- Announcer: The following program is part of our Wisconsin Vote election coverage.

[upbeat music] - Hello.

I'm Kathy Bissen, Associate 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 Wisconsin candidates for U.S. Senate and House of Representatives who will be on the November 8 ballot to make an unedited, pre-taped statement on the topic of their choice.

The order of appearance was chosen randomly.

If you'd 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 8, and thank you for watching PBS Wisconsin.

[upbeat music] - For those who don't know me, I'm Mandela Barnes, and I'm running for the U.S. Senate.

My story is a Wisconsin story.

I don't come from a wealthy or well-connected family.

I grew up in Milwaukee in a proud union household.

My dad worked third shift at the GM factory.

My mom was a public schoolteacher.

Those jobs were our ticket into the middle class.

Unfortunately, that's a ticket too many people can't get anymore.

We've been left behind by politicians who would rather serve their wealthy donors than help us.

People like Ron Johnson.

After over a decade in the Senate, Ron Johnson has shown us that the only thing he's good for is selling out Wisconsin.

He secured more than $200 million in tax deductions for two of his biggest donors alone.

But he wants to put the Social Security benefits our seniors have worked their entire lives for on the chopping block.

He voted to raise the retirement age and he's also in favor of sending seniors back to work.

He's taken hundreds of thousands of dollars in Big Pharma while he calls to repeal the Affordable Care Act.

He even voted against lowering drug costs because he said it would be bad for Big Pharma.

What Ron Johnson is doing is putting our seniors, our communities, and our entire state in danger.

Plain and simple.

If it doesn't help his wealthy donors or his own self-interests, you can't count on Ron Johnson to support it.

It's time for us to be represented by people who share our experiences and our Wisconsin values.

Like most people in Wisconsin, I'm not a millionaire.

I don't have the backing of Big Pharma or Big Oil.

But what I do have is skin in the game.

I have the backing and support of honest, hardworking people just like you who are here today.

'Cause in our greatest challenges are our greatest opportunities.

We have the opportunity to put workers first and bring good-paying union manufacturing jobs back to Wisconsin.

We have the opportunity to stand up to corporate monopolies and also rebuild the middle class so every child growing up in Wisconsin knows that opportunity is within reach.

We have the opportunity to retire an out of touch, self-serving multimillionaire.

And I know it's gonna be hard.

But everything worth doing is hard.

The hard part doesn't scare me because I know it'll be that much easier when we all step up and do it together.

I'm running for Senate because unlike Ron Johnson, I value the people of Wisconsin more than corporations.

And I also believe that better is possible.

I believe that we can create a future where hard work pays off and everyone can get a fair shot at the American Dream.

This is a fight for freedom, for fairness, and for our future.

And this is a fight we're gonna win.

Thank you so much.

Let's move forward together.

[upbeat music] - Hi, this is U.S.

Senator Ron Johnson, and I'd like to thank Wisconsin Public TV for giving me this opportunity to speak to your viewers.

The U.S. Senate race in Wisconsin this year offers Wisconsin voters a very clear choice.

I have a lifetime of experience, I've raised a family, I've built a business, I've created good-paying jobs in the manufacturing business.

I've worked hard all my life.

I got my first tax-paying job at the age of 15, working as a dishwasher in a Walgreens Grill.

I worked full time, paying my way through college, and I worked all shifts when we started up my manufacturing business.

I'm also proud of my record as your U.S. senator.

My tax cut for 95% of U.S. businesses allowed small businesses to compete with the big guys and survive the pandemic.

My Right to Try law is saving people's lives.

And my Joseph Project has transformed hundreds of lives by offering them the chance to have the dignity of earning their own success.

Right now, Wisconsin voters should really be asking themselves, are you better off after 21 months of Democratic governance and Democratic control?

I think when you consider 40-year high inflation, record gas prices, skyrocketing crime, a baby formula shortage, open borders, and a flood of deadly drugs, I think the answer's pretty obvious that most people are worse off.

It's important to remember though that these things didn't just happen.

These are the direct result of Democrat policies and Democrat governance.

And Lieutenant Governor Barnes supports all of these policies causing you and your family so much pain.

