Pressure. Do not drive or use machinery until vision has recovered after an eye injection or exam.
With eye survey, I'm taking action to slow my GA and seeing him out there means everything to me.
Ask your retina specialist how you could help preserve your vision longer with eye survey.
We're going to learn more about where four of the candidates stand on the issues to help you make an informed decision this August.
Whoever wins the primary will face the winner of the Democratic primary in the November election.
Let's meet the candidates from left to right. We have Nina Baum, Kevin Hermanning, Michael Alfonso and Jesse Evan.
We'll hear opening statements in just a moment, but let's get acquainted to the rules.
Candidates will have 90 seconds to answer each question. When a rebuttal is necessary, the candidate will be given 30 seconds.
No one has been given the questions in advance. Let's start with opening statements, Mr Alfonso, your first.
The Democratic Socialists of America just celebrated a milestone, 120,000 members.
The same day that we celebrated 250 years of independence.
Their candidates have also seen massive success all across the country, including right here in Wisconsin with the leading candidate for governor Francesca Hong.
Let's call this what it is. This isn't socialism. This is communism. And I know a little something about communism.
My grandparents came to this country from Cuba. I grew up hearing exactly what happens when these ideas are implemented, equitable suffering for everyone.
Can we blame them though? For years of a disastrous Biden economy, we can't. We need to recommit ourselves to the Trump agenda here.
Energy independence, cutting spending, to shrink inflation, banning asset management companies from buying single family homes.
We need to stop the spread of Marxism, and that's why President Trump chose to endorse me.
Thank you, Mr Alfonso, Mr. Hermaning, your opening statement.
Thank you to WJFW and to the viewers of the Seventh Congressional District.
My name is Kevin Hermaning, and I'm running for Congress because we are ready crossroads in a very serious moment in our nation's history.
We need a representative in Congress who will be an experienced leader tested and ready on day one.
When I was a young Marine, I was taken hostage by Iranian terrorists and held prisoner for 444 days.
I watched as one of my roommates Bill Keoh told me that when we get out of there, he wanted me to make sure that I returned to Wisconsin to make sure that I built a life of relevance.
And I've done all of those things in the next 90 minutes, I will share with you why I believe that I am the best suited person to represent you in Congress.
Now to Ms. Baum, your opening statement.
I'm a proud Rhinelander resident and the only candidate who has spent nearly their entire life in this district.
I grew up on a dairy farm here. I went to college here. I started a business here.
I co-founded Northwoods Young Professionals to help keep young workers up in the area.
I have brought half a million dollars in economic impact to Oneida County through the different events that I have planned.
I serve on the Rotary Board and I serve on my town's planning commission.
I have also pledged to not take any corporate PAC money because I want to make sure that our representatives and the people we vote for are representing us, not special interests, not any corporations,
no mega donors. So you will know exactly where my loyalties lie and it is to the people in this district and nobody else.
And Mrs. Evan, your opening statement.
I'm Jesse Evan. I am a Christian conservative, a Trump Republican and a proud seventh generation Wisconsinite who's committed to getting the government off our back and out of our way of life.
I live in Stanley in Shipwood County with my husband and our son, and we're just a few miles down the road from the original Evan family farm that's been there for nearly 100 years now.
I've worked the majority of my career in the private sector. I worked in rural healthcare, setting up clinics and small towns.
I now work for a manufacturer. My job is to battle over burdensome regulation.
I've had success in doing so, saving thousands of domestic manufacturing jobs right here in our state.
And this experience that I will be prepared to go to Congress to defend our values and our way of life of standing up for life.
I'm pro life, making sure our rights are not infringed upon, including our Second Amendment, that we make sure that our farmland is not covered by solar panels or windmills, that we de-list the Great Wolf,
that we make sure we secure our southern border, deport violent criminal illegal aliens and stand with law enforcement.
And it's an honor in this race to be backed by law enforcement and shares from throughout the district.
Our first question will go to Ms. Bomb first. Wisconsin's seventh congressional district is the state's largest.
We have medium and small cities plus plenty of towns and rural areas to the candidates. What is at least one concrete action you would take in Congress to improve the lives of people in the seventh.
