1 00:00:01,034 --> 00:00:05,706 The following program is a PBS Wisconsin Original 2 00:00:09,409 --> 00:00:12,846 production. >> She filed inaccurate and 3 00:00:12,913 --> 00:00:15,549 incomplete campaign finance reports. 4 00:00:15,616 --> 00:00:17,484 >> Democratic primary candidate for governor 5 00:00:17,551 --> 00:00:20,687 Sarah Rodriguez drops out Falke. 6 00:00:21,121 --> 00:00:23,557 >> Fusion is the energy of the future, and Wisconsin 7 00:00:23,624 --> 00:00:27,194 is where fusion research becomes reality. 8 00:00:27,261 --> 00:00:30,464 >> And a significant step forward for energy 9 00:00:30,531 --> 00:00:33,534 technology. I'm Frederica Freyberg 10 00:00:33,600 --> 00:00:36,803 tonight on "Here& Now", a leading Democratic 11 00:00:36,870 --> 00:00:40,007 candidate for governor drops out after a stunning 12 00:00:40,073 --> 00:00:44,044 week of missteps. We report on the crowded Republican 13 00:00:44,111 --> 00:00:46,613 primary for the seventh Congressional District in 14 00:00:46,680 --> 00:00:50,184 northern Wisconsin, as well as why Democrats running 15 00:00:50,250 --> 00:00:54,188 there want the job. And we talk with the CEO of an 16 00:00:54,254 --> 00:00:57,424 emerging energy company about why and how they're 17 00:00:57,491 --> 00:01:01,028 bringing nuclear fusion to Wisconsin. It's "Here& Now" 18 00:01:01,094 --> 00:01:03,997 for Friday, July 17th. [MUSIC] 19 00:01:05,432 --> 00:01:07,935 >> Funding for "Here& Now" is provided by the Focus 20 00:01:08,001 --> 00:01:12,673 Fund for Journalism and Friends of PBS Wisconsin. 21 00:01:20,848 --> 00:01:23,684 >> After a Monday news conference where she fired 22 00:01:23,750 --> 00:01:26,787 her campaign manager for messing up the financial 23 00:01:26,854 --> 00:01:30,357 reports but still vowed to stay in the race, 24 00:01:30,424 --> 00:01:32,292 Democratic primary candidate for governor 25 00:01:32,359 --> 00:01:36,597 Sarah Rodriguez, today dropped out. She said the 26 00:01:36,663 --> 00:01:39,733 fundraising reporting mess would be too big of a 27 00:01:39,800 --> 00:01:41,935 distraction. Senior political reporter Zac 28 00:01:42,002 --> 00:01:43,704 Schultz is here with details on. Hi, Zac. 29 00:01:43,770 --> 00:01:45,873 >> Hello, Fred. >> So this has been almost 30 00:01:45,939 --> 00:01:48,976 like a slow motion train wreck. Exactly what 31 00:01:49,042 --> 00:01:50,811 happened. >> It's been a back and 32 00:01:50,878 --> 00:01:53,680 forth all week. Last week we were talking about all 33 00:01:53,747 --> 00:01:55,749 the momentum she had. The candidates that had dropped 34 00:01:55,816 --> 00:01:58,218 out were endorsing her. I was in touch with the 35 00:01:58,285 --> 00:02:00,921 campaign to see where she be out in the field this 36 00:02:00,988 --> 00:02:03,824 week. We were going to touch base with all the 37 00:02:03,891 --> 00:02:06,927 Democratic candidates, and said, well, we're still 38 00:02:06,994 --> 00:02:08,996 figuring out that schedule. Well, by Sunday, they'd 39 00:02:09,062 --> 00:02:11,031 fired her campaign manager. By Monday, she has a press 40 00:02:11,098 --> 00:02:13,033 conference saying, I'm in the race, but fundraising 41 00:02:13,100 --> 00:02:15,836 is a little weaker. We talked to the other 42 00:02:15,903 --> 00:02:18,872 candidates. They're like, authority. It says you can 43 00:02:18,939 --> 00:02:21,108 run things and you don't have any oversight of your 44 00:02:21,175 --> 00:02:23,143 own campaign. Her campaign finance sheets come and 45 00:02:23,210 --> 00:02:26,413 show she's broke and deeply in debt. Then she makes 46 00:02:26,480 --> 00:02:29,082 another press conference to say that she's got all this 47 00:02:29,149 --> 00:02:31,151 money and then quickly says, nope, sorry, that was an 48 00:02:31,218 --> 00:02:34,054 error as well. And now she's out. So it's been 49 00:02:34,121 --> 00:02:36,056 back and forth, people really trying to figure out 50 00:02:36,123 --> 00:02:39,026 where is the truth. And when she says it was a 51 00:02:39,092 --> 00:02:41,995 distraction, she's 100% most honest thing that's 52 00:02:42,062 --> 00:02:44,164 been said about the campaign all week, is this 53 00:02:44,231 --> 00:02:45,933 was dominating all the headlines and would have if 54 00:02:45,999 --> 00:02:48,068 she would have stayed in this race. 55 00:02:48,135 --> 00:02:50,003 >> She was considered a frontrunner, though. 56 00:02:50,070 --> 00:02:52,172 >> Absolutely. When you were looking at if you 57 00:02:52,239 --> 00:02:54,141 looked at that Democratic primary in terms of lanes, 58 00:02:54,208 --> 00:02:56,476 there was clearly Francesca Hong in the more 59 00:02:56,543 --> 00:02:58,745 progressive far left lane. She had owned that for 60 00:02:58,812 --> 00:03:01,281 quite a while in this race, and it was a question of 61 00:03:01,348 --> 00:03:04,051 who could coalesce more of that centrist moderate 62 00:03:04,117 --> 00:03:05,886 candidacy. And Sara Rodriguez was taking that 63 00:03:05,953 --> 00:03:08,455 over. And now that it's gone, it's a question of 64 00:03:08,522 --> 00:03:11,692 who takes advantage of that. Where do those voters go? 65 00:03:11,758 --> 00:03:14,962 >> So now Governor Evers is reportedly talking about 66 00:03:15,028 --> 00:03:17,631 backing an effort to draw David Crowley back into the 67 00:03:17,698 --> 00:03:19,900 race. Why? What happened there with him? 68 00:03:19,967 --> 00:03:21,935 >> Well, David Crowley dropped out almost a couple 69 00:03:22,002 --> 00:03:24,738 of weeks ago, saying it was clear he wasn't going to 70 00:03:24,805 --> 00:03:27,608 have a lane it was assumed he was contesting with 71 00:03:27,674 --> 00:03:29,710 Rodriguez saw her momentum and knew he couldn't get 72 00:03:29,776 --> 00:03:31,879 their fundraising reports that they just were filed 73 00:03:31,945 --> 00:03:34,615 so that he actually has plenty of cash on hand, a 74 00:03:34,681 --> 00:03:37,050 lot more than her. Significantly, if her 75 00:03:37,117 --> 00:03:38,952 transparent from the beginning, there's a 76 00:03:39,019 --> 00:03:41,154 question of whether he would have dropped out 77 00:03:41,221 --> 00:03:43,223 because he would have been significantly ahead of her. 78 00:03:43,290 --> 00:03:45,225 There are other centrists that are saying, hey, bring 79 00:03:45,292 --> 00:03:48,128 him back. He's the next best person to take that 80 00:03:48,195 --> 00:03:50,330 mantle with Rodriguez out of the race. And now it's a 81 00:03:50,397 --> 00:03:53,033 question of whether he will do that and what will that 82 00:03:53,100 --> 00:03:54,868 look like? >> Yeah. Who else stands to 83 00:03:54,935 --> 00:03:56,637 gain? >> Well, Joel Brennan 84 00:03:56,703 --> 00:03:59,206 clearly says this is his moment to shine and people 85 00:03:59,273 --> 00:04:02,142 to hear his name for the first time. If you're not 86 00:04:02,209 --> 00:04:04,545 finely tuned into this race. Kelda Roys Mandela Barnes. 87 00:04:04,611 --> 00:04:07,114 They all claim that they can benefit from this 88 00:04:07,181 --> 00:04:09,349 Francesca Hong to a degree, because there there were 89 00:04:09,416 --> 00:04:11,585 people that backed that just want a Democrat who 90 00:04:11,652 --> 00:04:14,922 can win. And now she may have a more open race all 91 00:04:14,988 --> 00:04:17,891 the way to winning this primary. If her main 92 00:04:17,958 --> 00:04:20,494 contender from the centrist candidacy falls apart. 93 00:04:20,561 --> 00:04:23,597 >> So meanwhile, Republican candidate Tom Tiffany not 94 00:04:23,664 --> 00:04:27,434 only has gobs of money comparatively, but this 95 00:04:27,501 --> 00:04:30,904 must be great for the GOP. >> Oh, they absolutely love 96 00:04:30,971 --> 00:04:33,040 this. Any time you see the other party falling apart 97 00:04:33,106 --> 00:04:36,343 on their own mistakes missteps, then it's good 98 00:04:36,410 --> 00:04:39,213 news for Tom Tiffany, because he's had this whole 99 00:04:39,279 --> 00:04:41,415 opportunity all summer long to run positive ads. He's 100 00:04:41,481 --> 00:04:44,218 got a ton of money in the bank, 2 million cash on 101 00:04:44,284 --> 00:04:46,420 hand, pretty much all of that coming from 102 00:04:46,486 --> 00:04:48,355 billionaires who have given to the party that have 103 00:04:48,422 --> 00:04:50,424 given to him the billionaire loophole that 104 00:04:50,490 --> 00:04:53,327 he came on our air and criticized a few months ago 105 00:04:53,393 --> 00:04:55,362 he's now taking advantage of. But that's politics. 106 00:04:55,429 --> 00:04:57,531 He's definitely in a much better position. I did ask 107 00:04:57,598 --> 00:05:00,400 the Democratic candidates this week, can you overcome 108 00:05:00,467 --> 00:05:02,436 that after this primary? And they said, absolutely. 109 00:05:02,503 --> 00:05:06,240 Once we get past August, then we can start 110 00:05:06,306 --> 00:05:08,108 contrasting the record that he tries to portray versus 111 00:05:08,175 --> 00:05:10,377 his record attached to Trump. 112 00:05:10,444 --> 00:05:12,946 >> Meanwhile, the Republicans are airing ads 113 00:05:13,013 --> 00:05:16,316 talking about Francesca Hong. And what are they 114 00:05:16,383 --> 00:05:18,685 doing there? >> Well, they're 115 00:05:18,752 --> 00:05:20,654 technically they are negative ads, but they're 116 00:05:20,721 --> 00:05:23,657 airing them in Madison, Milwaukee, 2 Francesca Hong 117 00:05:23,724 --> 00:05:26,093 base in an attempt to rile them up. We've seen groups 118 00:05:26,159 --> 00:05:28,795 play in Democratic primaries across the 119 00:05:28,862 --> 00:05:31,298 country in an effort to boost what they view as a 120 00:05:31,365 --> 00:05:33,901 weaker candidate, a more socialist, progressive 121 00:05:33,967 --> 00:05:36,170 candidate. There are lots of statements in Francesca 122 00:05:36,236 --> 00:05:39,706 Hong background that she owns that do not play well 123 00:05:39,773 --> 00:05:42,709 according to centrist, or perhaps in a regular 124 00:05:42,776 --> 00:05:45,712 contest in November. >> Have you ever seen 125 00:05:45,779 --> 00:05:48,982 anything like this in your coverage of politics in 126 00:05:49,049 --> 00:05:51,552 Wisconsin over the years? >> Not like this. We've 127 00:05:51,618 --> 00:05:54,087 seen campaigns fall apart. We've seen campaigns run 128 00:05:54,154 --> 00:05:56,890 out of money and be deep in debt. That's not new. It's 129 00:05:56,957 --> 00:05:59,826 the the discord that it all came out and this back and 130 00:05:59,893 --> 00:06:02,629 forth throughout the week. If this had come out in 131 00:06:02,696 --> 00:06:04,665 February or March and those statements have been 132 00:06:04,731 --> 00:06:07,668 corrected, she probably moved on because she still 133 00:06:07,734 --> 00:06:09,870 had support this week. Just this week, talking to 134 00:06:09,937 --> 00:06:13,106 people out in the field, she won the Ozaukee County 135 00:06:13,173 --> 00:06:15,576 Democratic straw poll with Francesca Hong in the 136 00:06:15,642 --> 00:06:18,478 audience. So the support was still there, but it was 137 00:06:18,545 --> 00:06:21,114 clear that she could not change the message away 138 00:06:21,181 --> 00:06:24,151 from her oversight of her own campaign to back to one 139 00:06:24,218 --> 00:06:25,986 being about the primary. >> All right. Well, Zac, 140 00:06:26,053 --> 00:06:29,056 thanks very much for being here. 141 00:06:29,957 --> 00:06:32,860 >> As one measure of viability, campaign 142 00:06:32,926 --> 00:06:35,429 fundraising reports for the primary candidates, 143 00:06:35,495 --> 00:06:37,531 including those still in the race, were released 144 00:06:37,598 --> 00:06:40,734 this week. Republican candidate for governor Tom 145 00:06:40,801 --> 00:06:44,538 Tiffany, raised $8.7 million in the first six 146 00:06:44,605 --> 00:06:48,041 months of the year, 6.2 million of that from the 147 00:06:48,108 --> 00:06:51,278 state Republican Party, according to reports. 