If elected, Mandela Barnes would be a rubber stamp for President Biden and Senator Schumer.

He would make matters worse.

When I first ran for office, I made Wisconsinites two promises: I will always tell you the truth, and I will never vote, and by extension never conduct myself with my reelection in mind.

I have scrupulously honored those promises.

If reelected, I will do everything I can to help make things better.

I'm asking for your vote.

Thank you.

[upbeat music] - It's harder and harder for families to make ends meet.

From grocery to energy, prices keep increasing as inflation's hurting families and retirees.

I'm committed to bringing down prices and stopping inflation.

Hi, I'm Congressman Bryan Steil and I'm running for reelection to be your voice in Washington.

We need to get our nation back on track.

We need an economy that's strong.

One-party control in Washington has passed over $9 trillion in new spending during the last two years.

Wasteful spending in Washington has increased the cost of groceries, gas, cars, housing, and is growing our national debt.

We're seeing the highest levels of inflation in 40 years.

The results: workers have lost 9% of their earnings in the last two years.

All the spending and debt in Washington are also hurting Social Security and Medicare.

I believe we must protect Social Security and Medicare.

The programs are promises we made to our seniors and are promises I'm committed to keeping.

Anti-American energy policies are driving up costs, from the cancellation of the Keystone Pipeline to canceling leases, Biden is moving us in the wrong direction.

We need to unleash American energy.

We can do that with an all of the above energy approach by increasing production of reliable, clean, American-made energy.

This will help everyone from farmers to the gas station in bringing down costs for families.

I'm focused on creating an economy that's strong.

Let's discuss public safety.

I believe everyone deserves to feel safe in our community.

Everyone.

We need to stand with the men and women in law enforcement and fully fund them.

Law enforcement needs more police officers and tools to keep our communities safe.

I back the badge.

We also need to end the fentanyl crisis plaguing our communities.

I've hosted roundtables in Rock, Racine, and Kenosha counties focused on fighting fentanyl.

This dangerous drug is a leading cause of death for Americans aged 18 to 45.

These drugs are coming from Mexico.

We must secure our border.

I'm focused on protecting our communities.

We also need to create a future that is built on freedom.

Every student must be able to succeed.

By expanding school choice for students, our students can receive the education their parents know is best.

Parents need a voice in their children's education.

I supported the Parents' Bill of Rights, legislation that will allow parents to know the curriculum being taught in their student's school and how their tax dollars are being spent.

Finally, we need a government that's accountable.

For too long, Washington has spent your tax dollars without oversight and accountability.

You deserve transparency.

We must save and strengthen Social Security and Medicare.

Stopping wasteful spending in Washington is one of the first steps in protecting these important programs.

I'm focused on the priorities of Wisconsin families, workers, veterans, and seniors.

I'll never stop working for you.

I'm Congressman Bryan Steil, and I ask for your vote on November 8.

[upbeat music] - Hi, I don't have a fancy teleprompter, but I gotta read, but I am gonna speak to you from the heart.

Hello, my name is Charles Barman and I am your independent candidate for Congress from Wisconsin's 1st Congressional District.

I run as an independent candidate not to be beholden to any other party.

I run for this office because of my deep concern for the direction that our state and our country are presently going.

These are my primary issues I'm concerned over.

Inflation and the economy.

We must work together to bring our government under sound fiscal management.

I plan to introduce and support legislation which will curtail runaway big government and spending and trillion-dollar giveaways, which ultimately place an undue burden on the taxpayers and the future of our children.

Curtailing inflation will bring energy and grocery prices back to where they were two years ago.

Crime and safety.

Our ultimate goal is to be safe in our communities.

We must enforce existing laws and support our law enforcement officers and first responders so they can perform their duties in a lawful manner.

Education.

Regarding education, we must promote a traditional curriculum and school policies.

The influence of parents in the educational process and allow the parents to teach their children home values and family morality.

A sound government program also to ensure the security of our children in the school environment.

Immigration.

To protect our national security, we must enforce existing immigration laws and procedures and support our border enforcement personnel.

By doing this, we will ensure the assimilation of legal immigrants into our communities through an orderly process.

We must fully support our farm community.

