% >> IN THE SWING THIRD
% CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT IN
% WESTERN WISCONSIN, THERE HAVE
% BEEN NO CANDIDATE DEBATES IN THE
% TRUMP ENDORSED CANDIDATE MOSTLY
% DOESN'T DO INTERVIEWS WITH THE
% SO-CALLED "MAINSTREAM MEDIA" AND
% A FEW POLLS THAT HAVE BEEN TAKEN
% SHOW HIM IN THE LEAD OVER
% DEMOCRAT BRAD PFAFF.
% IS THAT RACE A DONE DEAL?
% WE TURN TO ANTHONY CHERGOSKY.
% THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
% >> THANK YOU.
% >> SO IS IT A DONE-DEAL IN FAVOR
% OF DERRICK VAN ORDEN?
% OR COULD THERE BE A SURPRISE IN
% THIS SWINGY DISTRICT?
% >> THERE COULD BE SURPRISES IN
% WESTERN WISCONSIN.
% BUT I THINK IT IS MOSTLY A DONE
% DEAL.
% YOU LOOK AT THE INVESTMENT THAT
% THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY IS MAKING,
% AND THERE IS NOT MUCH INVESTMENT
% TO SPEAK OF WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE
% THIRD CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT.
% THE MONEY TALKS.
% YOU LOOK AT HOW THE PARTIES ARE
% ALLOCATING THEIR RESOURCES.
% AND THAT TELLS YOU A LOT ABOUT
% HOW THE PARTIES VIEW THIS
% PARTICULAR RACE HERE IN WESTERN
% WISCONSIN.
% >> SO WHAT DO BRAD PFAFF
% SUPPORTERS THINK OF THAT?
% >> I THINK THEY ARE VERY UPSET.
% I HAVE TALKED WITH MANY OF THEM.
% THEY THINK THE PARTY HAS
% ABANDONED BRAD PFAFF.
% THEY THINK BRAD PFAFF IS BEING
% LEFT TO FEND FOR HIMSELF.
% CERTAINLY DEMOCRATS HERE HAVE A
% VERY NEGATIVE VIEW OF DERRICK
% VAN ORDEN THE REPUBLICAN.
% BUT WITHOUT THE RESOURCES TO
% MAKE THAT CASE, THEY ARE GOING
% TO HAVE SOME PROBLEMS.
% AS YOU NOTED, FRED RYKA, THERE
% ARE NO DEBATES, THERE ARE VERY
% FEW CANDIDATE INTERVIEWS.
% THIS IS A RACE THAT IS RELYING
% ON THE 30-SECOND IS TELEVISION
% ADVERTISEMENTS.
% SO THEY NEED THE MONEY TO FUND
% THOSE ADVERTISEMENTS.
% THAT IS HOW THEY ARE PRESENTING
% THEMSELVES TO THE VOTERS.
% >> WHAT IS YOUR REACTION TO THE
% IDEA THAT THERE HAS BEEN NO
% DEBATES, THE TOWN HALLS THAT
% THEY WANTED TO PUT ON DIDN'T
% HAPPEN.
% WHAT IS YOUR REACTION TO THAT
% KIND OF A CAMPAIGN?
% >> WELL, FIRST OF ALL, I WOULD
% NOTE IT'S THE END OF A VERY LONG
% TRADITION THAT WE'VE HAD IN
% WESTERN WISCONSIN.
% I'VE TALKED TO PEOPLE THAT HAVE
% BEEN AROUND POLITICS AND
% LACROSSE IN A VERY LONG TIME.
% THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THEY CAN
% EVER REMEMBER THERE BEING NO
% DEBATE IN THIS PARTICULAR
% CONGRESSIONAL SEAT.
% IT'S A MAJOR DISAPPOINTMENT.
% IT'S A SITUATION WHERE THE
% CANDIDATES ARE JUST RELYING ON
% THAT PAID MEDIA.
% AND THAT MAKES ME EXTREMELY
% WORRIED, FREDERICA.
% IT MAKES ME WORRIED ABOUT THE
% LEVEL OF INFORMATION THE VOTERS
% WILL HAVE AS THEY CAST THEIR
% VOTE.
% VOTERS RELYING ON PAID MEDIA,
% PAID ADVERTISEMENTS, AS A
% POLITICAL SCIENTIST, THAT MAKE
% ME NERVOUS.
% I WOULD MUCH RATHER THERE BE
% DEBATES, UNSCRIPTED SITUATIONS
% WHERE YOU CAN REALLY GET TO KNOW
% THE CANDIDATES IN-DEPTH.
% THE VOTERS ARE JUST NOT GOING TO
% HAVE THAT TYPE OF EXPERIENCE,
% THAT TYPE OF OPPORTUNITY IN THIS
% CAMPAIGN.