148 00:06:51,345 --> 00:06:55,182 Democrat Mandela Barnes raised around $841,000 in 149 00:06:55,249 --> 00:06:59,386 the same time period. Francesca Hong raised 150 00:07:00,754 --> 00:07:05,292 Brennan raised over $665,000 and Kelda Roys 151 00:07:05,359 --> 00:07:09,930 raised more than 527,000. Aside from the race for 152 00:07:11,164 --> 00:07:14,401 governor, the state's eight seats in the U.S. House of 153 00:07:14,468 --> 00:07:17,171 Representatives are also up for election this year. One 154 00:07:17,237 --> 00:07:20,073 of those races for the deeply red seventh district 155 00:07:20,140 --> 00:07:23,644 in far northern Wisconsin has attracted many 156 00:07:23,710 --> 00:07:25,946 candidates in the primary election. Here and now. 157 00:07:26,013 --> 00:07:29,683 Reporter Steven Potter has this story. 158 00:07:30,484 --> 00:07:33,020 >> There's a lot of motivation to elect people 159 00:07:33,086 --> 00:07:36,123 in the seventh district that will be Make America 160 00:07:36,190 --> 00:07:39,826 Great Again. Republicans. >> The Great North Woods of 161 00:07:39,893 --> 00:07:43,096 Wisconsin is known for many things vast forests, 162 00:07:43,163 --> 00:07:46,233 abundant farmland, and some of the best lakes and 163 00:07:46,300 --> 00:07:48,869 rivers that the state has to offer. It's also known 164 00:07:48,936 --> 00:07:52,139 as a very thinly populated region, but there is 165 00:07:52,206 --> 00:07:55,442 something that's become far more crowded than usual. 166 00:07:55,509 --> 00:07:57,945 That's the ballot for the upcoming Republican primary 167 00:07:58,011 --> 00:08:01,715 for Congress. In all, there are five candidates on the 168 00:08:01,782 --> 00:08:04,418 ballot for the seventh Congressional District 169 00:08:04,484 --> 00:08:07,654 Republican primary election, which takes place on August 170 00:08:07,721 --> 00:08:10,591 11th. The candidates include a financial planner, 171 00:08:10,657 --> 00:08:13,727 an accountant, a public relations executive, a 172 00:08:13,794 --> 00:08:16,897 marketing specialist, and a homebuilder. They're all 173 00:08:16,964 --> 00:08:19,399 after the seat being vacated by current U.S. 174 00:08:19,466 --> 00:08:22,002 House representative Tom Tiffany, who's running as 175 00:08:22,069 --> 00:08:24,771 the Republican candidate for governor. While they're 176 00:08:24,838 --> 00:08:26,940 all Republicans, each of these congressional 177 00:08:27,007 --> 00:08:29,142 candidates has different reasons for why voters 178 00:08:29,209 --> 00:08:32,012 should choose them. Kevin Hermening, the financial 179 00:08:32,079 --> 00:08:34,882 planner from Wausau, was one of the Marines taken 180 00:08:34,948 --> 00:08:37,484 hostage for more than a year during the Iranian 181 00:08:37,551 --> 00:08:41,121 hostage crisis back in 1979. He's one of the better 182 00:08:41,188 --> 00:08:44,091 known candidates in this race. 183 00:08:44,725 --> 00:08:47,594 business owner, a school board member, a community 184 00:08:47,661 --> 00:08:51,532 volunteer. So there are a lot of reasons why that I'm 185 00:08:51,598 --> 00:08:54,701 the best qualified to represent the voters here. 186 00:08:54,768 --> 00:08:56,603 >> Another well-known candidate is accountant 187 00:08:56,670 --> 00:09:00,474 Michael Alfonso, who lives in Hayward. He's the son in 188 00:09:00,541 --> 00:09:02,643 law of U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary 189 00:09:02,709 --> 00:09:05,012 Shawn Duffy, who held the same congressional seat 190 00:09:05,078 --> 00:09:07,714 that Alfonso is running for now. 191 00:09:07,781 --> 00:09:10,250 >> I'm just, you know, an average kid from northern 192 00:09:10,317 --> 00:09:13,153 Wisconsin. I grew up in land o lakes. I bring the 193 00:09:13,220 --> 00:09:16,456 energy of a 26 year old. I'm at every single county 194 00:09:16,523 --> 00:09:19,626 in the in the district. I'm, you know, representing 195 00:09:19,693 --> 00:09:21,328 every voter. >> Then there's public 196 00:09:21,395 --> 00:09:24,131 relations executive and Stanley resident Jesse 197 00:09:24,198 --> 00:09:26,466 Ebben, who has farming roots in the district. 198 00:09:26,533 --> 00:09:29,469 >> I am a Christian conservative, a Trump 199 00:09:29,536 --> 00:09:32,206 Republican, a proud seventh generation wisconsinite who 200 00:09:32,272 --> 00:09:34,341 is committed to getting the government off our back, 201 00:09:34,408 --> 00:09:36,944 out of our way of life so that we can flourish and 202 00:09:37,010 --> 00:09:40,480 prosper right here in rural Wisconsin. 203 00:09:40,547 --> 00:09:43,317 Rhinelander resident Niina Baum, who owns a marketing 204 00:09:43,383 --> 00:09:45,819 agency and was born and raised in the Northwoods. 