Those individuals who provide food to maintain our families.

I am a farmer besides being a construction worker.

I am a farmer from Sharon, Wisconsin.

I will wholeheartedly support and introduce legislation which will provide tariff protection and ensure that our farmers will have all the materials and supplies they need, including fertilizer, to produce the farm products Americans need to survive.

To our veterans.

Our veterans, who have given so much that we can enjoy the fruits and liberty and freedom, I pledge my wholehearted support for their protection and well-being.

Your current congressman's predecessor, Paul Ryan, hated Donald Trump so much that he would not give the $28 billion for the border wall.

You can hate Donald Trump or love Donald Trump, but one thing, when you're third in line to the presidency of the United States as the Speaker of the House, you must love your country.

Paul Ryan didn't.

Do not reward bad behavior by letting Byron Stiles, his puppet, stay in office.

Ann Roe, you and Bryan will not debate me.

I wanna challenge both of you.

Ann, you can come and explain why Tony Evers let the south side of Chicago ride the train to Kenosha and turn around and lay siege to that city and burn it for three days, and not one person through the Democratic Department of Justice has ever been brought to trial for burning the city.

Just because they had businesses down below, there was homes up above where people rented and lived.

And their houses were burnt.

And not one person has gone to prison for that.

Finally, my loyalty is to our country, the Constitution, the precious flag, and you, the voters of the 1st Congressional District of Wisconsin.

God bless you and your families, God bless America.

My name is Charles Barman, independent candidate, 1st Congressional District of Wisconsin.

Thank you.

[upbeat music] - Hi, my name is Ann Roe and I am running for Congress here in the 1st Congressional District of Wisconsin.

I am a small business owner, a community leader, former college educator, and mom of two.

And I've gotta tell you, as you know, there is so much at stake this year in this election cycle.

So in June, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.

And as a result, Wisconsin has an outdated, antiquated law from 1849.

A law that's so dangerous that many providers here have stopped providing services from fear of that law.

As a result, women's lives are in danger.

And extreme activists are using this law to prevent people from getting the health care they need.

This is unacceptable.

Private health care decisions and discussions are just that: They are private.

They are between a doctor and their patient.

Politicians have no place in those decisions.

When I am in Congress, I will work to make sure that we reinstate protections for those laws and make sure that people have access to reproductive health care services, including abortion.

Now, as a teacher for 20 years at UW-Whitewater, I got to see firsthand what our students struggle with.

Between the high costs of higher education, as well as the emotional and mental setbacks now that many are suffering at all grade levels, our educational system is struggling.

I will make sure that schools and teachers have the resources they need to provide the service and support for learners at all ages.

And let's talk about our working families.

They need help.

They need paid family leave.

They need housing assistance.

They need childcare assistance.

Prices are not going down and no working adult should have to choose between keeping their job and taking care of a family member.

In addition, we need to work for those who are most vulnerable in our communities.

Those facing insecurity or housing issues.

They do not deserve our condemnation.

They need our compassion.

I believe in public service, and that is service without judgment.

People here in Wisconsin's 1st deserve better.

They deserve someone like me, who will listen to what they need and represent them at the federal level to get this work done for all of our communities.

This is about bringing everyone to the table.

And we need to get a lot of work done to move our communities, our businesses, our families, our children forward.

We all want good futures for every single child.

Help me get there.

Remember, Roe is on the ballot in November and so am I.

[upbeat music] - I'm Douglas Alexander.

I'm running in the 2nd District, which is Sauk County, Iowa, Lafayette, Green, Rock, and Dane Counties.

I'm a regular guy like many of you, who's disappointed in both parties and fed up with the career politicians in Congress, who are more interested in getting reelected than getting things done.

Now, Congress has been corrupt for a while.

And we can't do anything about the big companies that hire lobbyists to sway members of Congress with boatloads of money.

But we can change Congress.

And this is why I'm running.

The leadership in Congress, both Democrat and Republican, are drunk on power.

And the solution is to get term limits on the Congress.

If we get term limits imposed, there can be no career politicians.

That means they can't just focus on getting reelected.

That means they don't need any money.

That means they don't need to vote in lockstep with their party nor do they need to obey the dictates of the lobbyists.