Ms. Bomb, you will go first.
I would support a moratorium on AI data centers coming into our state of Wisconsin.
There's no regulation around them and they impact us in so many different ways.
They impact our natural resources, our water, our utility bills.
And recently, our phone prices are going to be impacted coming up here as well because of the demand for memory chips from AI data centers.
So now phone companies have to pay more to get those chips to meet to get the demand for those chips over these data centers.
So they're not just going to affect our utility prices and our resources.
They're going to affect other everyday prices across this district and for all the people.
So I will definitely be working on a moratorium until we can properly regulate and assess the impact of AI data centers in this district and in this country.
And most recently, actually, I had someone who reached out to me who was a neighbor of mine growing up and they live in Phillips now and they were just approached about their land being bought for an AI data center.
That is happening in this district already.
Thank you.
Mrs. Evan, one action you would take in Congress to help your constituents.
Well, this is where I have this strength of being the only candidate who has worked in manufacturing and has worked specifically on deregulation, which is getting the government out.
All of this costly red tape that it's an invisible cost for so many businesses.
And it is the reason that so many small businesses in large have left this district from Price County, losing Caterpillar to Osceola, losing Polaris to Russ County, losing the manufacturer out of Hawkins.
And we've seen what happens when our small towns lose manufacturers.
And what happens is it's not just job numbers we're losing.
These are people.
These are livelihoods.
These are families that now have a decision to make is if they stay locally and seek under employment or if they move elsewhere to find work and keep a roof above the head of their family.
And oftentimes, they have to choose to leave.
We need to make sure that the government is not the barrier for businesses staying here.
And when we have strong manufacturing in this district, we have strong livelihoods.
Our small businesses on our main streets succeed.
Our schools do better.
And when we lose them, all these things go away.
Our small businesses suffer.
The local grocery store goes away.
The school suffer.
We lose kids.
We lose families.
And drugs come into town.
And unfortunately, we've seen this time and again.
So good policy matters.
Having a strong manufacturing and working specifically on deregulation, repealing the costly red tape, which is aligned with President Trump's agenda.
That's exactly what I'll do for the people here in the 7th congressional district.
Mr. Alfonso, same question one action you would take.
We need to make sure that rural funding earmarked for our rural communities actually gets there.
Did you know that Dane County in Madison qualifies for rural grants under the federal law?
We need to work to give it back to the states.
Federal bureaucrats do not know what rural is.
New Jersey rural is something different than Wisconsin rural.
And overall, our founding fathers never envisioned such a grotesque monster of a federal government.
So one of my number one priorities in office will be shrinking the size and scope of the federal government.
The states know better how to spend the money than DC bureaucrats.
And finally, Mr. Hermaning, one action you would take in Congress.
Well, I think I know something about financial insanity because every day as my role as a financial planner,
I help my customers, families, small business owners, farmers and loggers try to figure out how they can afford an uncertain and more expensive future every day.
The cost of government, the cost of regulation, the cost of hiring, employees, all of the compliance rules that go along with most business operations make it very difficult to get ahead.
Both as an employee and as an employer.
Just today, I met with a customer who was very concerned about how they might transfer their family farm to their children, to their son, their oldest son and to one of his siblings.
And they're not sure that they're going to be able to do that because of the costs involved in that.
So my goal is to focus on financial sanity in dealing with tax and regulation and making it easier for people in central and northern Wisconsin to live and to stay and raise their families.
We're going to move on to some individualized questions now.
We start with Mr. Alfonso.
Some people have questioned if you have the experience needed to excel in Congress.
So I'm just going to lay it all out here.
You're 26.
You would likely be the first member of Congress born this century.
You're the son-in-law of former Congressman Sean Duffy and currently live in his house.
Do you have the experience to excel in Congress?
You know, experience has always been a question on this campaign.
And let me ask you, did Nick Shirley have experience?
Did he find $12 billion worth of fraud?
He was only a young man in his 20s.
Young people are capable of so much.
In a culture where we seek to make young people infantilized, I look to making young people stand up and actually take the spots that they need to.
The older generation has already won the battle with communism.
They fought very hard.