205 00:09:45,886 --> 00:09:48,555 >> I grew up in the district in Price County on 206 00:09:48,622 --> 00:09:51,658 a dairy farm, a small farm with about 25 milking cows. 207 00:09:51,725 --> 00:09:54,161 And there were a lot of small farms in my community 208 00:09:54,228 --> 00:09:56,997 when I grew up. And they all disappeared. 209 00:09:57,064 --> 00:09:59,867 >> And finally, there's Don Rajala, a native and 210 00:09:59,933 --> 00:10:03,337 current resident of superior. He works in home 211 00:10:03,403 --> 00:10:05,372 construction I. >> This is my fourth time 212 00:10:05,439 --> 00:10:09,710 running for Congress. I did it in 2010, 2014, 2016. I 213 00:10:09,776 --> 00:10:12,212 have this time and all this energy Steil. I'm 58 years 214 00:10:12,279 --> 00:10:15,048 old, but I just know I can get out there and represent 215 00:10:15,115 --> 00:10:16,817 people. Congressional District 216 00:10:16,884 --> 00:10:20,020 stands out for a few reasons. First is its size. 217 00:10:20,087 --> 00:10:22,155 As the state's largest congressional district, it 218 00:10:22,222 --> 00:10:25,459 stretches across 20 counties and almost 219 00:10:25,526 --> 00:10:28,695 19,000mi'!S of northern and central Wisconsin. The 220 00:10:28,762 --> 00:10:31,598 economy here is anchored on agriculture, forestry, 221 00:10:31,665 --> 00:10:34,234 manufacturing and tourism. Politically, however, the 222 00:10:34,301 --> 00:10:36,637 area has seen significant change over the last couple 223 00:10:36,703 --> 00:10:39,106 of decades, driven largely by redistricting. The 224 00:10:39,173 --> 00:10:41,542 seventh Congressional District is now the most 225 00:10:41,608 --> 00:10:44,945 reliably Republican stronghold in the state. 226 00:10:45,012 --> 00:10:47,514 >> They're very Republican. >> Jacque Weissenburger is 227 00:10:47,581 --> 00:10:50,584 the vice chairwoman of the Rusk County Republicans. 228 00:10:50,651 --> 00:10:53,820 >> People here really appreciate the values of 229 00:10:53,887 --> 00:10:58,458 hard work, having individual freedoms, being 230 00:10:58,525 --> 00:11:01,128 able to live their lives as they see fit. 231 00:11:01,195 --> 00:11:03,564 >> She says. This race for the seventh Congressional 232 00:11:03,630 --> 00:11:06,867 District of Wisconsin has national consequences. 233 00:11:06,934 --> 00:11:10,871 >> There's a very big risk at midterms that the House 234 00:11:10,938 --> 00:11:15,175 will turn blue, and I think that it's this particular 235 00:11:15,242 --> 00:11:19,379 race itself in the seventh district will be it'll be 236 00:11:19,446 --> 00:11:22,716 somewhat of a barrier against that happening. 237 00:11:22,783 --> 00:11:24,785 >> While it's certainly possible that the seventh 238 00:11:24,852 --> 00:11:26,887 district could elect a Democrat, and there are 239 00:11:26,954 --> 00:11:29,556 three of them on the primary ballot, election 240 00:11:29,623 --> 00:11:33,160 experts say that's fairly unlikely. In the 2024 241 00:11:33,227 --> 00:11:35,996 election, voters of the seventh district chose both 242 00:11:36,063 --> 00:11:38,899 Republican Tom Tiffany for U.S. representative and 243 00:11:38,966 --> 00:11:42,503 Donald Trump for president by a 20 point winning 244 00:11:42,569 --> 00:11:44,638 margin. The candidates have been working hard to get 245 00:11:44,705 --> 00:11:47,140 voters attention and letting them know that they 246 00:11:47,207 --> 00:11:49,743 understand the issues that are important to them, 247 00:11:49,810 --> 00:11:52,679 according to recent polling, Michael Alfonso is leading 248 00:11:52,746 --> 00:11:56,049 the pack, and Alfonso does have the endorsement of 249 00:11:56,116 --> 00:11:59,386 President Trump. >> We've seen kind of this 250 00:11:59,453 --> 00:12:02,256 mortgaging of the middle America, the manufacturing 251 00:12:02,322 --> 00:12:05,526 jobs, so that we can benefit the coastal elites. 252 00:12:05,592 --> 00:12:08,395 I don't like that. When we talk about rising costs, 253 00:12:08,462 --> 00:12:10,998 maybe the tariffs contribute to that. But 254 00:12:11,064 --> 00:12:13,834 President Trump understands that this is a short term 255 00:12:13,901 --> 00:12:16,336 plan. We're going to be working to bring back the 256 00:12:16,403 --> 00:12:20,741 jobs we lost overseas, right back here to northern 257 00:12:20,807 --> 00:12:23,243 Wisconsin. And then we can start removing the tariffs. 258 00:12:23,310 --> 00:12:25,846 >> Number two in the polls is Kevin Hermening, who has 259 00:12:25,913 --> 00:12:28,982 given $1 million of his own money to his campaign. 260 00:12:29,049 --> 00:12:31,785 >> When people decide to call central and northern 261 00:12:31,852 --> 00:12:34,354 Wisconsin their home, they're saying to the rest 262 00:12:34,421 --> 00:12:38,325 of the state, we'd like you to be involved, but we 263 00:12:38,392 --> 00:12:42,863 don't need you to control our lives. And so it's a 264 00:12:43,764 --> 00:12:46,433 big reason that I love living up here because of 265 00:12:46,500 --> 00:12:50,103 the individuality and the the willingness of people 266 00:12:50,170 --> 00:12:53,807 to pull themselves up by their own bootstraps. 