They would be free to cooperate and compromise and to actually get things done.

If you go to my website, there's a Zoom skit there which gives a vision of how positive things could be in Congress.

It's called "A Tale of Two Houses."

Okay, 82% of registered voters, Democrat and Republican, nationwide consistently poll in favor of imposing term limits on Congress.

Did you know that?

If not, why didn't you know that?

Why does it take an independent like I to take the unusual step of running for Congress, it's the first time since 1950, for you to get that information that the vast majority of people in this country want term limits on Congress?

Well, I'll tell you why.

It's because the people in power, the power brokers in our society don't want you to know that.

They don't want us to get organized.

But that's why I'm running.

Now, I'd like for you to think of a couple of the key issues that are most important to you in the political process.

Your party has been in power sometime in the last 10, 20 years.

Did they ever make any significant progress on those issues?

No?

So why do we keep voting these people in office time and time again, expecting a different result?

That's the definition of insanity.

Now, candidates from both parties, they campaign on the issues that are important to us.

And we take the bait.

We keep electing them to Congress, they keep getting elected over and over again, they are becoming millionaires, we're all getting more in debt, and nothing is getting done.

Now, if those of you in this 2nd district who want terms limits on Congress vote for me on November the 8, I'll take this mission to a national platform.

And at the same time, I'll represent all of you.

I'm not beholden to either party.

So I'll listen to all of you.

I'll listen to all sides of an issue and I'll represent you well.

This time, don't take the bait.

I'm stepping up to give you a chance to have your vote count for real change.

Don't throw your vote away.

This is our opportunity.

This is your opportunity.

Let's get this done.

Thank you.

[upbeat music] - Hi, I'm Congressman Mark Pocan from Wisconsin's 2nd Congressional District, and I'm running for reelection to serve the people of southcentral Wisconsin, Wisconsin's 2nd Congressional District.

It's been an honor to serve people for the last five terms, 10 years, in Congress.

This session in particular, we have gotten a lot done, more than I think any term I've been in Congress.

And I'd just like to share that with you.

Last year, early in the year, we passed the American Rescue Plan.

That's the bill that put money in people's pockets, the $1,400 checks, the shots in people's arms, got kids back into school safely, and got people into jobs.

It also was our first chance to get some funds to local and state governments coming out of COVID, and it was really crucial at the time it happened.

Then in fall, I think for four presidents, Democrats and Republicans, we've talked about rebuilding our nation's infrastructure.

Well, we did it.

An over trillion dollar bill that is gonna invest in our roads and bridges, our broadband, our water delivery systems, half a million electric vehicle charging stations across the country.

In all, about a million and a half new jobs helping to rebuild America.

Then this year, we passed the CHIPS Act.

The CHIPS Act is probably something that got the least attention, but probably has some of the longest-term ramifications.

Trying to build more things here in the United States.

Mainly, computer chips.

The average vehicle has about 1,000 computer chips.

The average electric vehicle, about 2,000 chips.

And this bill will make sure that we make more of those here.

Right now, we only make about 12%, and our nation's supply was down to four days' worth at any given time during COVID.

That's something that we need to change.

So this would help incentivize making that, as well as some other items we noticed that we had supply chain issues with during COVID.

And then finally, we passed the Inflation Reduction Act, which was probably the most comprehensive bill we've passed to try to lower costs for families when it comes to energy and health care.

And let me talk just a little bit about that.

The health care bill, we are allowing for the first time ever the ability to negotiate for prescription drug prices through Medicare, using our large-volume purchasing to be able to get cheaper drug prices.

We pay some of the highest prices on the planet for prescription drugs.

And this will help lower those costs.

It also caps out of pocket expenses for seniors to $2,000 for prescription drugs, something that will save people thousands and thousands of dollars.

It also caps insulin at $35.

We wanted to do it for everyone, but the Republicans wouldn't agree.

But we were able to do it at least for people on Medicare.

And that's gonna provide hundreds of dollars a month of savings to many, many people.

On the energy side, it's the most comprehensive bill we've had addressing climate change.

It will reduce emissions by 40% by 2030, investing in renewable energies right here in America.