% >> ON THE GROUND THERE, WHAT
% ISSUES DOES THIS RACE TURN ON
% THAT COULD BRING PEOPLE OUT TO
% THE POLLS?
% >> ONE OF THE STRIKING ASPECTS
% OF THIS CAMPAIGN HAS BEEN THE
% LACK OF DISCUSSION OF THE
% ISSUES.
% FOR BRAD PFAFF, THE DISCUSSION
% HAS BEEN ABOUT DERRICK VAN
% ORDEN'S PRESENCE IN WASHINGTON,
% D.C. ON JANUARY 6th.
% AND ALSO BRAD PFAFF'SMENT
% SUPPORT FOR ROE VERSE WADE.
% GOING BACK TO THE SITUATION.
% DERRICK VAN ORDEN CAST BRAD
% PFAFF AS A CAREER POLITICIAN.
% SOMEONE WHO HAS ALWAYS BEEN IN
% GOVERNMENT AND HE CONTRAST
% HIMSELF WITH BRAD PFAFF BY
% TALKING ABOUT HOW HE IS A
% POLITICAL OUTSIDER.
% SO WE HAVEN'T HAD MUCH
% DISCUSSION OF THE ISSUES AT ALL.
% IT'S MOSTLY ABOUT TRYING TO
% CREATE A PERSONA THROUGH THOSE
% HIGHLY POLISHED, HIGHLY PRODUCED
% TELEVISION COMMERCIALS.
% >> DOES IT SEEM AS THOUGH THE
% JANUARY 6th TIE WITH DERRICK
% VAN ORDEN IS REALLY RESINATING
% AT ALL WITH VOTERS?
% BECAUSE ONE RECENT HEADLINE
% SAID, VOTERS SHRUG OFF GOP
% CANDIDATES JANUARY 6th TIE.
% >> I THINK DEMOCRATS HERE ARE
% FRUSTRATED THEY DON'T HAVE THE
% RESOURCES TO MAKE THAT CASE
% AGAINST DERRICK VAN ORDEN.
% THERE HAS BEEN SOME EFFORT BY
% DEMOCRATS HERE TO EMPHASIZE HOW
% DERRICK VAN ORDEN WAS IN
% WASHINGTON, D.C. ON
% JANUARY 6th.
% DEMOCRATS HAVE TRIED TO RAISE
% QUESTIONS AND RAISE CONCERNS
% ABOUT WHAT EXACTLY DERRICK VAN
% ORDEN WAS DOING IN D.C. ON THAT
% DAY.
% BUT IN A CAMPAIGN THAT RELIES SO
% MUCH ON PAID ADVERTISEMENTS, IN
% A CAMPAIGN WHERE YOU DON'T HAVE
% UNSCRIPTED MOMENTS, INTERVIEWS,
% TOWN HALLS, DEBATES, YOU'VE GOT
% TO RELY ON THAT PAID
% ADVERTISEMENT AND RIGHT NOW THE
% DEMOCRATS DON'T HAVE THE
% RESOURCES TO RUN A SUSTAINED
% CAMPAIGN FOCUSING ON
% JANUARY 6th AS THEY GO AGAINST
% DERRICK VAN ORDEN.
% >> SO YOU'VE MADE AN INTERESTING
% POINT THAT THIRD WAS KIND OF THE
% LAST HOPE FOR DEMOCRATS OUTSIDE
% OF THEIR STRONGHOLD IN MADISON
% AND MILWAUKEE.
% WHAT KIND OF AN EXAMPLE IS THIS
% OF A STATE DIVIDED BETWEEN URBAN
% AND RURAL?
% >> THIS IS GOING TO BE A
% FANTASTIC EXAMPLE OF THE URBAN
% RURAL DIVIDE IF THIS DISTRICT
% DOES GO REPUBLICAN IN NOVEMBER.
% BECAUSE THEN WHAT WILL WE HAVE?
% IF THIS DISTRICT GOES RED, WE
% WILL HAVE A 6-2 SPLIT IN THE
% HOUSE DELEGATION FOR WISCONSIN.
% WE'LL HAVE SIX REPUBLICANS, TWO
% DEMOCRATS.
% WE'LL HAVE BOTH DEMOCRATS
% REPRESENTING THE MAJOR URBAN
% AREAS WAREAS.
% A PERFECT EXAMPLE OF HOW THE
% STATE IS SO DIVIDED BETWEEN
% URBAN AND RURAL.
% FREDERICA, I THINK THAT IS WHERE
% WE MAY BE HEADING THIS NOVEMBER.
% >> ANTHONY CHERGOSKY, THANKS
% VERY MUCH.
% >> THANK YOU.
% >> FOR MORE OF OUR COVERAGE ON
% THE RACE IN THE THIRD
% CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT, VISIT
% OUR WEBSITE AT PBSWISCONSIN.ORG
% AND CLICK ON THE NEWS TAB.