267 00:12:53,874 --> 00:12:56,877 >> Jesse Evans says her priorities center on land, 268 00:12:56,944 --> 00:12:59,980 wolves and jobs. >> A lot of the issues here 269 00:13:00,047 --> 00:13:02,883 are a battle of our way of life. So it's everything 270 00:13:02,950 --> 00:13:05,719 we're seeing right now, with solar panels and 271 00:13:05,786 --> 00:13:08,021 windmills being targeted to be put on our farmland and 272 00:13:08,088 --> 00:13:10,357 the fight that we have to see our rural save, our 273 00:13:10,424 --> 00:13:13,861 rural landscape, our family farms from bad energy, bad 274 00:13:13,927 --> 00:13:16,530 energy policy. There's really a big battle to 275 00:13:16,597 --> 00:13:19,132 de-list the gray wolf. We need to make sure that that 276 00:13:19,199 --> 00:13:21,935 hunt can be localized right here in our state. And I 277 00:13:22,002 --> 00:13:25,038 work in manufacturing, so making sure that we have 278 00:13:25,105 --> 00:13:26,940 good manufacturing jobs, that the government isn't 279 00:13:27,007 --> 00:13:29,343 the barrier for keeping those manufacturing jobs, 280 00:13:29,409 --> 00:13:31,378 keeping the manufacturers here in the rural 281 00:13:31,445 --> 00:13:33,380 communities. >> For Niina Baum, who's 282 00:13:33,447 --> 00:13:35,883 biking around the seventh district to meet voters, 283 00:13:35,949 --> 00:13:37,885 she worries about the country's financial future 284 00:13:37,951 --> 00:13:40,587 and wants regulation changes. 285 00:13:40,654 --> 00:13:42,756 >> Social Security Trust Fund has been projected to 286 00:13:42,823 --> 00:13:46,059 be insolvent in a few years, and if nothing's done about 287 00:13:46,126 --> 00:13:50,964 it, it's automatic cuts of about 23%. That is going to 288 00:13:51,031 --> 00:13:53,233 have a huge. If that happens, that's going to 289 00:13:53,300 --> 00:13:56,103 have a huge negative impact on our Northwoods economy. 290 00:13:56,170 --> 00:13:59,339 I'd like to see more zoning deregulation, making it 291 00:13:59,406 --> 00:14:01,408 easier, more attainable for people to actually build 292 00:14:01,475 --> 00:14:03,477 homes and more cost effective. And not all of 293 00:14:03,544 --> 00:14:05,279 these barriers, like minimum square footage 294 00:14:05,345 --> 00:14:08,215 requirements or outdated zoning regulation. 295 00:14:08,282 --> 00:14:09,816 >> Don Raihala Halah wants to make sure local 296 00:14:09,883 --> 00:14:12,319 residents maintain local control. 297 00:14:12,386 --> 00:14:15,889 >> I'm a big believer in referendums and referendums. 298 00:14:15,956 --> 00:14:19,726 Stop data centers dead in their tracks. If. If a city. 299 00:14:19,793 --> 00:14:22,329 Let's choose Wausau or Superior. If the citizens 300 00:14:22,396 --> 00:14:24,898 want to get together and put out a referendum and 301 00:14:24,965 --> 00:14:27,134 stop it, it stops right there because the state has 302 00:14:27,201 --> 00:14:30,304 given the power to local municipalities to do that. 303 00:14:30,370 --> 00:14:32,372 >> Just like names on the ballot, there's no shortage 304 00:14:32,439 --> 00:14:34,741 of issues in this race. >> Health insurance. 305 00:14:34,808 --> 00:14:37,010 >> Costs of housing. >> Loss of a job. 306 00:14:37,077 --> 00:14:38,612 >> Or with Iran. >> These tariffs. 307 00:14:38,679 --> 00:14:40,080 >> Immigration. >> Drug pricing. 308 00:14:40,147 --> 00:14:41,682 >> On manufacturing and on agriculture. 309 00:14:41,748 --> 00:14:43,917 >> Tough for small farms. >> Epstein files. 310 00:14:43,984 --> 00:14:46,253 >> But there's one topic that's on the top of mind 311 00:14:46,320 --> 00:14:49,323 for all voters. The increased cost of 312 00:14:49,389 --> 00:14:51,859 everything. Republicans running for the seventh 313 00:14:51,925 --> 00:14:53,660 Congressional District are careful about how they 314 00:14:53,727 --> 00:14:57,331 discuss the economy and inflation, and what can be 315 00:14:57,397 --> 00:15:01,101 done to bring down costs, Jessi Ebben says it's all 316 00:15:01,168 --> 00:15:03,370 about energy. >> Well, the cost of energy 317 00:15:03,437 --> 00:15:06,240 is really the baseline that starts a lot of the 318 00:15:06,306 --> 00:15:08,175 inflation. So the best thing we can do is have 319 00:15:08,242 --> 00:15:11,011 good energy policy to really start this. And that 320 00:15:11,078 --> 00:15:13,614 doesn't mean solar or wind. >> Michael Alfonso blames 321 00:15:13,680 --> 00:15:16,016 problems within government programs. 322 00:15:16,083 --> 00:15:19,119 >> So inflation it's a scary one. It's caused by 323 00:15:19,186 --> 00:15:21,388 government overspending. I think the easiest thing to 324 00:15:21,455 --> 00:15:23,724 cut from the federal government is fraud, waste 325 00:15:23,790 --> 00:15:26,994 and abuse. So much fraud in our system, so many people 326 00:15:27,060 --> 00:15:30,163 making money off of American taxpayers, 327 00:15:30,230 --> 00:15:33,233 scamming them. If we want to shrink the spending, the 328 00:15:33,300 --> 00:15:35,903 easiest place to do it is get rid of the cheats. 329 00:15:35,969 --> 00:15:38,338 >> Kevin Hermening also blames the federal 330 00:15:38,405 --> 00:15:40,340 government. But differently. >> The government has a 331 00:15:40,407 --> 00:15:42,609 spending problem. Government should not be 332 00:15:42,676 --> 00:15:47,447 borrowing for its ongoing costs of operation. When 333 00:15:47,514 --> 00:15:51,652 you do that, you run into, in our case, a $40 trillion 334 00:15:51,718 --> 00:15:56,190 debt. And so the government needs to understand that 335 00:15:56,256 --> 00:15:59,526 these are dollars that are intended for our 336 00:15:59,593 --> 00:16:01,828 communities. These are dollars that are best spent 337 00:16:01,895 --> 00:16:06,300 by the people who live here, who earn them. And that 338 00:16:06,366 --> 00:16:09,269 could play a big role in bringing down inflation. 