So we're not relying on other countries or organizations like OPEC to tell us what we have.

We can do these things with renewable energy and other energy sources right here in America.

And that is gonna be really transformational in many ways.

And the best part is we paid for it by having those who haven't paid their fair share pay.

Corporations that have found ways to hide their profits and put them overseas to not pay U.S. taxes now have a 15% minimum tax to disincentivize that bad behavior.

Also, there's a small tax on stock buybacks, something that will help a lot of people because that's something used only by the wealthiest of the wealthy.

And here, we'll be able to get that done with this bill.

So there's a lot of really great things that I think are gonna be really phenomenal happening, and I just wanted to share those with you.

Those are four big bills we did this session, probably the most productive since I've been in Congress, and I'd like to keep doing that.

So I'm asking for your vote.

I'd be honored to have your support on November 8, so I can keep representing the people of southcentral Wisconsin.

Hopefully we'll see each other during the coming weeks as we're campaigning across the district.

But again, thank you, and I would appreciate your support.

[upbeat music] [upbeat music] - 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 have really appreciated the trust that you have put into my representing this district.

And I believe that that trust has come because I have put the needs of my constituents ahead of politics, and especially partisan politics.

And it has been the greatest honor of my life to have served you.

I have seen the resilience of our community over the years, especially during this terrible, terrible pandemic.

And I have worked to galvanize all of the resources of Congress to improve our community.

This Congress, the 117th Congress, Democrats have provided COVID relief for small businesses, for families, for state and local governments, for our schools while delivering lower prescription costs, cutting health care costs, securing historic investments in climate change.

And I am so proud of my innovations, my input, my amendments, and my bills that have helped to bring this about.

Investments that Democrats have made in their Inflation Reduction Act will bring good-paying, clean energy manufacturing jobs to Wisconsin.

We'll expand the pathway to the middle class.

We'll start making chips, computer semiconductors right here in the United States of America.

The bipartisan Infrastructure Bill will do so much more than just fix our roads and our bridges.

It will help us to get rid of the lead pipes that have poisoned our children in Milwaukee for decades.

It will put us on a faster track to secure this clean drinking water, and it will help to weatherize our homes to lower our energy costs, something that is critical in our frigid weather here in Wisconsin and in the City of Milwaukee.

You know what?

When Democrats are in charge, stuff gets done.

And this Congress, we have accomplished more than any Congress since 1965.

And I wanna continue delivering for you.

And I am humbly asking for your support for reelection this November 8.

With your support, I can help to continue to build an economy that recognizes everybody of every ability, to give everybody a fair shot, to work to restore reproductive rights for women, voting rights for you all, and to protect our democracy.

Thank you so much.

Take care.

[upbeat music] [upbeat music] - Hi, my name is Mike Van Someren and I'm the Democratic nominee for Wisconsin's 5th Congressional District.

I'm running to bring common sense back to governing and to rebuild and strengthen the middle class, not only here at home, but throughout the U.S. Now, I'm a dad, a husband, and a business attorney, and I come from blue collar roots.

My dad is a truck driver and my mom is an office manager.

For the first five years of my life, we actually lived in a trailer court while my mom and dad saved up enough money to build the house that they still live in to this day.

I got a great public school education, where I had the chance to play a variety of sports and participate in a number of extracurricular activities.

This education led to the opportunity for me to walk on to play offensive line for the Wisconsin Badgers and Barry Alvarez.

I graduated in 2008 in the middle of the Great Recession, and enrolled in Marquette University Law School, where I graduated with honors.

And for the last decade, I've been practicing real estate and business law in the greater Milwaukee area.

Now, I've always said that I'm interested in policy but not politics.

And the reason I got interested in politics and decided I had to throw my hat in the ring is because during the pandemic, we had a group of people in office that refused to put aside partisan affiliations and do the job of governing for the greatest amount of people.

And when people aren't willing to put aside their differences, we can't get anything done and our government becomes dysfunctional.

Now, me personally, I don't care where an idea comes from, whether it's the left, the right, or the center.

If it's a good idea, we need to implement it, and if it's a bad idea, we need to get rid of it and move on.