But I will tell you what, my generation is falling for those very same lies.
And I look forward to in office working every single day to stop the spread of violent Marxism, which is what got my friend Charlie Kirk murdered.
I want to follow up on that.
You posted in March, Mr. Alfonso, that you're an accountant for your parishion Hayward.
I searched the state's database of your accounts and accountants, but I don't see your name listed.
Are you still an accountant for that church?
Yes, I am.
I am still an accountant.
A simple slip of saying I used to be an accountant because I also worked as an accountant at Wisconsin Aviation when I was a senior in college at UW Madison.
Yes, I still have a job.
No, I am not unemployed.
We're going to move on to Jesse Evan now, Mrs. Evan.
You ran in the third congressional district just six years ago.
Why did you move to this district?
Well, I'm a proud 7th generation Wisconsin.
I've lived in the Chippewa Valley for over 10 years, and I live where my family's been for nearly 100 years now.
I've worked in the rural communities of this district in Chippewa, Rusk, and Barron counties, setting up clinics in small towns to make sure they had the healthcare resources they needed to succeed.
And Mrs. Evan, I want to follow up on another seemingly big change.
You signed a petition to recall then Republican Governor Scott Walker regarding Act 10 in 2011.
Can you explain your thinking back then?
Yeah, I've actually spoken with Scott Walker about this.
This was 15 years ago.
I was 21 years old in college, and I was told by my parents who were lied to by the teachers unions that they were worried about losing their jobs.
And that didn't happen.
So I not only in college did this happen, but I became a Christian.
I became a conservative and I've knocked thousands of doors for candidates in the conservative movement for Republicans up and down the ballot over the years, helping them get elected.
And like President Trump and President Reagan, I chose to become a Republican.
Thank you, Mrs. Evan.
Now that Mr. Herman, I want you to address an allegation made by the WAPACA County Republican chair.
He says you received millions of dollars because you were in Iranian hostage.
This stems from a 2015 budget bill.
He spoke in support of it back then.
Can you explain your support?
Yes, actually, I can.
A good friend of mine, a roommate who I had in a prison cell for six months in captivity by the name of Bill Keough and a host of my other colleagues, military folks, as well as state department officials.
They've really had a tough time of it.
Bill Keough, as a matter of fact, my roommate, a six foot nine inch tall giant of a man weighing 350 pounds, lost 200 pounds of his body weight in captivity.
His family struggled mightily when he returned to try to heal him back to health.
He died less than two years later, and his family never got to have really hear about his experience and how he became my hero in captivity.
Many others from the 9-11 victims, the tragedy at the Beirut barracks bombing, they all suffered mightily.
We didn't get the $3.3 million because, actually, instead of only 52 families, there were only, there were, in fact, 22,000 recipients of that fund.
There was not a taxpayer funded organization.
It was a sanctions fund against companies that had broken the law and doing business with the country of Iran.
I think Sean Duffy, our former member of Congress, for championing that legislation.
I really appreciate the fact that I've been able to accept a small portion of that money and donated it to multiple charities.
Veterans, groups, my church, and other many very worthwhile organizations.
Yeah, that was going to be my follow up, Mr. Hermanning.
How much money did you receive and where did you put that money?
Right about $700,000.
I personally received all of the American hostages, received about $700,000.
Those men and women who were married at the time, their family members got some, but the same amount as money ended up with the 9-11 folks as well.
I don't know what any of my colleagues did with it.
I believe many of them, however, did use it for healthcare and for other very badly needed issues.
I'm very fortunate to own a business, and I was not in need of the funds, but thank goodness for Sean Duffy's efforts in that area.
Now to miss bomb, some voters doubt your credentials as a Republican.
Did you post in support of an ICE out protest and why?
And is 2016 the last time you voted Donald Trump for president?
Yeah, 2016 was the last time I voted for Donald Trump for president.
I did not vote for him this last time.
I don't think we all fit into neat little political boxes, and you know, the job of a representative is to represent the people and what they need.
And what if something that the people in this district want and need doesn't align perfectly with party lines?
Are we supposed to blindly follow that?
I don't think so.
I did not make a post in support of an ICE out protest.