339 00:16:09,336 --> 00:16:11,605 >> Niina Baum says pricing problems start with the 340 00:16:11,672 --> 00:16:13,574 white House. >> Something that we've 341 00:16:13,640 --> 00:16:16,877 been seeing happen a lot more with the current and 342 00:16:16,944 --> 00:16:21,181 past administrations, is that a lot more has been 343 00:16:21,248 --> 00:16:24,351 passed through executive order, and I think that 344 00:16:24,418 --> 00:16:26,220 creates a lot of volatility, which affects the 345 00:16:26,286 --> 00:16:29,389 affordability and the economy. 346 00:16:29,456 --> 00:16:31,859 sure what can be done about inflation, but residents 347 00:16:31,925 --> 00:16:34,261 need to do what they can for themselves. 348 00:16:34,328 --> 00:16:37,097 >> If you're going to build a home, be your own 349 00:16:37,164 --> 00:16:39,266 contractor, be your own general, you you're going 350 00:16:39,333 --> 00:16:42,202 to save 15% right off the bat. It's going to take a 351 00:16:42,269 --> 00:16:44,171 couple of phone calls and maybe a weekend here or 352 00:16:44,238 --> 00:16:47,474 there, but be your own contractor. 353 00:16:48,308 --> 00:16:50,344 race. These candidates will be splitting the Northwoods 354 00:16:50,410 --> 00:16:53,480 Republican electorate, and voters here are spread far 355 00:16:53,547 --> 00:16:56,850 and wide across the rural district. That means that 356 00:16:56,917 --> 00:17:00,087 it may come down to just a few percent or even a few 357 00:17:00,153 --> 00:17:02,923 hundred votes, and each campaign has many miles to 358 00:17:02,990 --> 00:17:07,127 cover. Between now and August 11th. Reporting from 359 00:17:07,194 --> 00:17:11,331 Hayward. I'm Steven Potter for Here and Now. 360 00:17:11,932 --> 00:17:14,067 >> Three Democratic candidates are also running 361 00:17:14,134 --> 00:17:16,537 in the seventh Congressional District 362 00:17:16,603 --> 00:17:19,773 primary. Former state Representative Fred Clark, 363 00:17:19,840 --> 00:17:23,477 attorney Ginger Murray and IT company owner Chris 364 00:17:23,544 --> 00:17:26,747 Armstrong appeared at a debate this week. Among the 365 00:17:26,813 --> 00:17:29,516 questions in such a solidly red district, why do they 366 00:17:29,583 --> 00:17:32,786 think a Democrat has a chance to win the election? 367 00:17:32,853 --> 00:17:35,856 Murray started by noting recent Liberal wins in the 368 00:17:35,923 --> 00:17:40,060 state Supreme Court. >> Most notably, Susan 369 00:17:40,727 --> 00:17:43,964 Crawford pushed this district over the 50% mark 370 00:17:44,031 --> 00:17:47,334 and showed that counties that haven't voted blue in 371 00:17:47,401 --> 00:17:51,104 the longest time voted blue for her. They are looking 372 00:17:51,171 --> 00:17:55,008 for a progressive candidate. They are tired of the 373 00:17:55,075 --> 00:17:56,910 corruption that is happening in Washington, 374 00:17:56,977 --> 00:18:00,447 D.C. they want people who are listening and showing 375 00:18:00,514 --> 00:18:03,750 up, talking to the folks here, and who will stand 376 00:18:03,817 --> 00:18:06,954 for justice as a lawyer. That's been my entire 377 00:18:07,020 --> 00:18:10,057 career defending the Constitution. I studied it, 378 00:18:10,123 --> 00:18:14,027 I defend it. It is time to get back to the rule of law, 379 00:18:14,094 --> 00:18:16,830 and that is what I do best. I believe that the voters 380 00:18:16,897 --> 00:18:20,000 in this district are absolutely looking for 381 00:18:20,067 --> 00:18:23,303 someone to take the reins. >> I think what people are 382 00:18:23,370 --> 00:18:27,074 looking for is just normal people that are going to 383 00:18:27,140 --> 00:18:29,710 get up there and advocate for them and really hold 384 00:18:29,776 --> 00:18:31,712 this administration accountable and start, you 385 00:18:31,778 --> 00:18:33,814 know, advocating for policies that are really 386 00:18:33,881 --> 00:18:36,517 going to make a difference in people's lives. What 387 00:18:36,583 --> 00:18:40,120 I've heard across the district, not just in 388 00:18:40,187 --> 00:18:44,291 Richmond, is it's not just Democrats, but it's also 389 00:18:44,358 --> 00:18:47,261 independents and Republicans that are really 390 00:18:47,327 --> 00:18:50,931 sick of the status quo. You know, they're really 391 00:18:50,998 --> 00:18:53,567 frustrated with this administration being, you 392 00:18:53,634 --> 00:18:56,937 know, corrupt and criminal, not being held accountable, 393 00:18:57,004 --> 00:18:59,740 not following the Constitution. And I think 394 00:18:59,806 --> 00:19:01,975 we just need, you know, a fresh perspective, you know, 395 00:19:02,042 --> 00:19:04,811 new people to represent us here in the seventh 396 00:19:04,878 --> 00:19:06,914 district. >> This election is more 397 00:19:06,980 --> 00:19:10,050 about character than it is about party on the right, 398 00:19:10,117 --> 00:19:13,120 over to farm technology days in the wagon. Today I 399 00:19:13,187 --> 00:19:16,056 ended up speaking with a farmer for about five 400 00:19:16,123 --> 00:19:18,959 minutes who told me, are you a Democrat? And I said, 401 00:19:19,026 --> 00:19:21,728 yes, I am. I'm a proud Democrat. He said, well, I 402 00:19:21,795 --> 00:19:23,864 haven't voted for a Democrat since Jimmy Carter. 