Now, how do we rebuild the middle class?

First, I think we need to make sure that we have one set of rules for everybody, regardless of status, class, or wealth.

That means first of all, we need to collect the taxes that are owed rather than looking to raise taxes right away.

We right now leave approximately $600 billion to a trillion dollars on the table each year on taxes that are evaded because people don't think they'll get caught.

And that can't be the way that we operate.

We also need to make sure our economy is competitive.

And we can do this by attacking the illusion of choice.

Right now, we have many brands that are owned by a few companies.

We have four companies that control a portion of our food supply.

We have four companies that control 90% of our media, whether that be print, digital, radio, or television.

We can't have this.

With this kind of consolidation, we have exasperating wealth inequality, fewer jobs, fewer family-supporting jobs, poorer products, and higher pricing.

We can attack this by making sure people actually have to compete, and at the same time, having a proper safety net so that when people do take that chance and start that business, they don't have to risk their entire family and the quality of life that they have taking that chance and coming up with that next product.

We also need to make sure that our health care is accessible to as many people as possible and provides outcomes that are good outcomes.

Right now, we have health care that is very good, provides very good outcomes for a select few and is almost completely inaccessible for the vast majority of our population.

We need to make sure more people can access it and that insurance companies are doing the job that they're supposed to do, which is providing coverage for health needs for our population.

We also need to attack cost drivers, particularly in the prescription drug market.

We can do this because we subsidize that with our tax dollars as it is.

With a young family, I wanna make sure that our families are all safe, and we can do this by making sure our police are supported and that they don't have to respond to everything that society throws at us.

Homelessness and drug abuse should be handled by social workers so that the police can focus on policing crimes and we can actually solve the problem of homelessness and drug abuse.

Finally, I have a young family.

I wanna make sure that our planet is healthy for the long term, and I think we can do that while still growing a strong economy.

And in order to do this, we need to innovate our way out of the worst effects of climate change.

And once we come up with these new innovations, export them to the rest of the world and make sure that we are the face of the world's problem solvers.

That's gonna help our standing in the world, that's gonna make sure our planet is good, and it's gonna create a strong economy.

I have an optimistic vision for this country, and I hope to earn your vote this November.

Thank you.

[upbeat music] [upbeat music] - Hi, I'm Congressman Tom Tiffany.

I represent the 7th Congressional District in northern and western Wisconsin.

My wife Chris and I live in Minocqua.

I grew up on a dairy farm in western Wisconsin, got an agricultural degree from UW-River Falls, put that to use for seven years at a farm supply cooperative in southern Minnesota.

It was about 30 years ago that I moved to the Northwoods of Wisconsin.

My wife Chris and I have three daughters.

They went to the Lakeland area schools here in Minocqua.

Chris and I owned and operated Wilderness Cruises for 20 years on the beautiful Willow Flowage.

For 29 years, I was the dam tender on the Willow Flowage.

Yes, folks, I was a dam man.

In 2010, I was elected to the State Legislature.

Wisconsin was in a bad place under one-party rule of the Democrats.

If you remember, we had a $3 billion deficit.

Unemployment was nearly at double digits.

I went down with like-minded people and we did the right thing to turn Wisconsin around.

It was not easy, but we made those tough decisions.

And we made Wisconsin a better place to live, work, and play.

Fast forward to 2022, I've served for two short years out in the United States Congress, and Washington, D.C. is not taking us in the right direction.

Under the agenda of President Biden and Speaker Nancy Pelosi, America is now weak and off-track.

And you know the problems.

Record inflation.

You're seeing-- You've lost the equivalent of one month's paycheck as a result of the cost of living going up.

Record energy prices.

Gasoline is now, once again, over $4 a gallon here in the Northwoods.

And record illegal immigration, where every state is now a border state, including right here in northern Wisconsin.

And record crime, where the Defund the Police movement has taken hold.

You know what the problems are.

You want to hear solutions, and we have them.

Let's make America strong, safe, and free again.

We make America strong, first of all, by getting back to energy independence.

Rather than begging the Saudis as President Biden has to produce more oil, let's produce it right here in America.

Americans are ready to do that today.

Let's get back to a balanced budget.