And I definitely have a strong stance on immigration, but I also want to make sure that our process for immigration is working and that we have enough judges to oversee our immigration cases.
There's a 3.3 million case backlog and it takes multiple years for cases to be processed.
I just asked for accountability and to make sure that everyone is held to the same standard.
I was advocating and supporting campaigns starting at 17 for the Republican Party in Price County.
My grandfather was a very prevalent Republican in Madison and spearheaded right to work law and legislation for the state of Wisconsin.
So follow up here, Miss Baum. If Republicans keep the house, it might be a slim majority.
Would Republican voters be able to count on you to continue working on the president's priorities?
Oh, the job of a representative is to represent the people, not the president's priorities, no matter who the president is.
If those priorities align, I will absolutely support them.
But if they don't, I'm going to stand up for them just like with these AI data centers.
Thank you, Miss Baum.
Our next question will go to Mr. Alfonso first.
While inflation has cooled slightly, many families still struggle with the cost of groceries, housing and everyday necessities.
What is the single most important thing Congress can do to lower the cost of living for Americans, Mr. Alfonso?
Well, I know you said single, but I'm going to go double.
First and foremost, we need to cut the government budget.
Every year, the government spends more and more money.
And we're paying for the most ridiculous things, like transgender surgeries for goats in Afghanistan.
Or who knows what else USAID was funding.
President Trump has taken a good step to start drinking that, but Congress needs to follow suit.
We need people in Congress who are going to fight with President Trump to shrink the budget.
But the second part of reducing inflation has to do with pro-growth government policies.
We need to encourage businesses to succeed.
We need to get the government out of the way.
And that starts with simply the permitting process.
I used to work in construction.
It costs $50,000.
Before you can even break ground on a home.
If we want to address the inflationary problems in the United States, we need to cut the budget.
And we need to encourage businesses to prosper.
Do Mrs. Evan now?
How would you help with affordability in America?
One of the biggest ways that we can help with affordability is looking at the input costs.
And that's energy.
Energy powers everything, so we need good, reliable, affordable energy.
Unfortunately, President Biden came in a few years ago and shut down a natural gas pipeline,
taking away that good, reliable, affordable energy.
And instead loves to fund what the Democrats love to do with solar panels and windmills on our farmland.
And this is bad energy to begin with.
It's not reliable.
When their sun is not shining and the wind is not blowing.
No energy is being put on the grid.
And it's driving prices up because the supply is low.
Another thing we can do when looking at housing is deregulate.
And I'll say this a lot tonight, but we have to get the government out of the way, all this costly red tape.
The National Association of Home Builders just came out with a report that the average cost on the average new home build
is $132,000 of regulations.
$132,000 of regulations that had wasted money that could be going into buying that home that could be cutting prices
for American families to once again be able to afford a home.
We have to get the government out of the way.
And again, I'm the only candidate with the experience of actually taking on regulation,
the overburdened some red tape that stifles growth for our American families,
for the input cost for regulation, and for energy costs as well.
And the only one with that experience will continue to do that for the people here in the set of congressional.
Now to Mr. Hermaning, affordability in America.
Well, I think I know a little bit about this.
I'm a 40 year financial advisor.
I advise clients on everything from their investments to their real estate decisions, how to pay for health care,
whether they're retired before they're eligible for Medicare or whether they're on social security and Medicare.
And everybody on social security does understand that every year they get a little bit of an increase,
but most of it is taken away by the increase in Medicare premiums.
So it really does not help to keep pace with inflation and the cost of living.
I do believe that we need to balance a budget.
We haven't had one in 25 years.
I will vote only for balanced budgets or to lower the deficit and ultimately the debt.
We do need to create jobs.
The government doesn't do that.
The government plays no role in creating jobs other than getting out of the way of the innovation and opportunities that
Americans who want a better future for themselves and their families are willing to pursue.
Yes, we do need energy independence.
We need to be monitoring utility costs, but really inflation is the government spending way too much money.
That's the biggest thing that can help to reduce the cost of living on people in the seventh district.
Finally, Miss Baum, same question.
There's a lot of things that affect affordability and there isn't just one sweeping solution that we can implement at the federal level to
address the affordability crisis.