403 00:19:23,931 --> 00:19:26,700 I don't know if I'm going to vote for you, but we 404 00:19:26,767 --> 00:19:28,836 ended up talking for another four minutes about 405 00:19:28,902 --> 00:19:31,271 his dairy herd, about his knee replacements, and 406 00:19:31,338 --> 00:19:34,908 about what life is like managing a small farm. And 407 00:19:34,975 --> 00:19:37,144 it's exactly the commitment that I want to bring to 408 00:19:37,211 --> 00:19:39,913 everybody in the seventh Congressional District, the 409 00:19:39,980 --> 00:19:44,618 representation that works >> Canadian and Minnesota 410 00:19:44,685 --> 00:19:48,222 wildfires resulted in the Wisconsin DNR issuing air 411 00:19:48,288 --> 00:19:51,124 quality advisories across the state this week, some 412 00:19:51,191 --> 00:19:54,728 of which could be extended into the weekend or even 413 00:19:54,795 --> 00:19:56,830 beyond in northern parts of Wisconsin and all the way 414 00:19:56,897 --> 00:20:00,434 to Milwaukee. The Azari has reached high into the most 415 00:20:00,501 --> 00:20:03,504 severe category of hazardous, meaning the 416 00:20:03,570 --> 00:20:08,809 outside air is unhealthy for anyone, as electricity 417 00:20:08,876 --> 00:20:11,845 use tips up between staying indoors with air 418 00:20:11,912 --> 00:20:15,749 conditioning due to smoky air and heat. The issue of 419 00:20:15,816 --> 00:20:18,819 energy and where to get it is a hot topic here and 420 00:20:18,886 --> 00:20:21,488 around the country, and this week it was announced 421 00:20:21,555 --> 00:20:25,192 that a massive nuclear fusion research center is 422 00:20:25,259 --> 00:20:29,096 coming to Wisconsin. Realta Fusion, a company spun out 423 00:20:29,162 --> 00:20:32,599 from research done at UW-Madison, will build a 424 00:20:32,666 --> 00:20:35,202 200 zero zero zero square foot research and 425 00:20:35,269 --> 00:20:38,872 development facility at the long vacant Oscar Mayer 426 00:20:38,939 --> 00:20:41,842 plant on the north side of Madison. The move means the 427 00:20:41,909 --> 00:20:43,877 company will be headquartered there, and 428 00:20:43,944 --> 00:20:47,381 the workforce is expected to increase from 50 429 00:20:47,447 --> 00:20:51,718 employees to 600, along with $60 million from 430 00:20:51,785 --> 00:20:54,688 private investors. The state of Wisconsin gave 431 00:20:54,755 --> 00:20:58,091 nearly $40 million in tax exemptions, with the City 432 00:20:58,158 --> 00:21:01,495 of Madison kicking in nearly 3 million in 433 00:21:01,562 --> 00:21:05,465 financing. Realtor CEO Kieran Furlong joins us now 434 00:21:05,532 --> 00:21:07,367 to explain the project. And thanks for being here. 435 00:21:07,434 --> 00:21:10,771 >> Thank you very much for having me. 436 00:21:11,371 --> 00:21:14,041 dogs to futuristic generation of energy, what 437 00:21:14,107 --> 00:21:18,011 is the promise of nuclear fusion energy in this 438 00:21:18,078 --> 00:21:20,981 increasingly kind of electricity hungry world? 439 00:21:21,048 --> 00:21:23,417 >> Yeah. I mean, I think fusion really is the future 440 00:21:23,483 --> 00:21:26,353 for humanity, right? It's the source of energy that 441 00:21:26,420 --> 00:21:30,591 we need if we're going to provide enough food, water, 442 00:21:30,657 --> 00:21:34,328 materials, mobility for 10 billion people, we need 443 00:21:34,394 --> 00:21:37,297 fusion. We're not going to dig or drill our way out of 444 00:21:37,364 --> 00:21:39,499 this. And, you know, we can build all the renewables 445 00:21:39,566 --> 00:21:42,536 plants we we can manage, but we're still going to 446 00:21:42,603 --> 00:21:45,138 need more energy. And fusion holds that promise. 447 00:21:45,205 --> 00:21:47,875 >> Well, give us kind of the nuclear fusion for 448 00:21:47,941 --> 00:21:50,677 dummies description. >> Sure. Yeah. So fusion is 449 00:21:50,744 --> 00:21:53,247 another form of nuclear energy as it involves 450 00:21:53,313 --> 00:21:56,250 reactions with the nuclei of atoms. But it's the 451 00:21:56,316 --> 00:21:58,352 opposite process from what most people will think of 452 00:21:58,418 --> 00:22:00,921 when they think of conventional nuclear 453 00:22:00,988 --> 00:22:03,457 fission. That's where you take a large, heavy atom, 454 00:22:03,524 --> 00:22:07,094 like a uranium atom, and split it. With fusion, we 455 00:22:07,160 --> 00:22:10,130 take very small light atoms and fuze them together, 456 00:22:10,197 --> 00:22:12,232 basically smooshing them together, and we take 457 00:22:12,299 --> 00:22:14,902 different flavors of hydrogen, push those 458 00:22:14,968 --> 00:22:17,070 together, and form helium, the same stuff that you 459 00:22:17,137 --> 00:22:19,239 would find in party balloons. But when we do 460 00:22:19,306 --> 00:22:22,009 that, you get a small amount of the energy. Our 461 00:22:22,075 --> 00:22:24,144 small amount of the mass gets converted into a 462 00:22:24,211 --> 00:22:26,747 massive amount of energy. >> So I read that 463 00:22:26,813 --> 00:22:30,284 researchers have been trying since the 1930s to 464 00:22:30,350 --> 00:22:33,620 generate electricity through nuclear fusion, 465 00:22:33,687 --> 00:22:36,823 described as the same process that powers the sun. 466 00:22:36,890 --> 00:22:40,093 Why is it so hard? >> Correct. So it was first 467 00:22:40,160 --> 00:22:43,230 postulated back in the early 20s by researchers 468 00:22:43,297 --> 00:22:46,600 looking at what powers the sun. And so fusion is what 469 00:22:46,667 --> 00:22:48,836 powers the sun and all the other stars in the universe. 