I worked with a group of people in this session of the Congress that we proposed a balanced budget that'll get to balance in seven years.

Let's implement that budget and let's stop the fraud that's going on in our federal programs.

If we're gonna have a strong-- If we're gonna have a strong America, then we have to have a safe America.

It's time to stop the Defund the Police movement and it's time for prosecutors to prosecute.

Weak prosecutors are putting police in a bad spot.

Let's get back to prosecuting crime and let's look out for the victims of crime rather than the perpetrators of crime.

To have a strong and safe America, you have to have a free America.

And that starts by respecting the First Amendment.

The big tech censors need to be held to account.

We may need to change Section 230 of the Telecommunications Code or use our anti-trust laws if the big tech companies are not going to allow free speech under the First Amendment.

And I will always vote to protect the Second Amendment.

And I also believe that we need to make sure that our daughters are free to participate under Title IX in sports so that they can compete freely against other girls.

So let's have a strong, safe, and free America, and we will have a prosperous America.

I look forward to earning your vote on November 8.

[upbeat music] - Greetings, my name is Dick Ausman and I'm running for the House of Representatives seat for Wisconsin's 7th Congressional District.

The reason I'm running is the incumbent, Tom Tiffany, his votes are actually hurting people.

He voted against lowering the cost of insulin, against the infant formula funding bill, against Medicare being able to negotiate prescription drug prices.

He voted against the Honor Our Pact Act to help our veterans with their medical needs due to exposure to toxins.

And again, recently, against helping them with their hunger and nutritional needs.

He's voted against all aid for Ukraine, and he's even voted against allowing people access to contraceptives.

And the list just goes on and on and on.

He also wants to privatize Social Security.

That's a horrible idea.

And in the last Congress, his missed 350% more votes than the average Congressperson.

He's not even showing up to do his job.

Since May, I put more than 25,000 miles on my bus and truck, traveling around this district, meeting with hundreds upon hundreds of Republicans, independents, Democrats.

They all agree with what I want to accomplish when I arrive in Congress.

Number one, health care is a right.

Medicaid and Medicare for all.

58% of all American debt is medical debt.

We owe it to our children and future generations not to allow that to happen to them.

People are also concerned about Social Security.

It can be solved in a day.

Most people don't know that when someone currently earns $147,000 in a year, they stop contributing to the Social Security fund for the remainder of the year.

Eliminate the cap on contributions and Social Security is immediately solved.

People are concerned about what's going on with guns.

I own guns; I'm not here to take away anyone's guns.

But there's four things we can do to make an immediate impact.

Number one: No more than five bullets in a clip.

Number two: Universal background checks.

Number three: Red flag laws.

And number four: When someone purchases a firearm for the first time, they need to take a gun safety course.

As it relates to women, it is a woman's choice.

The founders of our country were very faith-based, but they were very insistent that our country be established as a secular country in nature.

We all have the ability to worship when, where, and how we choose, but we don't have the ability to impose our religious views on others.

And that's what's happening with abortion.

The government needs to butt out.

They have no right in intruding in the most personal decision a woman will ever make.

Also related to that is the Equal Rights Amendment.

The Constitution simply states that when three-quarters of the states ratify an amendment, it becomes an amendment to the Constitution.

That has happened.

38 states have ratified the Equal Rights Amendment.

It's time to make it a part of our Constitution.

A little about me.

I live in Lac du Flambeau, but I was born and raised in Merrill.

My parents both grew up on farms.

When I was seven years old, my dad passed away.

My mom had six kids, no insurance or savings, in Merrill.

She worked in a department store.

She picked up selling Avon products.

We got food in white boxes from the county building.

She baked bread; I delivered it around the neighborhood.

And she rented out my sister's bedroom to a student at the teacher's college to make ends meet.

She defined who I am.

Make it happen.

I attended the University of Wisconsin, was a member of the UW Marching Band.

I'm the only person you will ever meet who has done complete somersaults strapped to a bass drum.

For my work life, I've been a publisher of both weekly, daily newspapers.

The majority of my work life, I was a business to business publisher.

And I published Training magazine, the leading magazine as to how to develop our workforce, and Presentations magazine, the leading magazine as to communication skills around the world.