It's a combination of multiple things, whether that be the impact of these AI data centers or health care costs.
Housing is another big one.
All of these things play a factor.
We need to look at addressing this from an overarching perspective and figuring out what can we all do to help address the affordability
crisis and some of that starts with who we elect into the office and the kind of people we elect into office.
Right now, when 60 to 80% of people in the U.S. agree on and want a policy change, they only get it 40% of the time.
This has to do with special interest influence on our politicians and on our representatives.
There is no accountability to make sure that policy and legislation actually is benefiting us and what we need.
They're doing what they have to do to get reelected and fund money in their campaigns.
And so if we don't change the type of people we elect into office, we're not going to see changes in the affordability crisis.
Our next question will go to Mr. Hermening first.
Wisconsin is competing for major data center projects that promise jobs and investment, but they also raised concerns about electricity
demand, water use and impacts on nearby communities.
If elected, what role should the federal government play in regulating large data centers, Mr. Hermening?
I think the federal government's role for sure can be to make sure that China is not the country, our enemy,
which handles all of the future for data centers and artificial intelligence in general.
I am a state's rights and a local government rights advocate.
That's what most traditional Republicans believe in.
I have served 16 years on my school board.
I know a little bit about how we need to make sure that the state and the federal government stay as far away as we can have them.
But I certainly know that local communities, whether it's in Beaver Dam, for example, where they are looking at one direction for pursuing data centers.
Compared to other communities, especially in the Northwoods in the 7th district, are very much considering the threat against their natural resources.
Our natural resources, the farmland, where can the government really stay hands off?
But I really would say to you, bottom line, I don't believe that the utility costs should be passed on to the consumers who live here, regardless of where they are located.
Mr. Alfonso, to you next, how should the government regulate large data centers, if at all?
The rise of AI is a very scary thing, especially to my generation.
We stand to lose so many jobs. We don't even know how many.
But the United States has always led the way when it comes to technological advancements.
I was just talking to someone today whose plan is to put these data centers in space.
We need to give these decisions to the local municipalities.
States and counties know far better what is better for their neighbors than the federal government.
The federal government is only interested in taking your money and sending it elsewhere.
Ms. Palm, you mentioned this earlier, but same question to you.
Absolutely. I would definitely support a moratorium at the federal level.
I would support regulation at the federal level.
I do believe in states' rights and that states should ultimately have a say in control in how these data centers are implemented in their states.
But the U.S. is already leading an AI and AI data centers.
We have more than any other country in the world by a long shot.
I think we need to look at how it affects our people.
It negatively affects them a lot. It takes away jobs.
It takes away resources. Wisconsin already is a state where we consume six times more energy than we produce.
Now we're expanding and adding a bunch of AI data centers,
which once all the approved projects are proposed, clean Wisconsin shows that the amount of energy they will use
will be the equivalent of the amount of energy that's already currently used in the state.
So imagine doubling that. That's not sustainable.
That's not going to work moving forward. We need to be able to study them and reduce their impacts
and make them a heck of a lot more efficient before this can continue at the pace that it currently is.
And finally, Mrs. Evan.
So data centers should not be on our farmland.
And farmland is a big discussion that comes up when I'm on the campaign trail talking with voters and hearing directly from them.
And their biggest concern is solar panels and windmills on our farmland.
And that is right here. And now it's at the forefront of many counties, including Marathon, St. Croix, Lincoln and others.
The part of the problem here as well is with the solar panels and the windmills on our farmland is that they are being
standardized by federal taxpayer dollars. This is something that none of us agree to with our taxpayer dollars,
yet the Green New Deal scam is powering the utilities, giving them our resources to go in and topple our farmland with, again, windmills and solar panels, bad energy to begin with.
Then these subsidies or these utilities are also getting tax cuts at the federal level if they install by a certain timeline in the near future.
So there is an aggressive demand for our farmland here in northern central and western Wisconsin.
We must stand strong to make sure that it doesn't overtake. There is a federal component to this.
And it's your member of Congress. I will sign on to pieces of legislation to make sure that those federal tax cuts that those federal tax subsidies are not included and are removed so that they are no longer powering the utilities to take over our farmland.