470 00:22:48,902 --> 00:22:51,638 So in many ways, it's the it's the energy that we 471 00:22:51,705 --> 00:22:54,575 have in the universe. The sun has the advantage of 472 00:22:54,641 --> 00:22:58,378 massive, massive scale. So it's just so large and its 473 00:22:58,445 --> 00:23:00,614 density gets us to the conditions that you can 474 00:23:00,681 --> 00:23:03,483 have fusion occur. So infusion, we have something 475 00:23:03,550 --> 00:23:05,752 that's known as the, you know, you basically need 476 00:23:05,819 --> 00:23:07,955 something called the triple product. We basically need 477 00:23:08,021 --> 00:23:12,492 to get those elements. We want to fuze together hot 478 00:23:12,559 --> 00:23:15,395 enough, dense enough for long enough. We don't have 479 00:23:15,462 --> 00:23:17,998 the advantage of the sun's density. So we need to get 480 00:23:18,065 --> 00:23:20,634 them very, very hot, hotter than the center of the sun. 481 00:23:20,701 --> 00:23:22,469 And that itself is quite challenging. 482 00:23:22,536 --> 00:23:25,305 >> Do you feel as though your scientists have 483 00:23:25,372 --> 00:23:27,841 cracked the code to generating electricity 484 00:23:27,908 --> 00:23:30,110 through fusion? >> We're on the way there. 485 00:23:30,177 --> 00:23:33,480 And in fact, just recently we announced an experiment 486 00:23:33,547 --> 00:23:35,482 we did where we demonstrated we could pull 487 00:23:35,549 --> 00:23:38,752 electricity directly from the plasma that we're 488 00:23:38,819 --> 00:23:41,855 operating in the WHAM machine at the University 489 00:23:41,922 --> 00:23:44,558 of Wisconsin-Madison. So plasma is the fourth state 490 00:23:44,625 --> 00:23:47,928 of matter. So you think, you know, ice, water, steam. 491 00:23:47,995 --> 00:23:51,665 And the next step up would be plasma. So we need to 492 00:23:51,732 --> 00:23:55,302 get a plasma. We can hold that in a magnetic cage 493 00:23:55,369 --> 00:23:59,339 essentially, because we temperatures much hotter 494 00:23:59,406 --> 00:24:01,875 steel vessel, for example. But we're making great 495 00:24:01,942 --> 00:24:03,677 progress with it. There's still some work to do, and 496 00:24:03,744 --> 00:24:06,380 that's why we'll be doing our R&D in this new 497 00:24:06,446 --> 00:24:09,650 facility. it with all this money and 498 00:24:09,716 --> 00:24:12,719 the retrofit involved? >> So I think the first 499 00:24:12,786 --> 00:24:15,355 thing is we're not trying to defy any laws of physics. 500 00:24:15,422 --> 00:24:18,192 So I've got great I'm a great believer in the 501 00:24:18,258 --> 00:24:20,460 ingenuity of humans. We will find a way forward. 502 00:24:20,527 --> 00:24:22,529 There's an old joke about fusion that folks will say, 503 00:24:22,596 --> 00:24:25,432 oh, it's 20 years in the future and always will be. 504 00:24:25,499 --> 00:24:28,302 That kind of ignores the effort that's needed to get 505 00:24:28,368 --> 00:24:30,370 there. And now we're making the effort so there's more 506 00:24:30,437 --> 00:24:32,306 investment coming into fusion. We've got more 507 00:24:32,372 --> 00:24:35,309 people working on the problem. I'm 100% convinced 508 00:24:35,375 --> 00:24:38,278 humanity will solve fusion. The question is when. 509 00:24:38,345 --> 00:24:40,414 >> What do you think about when? 510 00:24:40,480 --> 00:24:43,450 >> So we're targeting the 2030s. So you know, early 511 00:24:43,517 --> 00:24:46,386 to mid 2030s is when we intend to have a first 512 00:24:46,453 --> 00:24:50,057 commercial operation based on our technology. 513 00:24:50,123 --> 00:24:52,759 >> Does this project put Wisconsin on the map for 514 00:24:52,826 --> 00:24:56,196 fusion in a major way? And why Wisconsin? 515 00:24:56,263 --> 00:24:58,699 >> Yeah, I think so. In terms of putting it on the 516 00:24:58,765 --> 00:25:01,568 map. And that's really been kind of one of our 517 00:25:01,635 --> 00:25:04,938 intentions from the start. So the University of 518 00:25:05,005 --> 00:25:06,974 Wisconsin-Madison is already one of the top 519 00:25:07,040 --> 00:25:09,142 institutions for research in this field of plasma 520 00:25:09,209 --> 00:25:13,413 physics and fusion. The state is a, you know, very 521 00:25:13,480 --> 00:25:15,816 well placed from a manufacturing standpoint, 522 00:25:15,883 --> 00:25:19,119 the ability to, you know, do precision and advanced 523 00:25:19,186 --> 00:25:21,755 manufacturing fusion industry is essentially 524 00:25:21,822 --> 00:25:24,691 bringing those two things together. We've got the 525 00:25:24,758 --> 00:25:26,793 scientific research to show, well, here's the kind of 526 00:25:26,860 --> 00:25:29,696 machine we need to build, and then we need to know 527 00:25:29,763 --> 00:25:31,832 how to build those and demonstrate that we can do 528 00:25:31,899 --> 00:25:34,034 that cost effectively. I think Wisconsin is very 529 00:25:34,101 --> 00:25:36,870 well placed to do that. That was one of the factors 530 00:25:36,937 --> 00:25:40,107 in deciding to set up our R&D facility and corporate 531 00:25:40,174 --> 00:25:44,478 headquarters here. And I think Wisconsin absolutely 532 00:25:44,545 --> 00:25:47,681 will be one of the main hubs for fusion in the 21st 533 00:25:47,748 --> 00:25:49,483 century. >> All right. Well, we 534 00:25:49,550 --> 00:25:51,752 appreciate you being here. Kieran Furlong. Thanks. 535 00:25:51,818 --> 00:25:54,454 >> Thank you very much. >> For more on this and 536 00:25:54,521 --> 00:25:56,690 other issues facing Wisconsin, visit our 537 00:25:56,757 --> 00:25:59,726 website at PBS Wisconsin Education and then click on 538 00:25:59,793 --> 00:26:02,996 the news tab. That's our program for tonight. I'm 539 00:26:03,063 --> 00:26:06,967 Frederica Freyberg. Have a good weekend. 540 00:26:46,006 --> 00:26:47,007 >> Funding for "Here& Now" is provided by the Focus 541 00:26:47,074 --> 00:26:49,443 is provided by the Focus Fund for Journalism and 542 00:26:49,510 --> 00:26:51,979 friends of PBS Wisconsin.