I also created Russian and Japanese language editions of my publications, and my publications have won numerous national and state awards.

You need someone looking out for your best interests in Congress.

For more information, check out ausmanforcongress.com.

Send me to Congress, and on Wisconsin.

[upbeat music] - Hello, ladies and gentlemen.

My name is Jacob VandenPlas, Libertarian candidate for Wisconsin's 8th Congressional District.

Little bit about myself, I was born and raised in Abrams, Wisconsin, just north of Green Bay.

Graduated from Oconto Falls High School in the great year of 2002.

And shortly after that, I shipped off to Fort Benning, Georgia, the infantry school for the United States Army.

I spent 13 years in the Wisconsin Army National Guard as an infantryman, did two tours in Iraq, one of which was served with Bravo Company 2-127 right here out of Green Bay.

I also served a second tour with Charlie Company 121st Field Artillery out of Sussex, Wisconsin.

I did those tours back to back.

And currently, my wife and I and our beautiful family reside in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin.

And we have a nonprofit organization, DC Farm for Vets, short for Door County Farm for Vets, where we actually train veterans on how to grow produce and live sustainably, how to butcher animals, how to package food, and kind of live off the land.

Gives them a sense of purpose and being back in their lives.

I decided to run as a Libertarian for lots of reasons, a multitude of reasons.

I feel that both the major parties have left the American people behind and they no longer represent us.

We're supposed to have a constitutional republic, but because of these two parties, we have actually formed a democracy.

And democracies by nature are very, very polarizing.

And that's what we see right now, is an extraordinary polarization of our country, where we're fighting our neighbors and fighting our families.

We have to stop.

We have to come together and we have to start decentralizing our government and put the wealth and prosperity of this country back in the hands of the American people.

And we do this by focusing on local legislation.

Our federal government's only supposed to be handling a couple of things, and right now, they're handling a lot.

We need to fix that.

And we have to stop the fighting.

When we focus on local legislation and self-governance, everybody wins.

They were not supposed to have Republican governance or Democrat governance functioning at the federal level.

We're supposed to be protecting self-governance and individual liberties.

We no longer have that.

I intend to fully bring that back.

My highest priorities that I'm gonna be tackling during my time in Washington is the fiscal responsibility of our government.

Right now, we're spending money like never before.

We're almost $31 trillion in debt, exorbitant inflation, 40-year high record inflation, and it's not coming down any time soon.

There's times I look at my son, who's 14 years old, he's gonna be looking at buying his first car here shortly.

Average car payments are over $700 a month.

Or those families right now that are trying to buy their first home.

Average mortgage rates have more than, not just doubled, but have risen almost 100% just in the last two years.

This is starting to cripple our country.

And this is all the result of Republicans and Democrats fighting back and forth.

It's time that we come together, focus on self-governance, individual liberties, and tackling these problems that this great nation faces within our local communities.

We can solve all these problems, and we can have a government accountable to the people if we focus on local legislation.

I definitely appreciate this time, and if you're interested more in my campaign, you can check out my website at www.jakeliberty2022.com.

I appreciate your support, and I definitely would enjoy your vote come this November.

Thank you for your time.

[upbeat music] - Hello, my name is Paul Boucher.

I am candidate for the United States House of Representatives.

The highlights of my platform are education, female empowerment, prepare for the green evolution, lower the voting age to 16, build a fitness care system, abolish the archaic drug laws, and solve the homelessness issue.

Also to ensure that there is a college for everyone.

We need to build a high speed rail system to unite the nation.

The construction of indoor parks will ensure the health of America.

I am proposing the digging of a canal tunnel from Green Bay to Kewaunee, Wisconsin to alleviate flooding dangers in the Bay area.

Also, we need to build a bridge across Lake Michigan that will stimulate economic growth and will provide solar and wind renewable energies.

Thank you.

Get out there and vote.

[upbeat music] - In addition to the candidate 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 & Now .

If you'd like more information about any of the candidates running for office in Wisconsin, visit our election website: wisconsinvote.org.

Please remember to vote on Tuesday, November 8, and thank you for watching PBS Wisconsin.

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