Let's do a big step back now on a very general question. We'll go to Mrs. Evan right back at you. What separates you from the other candidates on the stage right now? Why are you the best choice, Mrs. Evan?
The biggest indicator is I have both the energy and the experience to do the job. I've mentioned my experience. I'm the only candidate that has worked in manufacturing, working there now, battling over burdensome regulation.
I've worked directly on the policy, the regulation and the taxation that impacts our manufacturers.
And manufacturing is the top industry alongside agriculture of the 7th congressional district.
With strong jobs and a revitalization of manufacturing here in our rural communities, we can sustain and rebuild our way of life, bringing families back, getting good jobs back, rebuilding and strengthening our schools and our downtowns.
I've mentioned it before, but policy matters, cutting that costly red tape for not just manufacturers, but for farmers, for small businesses, only grows.
I've also worked in rural health care, and I've seen firsthand the need that we have here in our district for mental health care, for emergency rooms, for labor and delivery.
We have an extreme shortage that has caused bad outcomes for so many. I've talked with sheriff's departments about this with local providers as well.
The need is great, along with our volunteer firefighters and our local EMS.
They're struggling to be not only have the volunteers, but to get to the hospitals in time for that emergency care.
We have great needs in this district, and I've worked in the industries that matter significantly along with listening, understanding policy.
And that makes me the best candidate to be able to do the job on day one with the values and the preferences of the people here.
Now to Ms. Baum, why are you the best choice?
I grew up in Price County, born and raised on a dairy farm.
I saw all the farms, small farms in my community, disappear as I was growing up.
On the roads that I lived right next to, had probably about seven active farms on it when I was a child and within about a six mile span.
And now there's only one.
This consolidation is something I witnessed growing up.
My elementary school shut down, my middle school shut down and consolidated.
I then went to college up in the district in Ashland, and I did move away for a very brief moment to build up my resume and came back because I truly loved the Northwoods.
And I wanted to build a life and a career here, and I've been incredibly passionate about my community.
I've been incredibly involved, serving on my rotary board, rotary club board, being on my town planning commission, and a lot of other boards initiatives over the years.
I have pledged to not take any corporate PAC money, and I have the lowest funding in this campaign out of everybody.
I've only spent about $20,000 on this campaign so far, and we have accomplished a lot.
I was still the first candidate to get all my nomination signatures submitted and collected and gain ballot access.
I am here because I really want to represent the people in our communities and make sure that they're able to continue to thrive.
Mr. Herrmani, what separates you from the rest of the candidates?
So I saw firsthand what it means when American freedom is threatened.
And why we need resolve, and we need strength, and we need an appreciation of freedom.
And none of those things are just campaign slogans to me.
I have 40 years of lived experience as a financial advisor, as a school board member, as a Republican party leader for 40 years, helping conservatives get elected.
I mentioned earlier that I was a Trump-elector.
It is and was and remains about draining the swamp.
I'm not running to pursue a title in Washington.
I am running to serve.
I will work harder than anybody else on this stage.
We're all working hard.
We're all at the same events.
We're all at parades and dairy breakfast.
We've all put thousands of miles on our vehicles.
But I can assure you that when it comes to standing next to his or her peers in Washington, D.C., as a congressmen or woman next year, in January when we are sworn in, I am the best prepared to be ready on day one.
Because for me, it is not about being somebody.
It is about doing something.
Mr. Alfonso, same question.
I'm the only candidate on this stage that our great president, the greatest president of my lifetime, President Donald J. Trump, trusts to get his agenda into law.
We hear a lot about politicians saying they're pro-Trump only in the year of an election.
What the Trump endorsement means is that I will support the president.
I will fight for his agenda.
I will work with him to bring back business to northern Wisconsin, and President Trump cares deeply about northern Wisconsin.
He knows it is the very place that delivered him the election in 2024.
We hear a lot about experience all around the campaign trail.
Experience is a great thing, but it is not the sole indicator of success.
Nick Shirley, zero experience.
Let's name some people with experience.
John Corrin, Mitch McConnell, Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi.
Under their leadership, our country has sunk further and further.
