.

And I think that's really important.

Look, there's more work to do.

I wanna continue to fight for the great people of northeastern Wisconsin, continue to provide for more safer and secure communities, put more money back into your pocket, continue to root out all of the waste and the fraud that we've seen.

And, again, it's an honor to serve everyone here in northeastern Wisconsin.

And I ask for your vote on November 3.

- In addition to the candidates' statements you've just seen, PBS Wisconsin will continue to provide a forum for political news and analysis on our Friday night news and public affairs program, Here and Now.

If you would like more information about any of the candidates running for office in Wisconsin, visit our election website, WisconsinVote.org.

Remember to vote on Tuesday, November 3, and thank you for watching PBS Wisconsin.

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