I am going to bring my energy and passion every single day.
Now, when it comes to the Trump endorsement, there have been a lot of questions about how I've gotten it.
I sat down with him for an interview in the Oval Office, and I promised him that no one will ever outwork me, and that no one will fight harder for the people of the seventh district than I will.
It's time for us to take a short break.
We'll be back in about eight minutes.
During our break, our chief meteorologist, Jeff Weller, will have a forecast for you, and we will return with questions very shortly.
Chase Ropenack has your weekend forecast covered, Weather Watch 12.
President Trump knows a fighter when he sees one.
Kevin Hermanning is battle tested and ready to serve again.
Kevin Hermanning has always stood tall for America, and he's never stopped putting Wisconsin first.
In Congress, Kevin will work with President Trump to keep our border secure, cut taxes for families, safeguard our elections, and protect our farmers, loggers, and ginseng growers who power America.
Conservative Kevin Hermanning for Congress, the fighter Wisconsin trusts to get results.
I'm Kevin Hermanning, and I approve this message.
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Start your mornings with meteorologist Devin Biggs on NewsWatch12 today.
Weeknights Chief Meteorologist Jeff Weller is tracking every change.
And weekends count on Meteorologist Chase Ropenach to keep you ahead of the weather.
Weather Watch 12 from Where You Live.
We'll be back in a few minutes.
You can see how the flow 217 here.
We'll be back in a few minutes.
Okay, out there today, lots of clear skies for us,
but to the west of us, here we are,
with some clouds increasing across parts of Minnesota now,
and there's a pretty good system over here
that's gonna bring us some showers
and storms throughout the day tomorrow,
into tomorrow night, likely ending early parts
of Thursday morning followed by sunshine
for later Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday,
a great weekend on deck for us first though.
We'll get the clouds increased across region tonight,
and likely some rain showers by around daybreak
tomorrow morning, likely not severe,
but these could drop some heavy rainfall,
basically north of Highway 29.
The act gets out of here throughout the morning hours,
and then round two comes through late and day tomorrow,
again, heavy rain potentially for tomorrow as well,
into tomorrow evening.
So somebody could easily see some,
an interest of rain from this,
likely again two rounds, once more morning,
the second round tomorrow afternoon and evening,
it gets out of here though on Thursday morning,
look what happens then, yeah,
bright sunshine returns for us on Thursday afternoon,
and this is a great looking forecast,
Friday, Saturday, and Sunday,
with high temperatures in the 80s with plenty of sunshine.
Have a great day.
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Are you going to win?
Yes, yes, yes.
I'm at a loss for work.
A-G-G, tonight on the museum begun.
That was impressive.
That's a double-ducking improv.
Where are you, Brady?
Quality, stick with a accent.
Ru!
That's what I was doing!
That's where tonight on M.C. and P.G.G.
It's everything you need to know before you walk out the door.
News, watch 12 today. News from where you live.
I'm Kevin Herman, and I approve this message.
We will start with Ms. Baum for this next question.
Following US military strikes on Iran and a fragile ceasefire,
many Americans are asking whether the US should become more involved in the region or less.
As a member of Congress, what should America's policy toward Iran be over the next four years?
Ms. Baum.
Well, seeing as upholding the War Powers Resolution passed the House and the Senate this month,
I think that is a clear indication that we should be less involved with Iran over the coming years.
Quick answer.
Mr. Alfonso, what should America's policy be toward Iran going forward?
We cannot allow Iran to get a nuclear weapon.
President Trump, everything he does is through the prism of America first.
An adversarial nation like Iran, having a nuclear weapon, is detrimental not just to Americans now,
but to Americans in the future, like my daughter Rose.
I stand with President Trump's actions in Iran, and I look forward to, in 2026,
if this isn't done already because President Trump is the master negotiator,
I look forward to working with President Trump to bring peace to the Middle East.
Mr. Hermanings, same question to you.
I believe the President did exactly the right thing in working back in February to deny the Iranians
in their pursuit of nuclear weapons.
I do not support the idea of boots on the ground, which has been advocated by many people,
mostly to bring about regime change.
That is a decision that the Iranian people need to make on their own.
They need to be responsible for that.
It is not our job to be the policeman of the world.
But in any negotiation, it requires two honest brokers,
and it is very evident to me in watching what's been going on between the United States
and Iran for 47 years that the Iranians have never sent an honest broker to any negotiation.
So I believe that we have to be very steadfast in what we are standing for.
We need to oppose nuclear weapons by the Iranian regime.
We need to encourage the Iranian people to take arms up against their leadership,
and we need to bring our men and women home, assuring our people that we do not put boots on the ground
to bring about regime change.
Mrs. Eben, add in policy toward Iran going forward.
We need to get out of Iran and back focused on the American people and the domestic issues here
and champion peace through strength.
26 of my 30 years, we were out of forever war.
I don't want that to happen, sorry, 20 out of my 36 years, we were out of forever war.
And I don't want that to happen to again.
I don't want my son in the future to have to go off and fight another war.
I don't want any mother or father to have to worry about sending their son or daughter overseas
to champion someone else's war.
We need to get back to America first, back to the domestic issues at hand,
champion peace through strength, get this finished up in Iran, and President Trump will get it done.
We will go to Mr. Hermanning first for the next question.
Just a few miles east of Rhinelander is a small town of Stella.
Unfortunately, it's known for having one of the highest known recordings of the concentration of PFAS,
a forever chemical linked to a lot of health problems.
Congress has debated everything from stricter regulations to increased cleanup funding
to holding manufacturers financially responsible.
If elected, what role should the federal government play in addressing PFAS contamination, Mr. Hermanning?
Well, I live in Warsaw in the central part of the state.
And just a couple of years ago, the city council and the mayor dealt with this issue
and were able to get funds from the federal and state governments to deal with the concern about PFAS in the water.
Drinking water should be one of the basic foundations of what citizens should expect from their government.
I would advocate for clean water, lower costs to bring about the lesser contamination.
When the government helps to make policies that bring about contamination,
whether it is approving of certain types of chemicals that end up in our groundwater,
the government has a responsibility for then making it right.
Too often the government puts it back on the local communities, the federal government does,
and that is not the way we should be approaching this, or any issue where the government,
federal government is culpable for the problems that the consumers or the citizens end up bearing.
Mrs. Eben, what role should the federal government play in addressing PFAS?
Well, forever chemicals are an emerging science and a new issue as of the last few years.
And there's still a lot to learn.
We need to make sure that we have clean water for our families, for our communities.
And this has been an issue that's been engaged on at the local, state, and federal level.
I'm always concerned when the federal level wants to step in and over-regulate something.
And so this has been addressed quite timely, so in our state, at the state, at the local level, at the county level even.
And so I think that's where the focus needs to be to make sure the communities have the resources they need that they are addressed locally
with the people who are impacted.
Mr. Alfonso, now to you, the federal government and PFAS.
This is one of the most exciting aspects of the Trump agenda, the Maha movement.
I'm so proud to announce I've been endorsed by Maha Action.
And I will tell you, for too long, Republicans have ceded the idea of conservation to the left.
But here's the thing.
As conservatives, we can chew gum and walk at the same time.
We can encourage businesses to be responsible.
And we can also have businesses not be hampered by over-regulation.
The President of the United States understands this.
He is a builder, but he also understands just how important natural resources are to the 7th District.
Lakes are the center of so many of our communities here up north.
And I look forward to working with President Trump not only to encourage businesses, but to also protect our natural resources.
Let's stay with Mr. Alfonso here.
Mr. Alfonso, should the federal government regulate PFAS contamination?
Well, here's the thing.
The federal government is always, always stepping in and going over the top when it comes to regulations.
But when I lean on to federal governments, I look at the Biden administration.
During COVID, we had so many lies told to us by the very people that are supposed to be regulating.
Now, I would like to see that brought down to the state level.
One of the centers of my campaign is going to, and if God willing, I get into office, is making sure that the federal government is shrunk.
D.C. bureaucrats do not know what is best for Wisconsin.
Only Wisconsinites know what is best for Wisconsin.
Finally, Ms. Pong's same question, should the federal government be involved in regulating PFAS?
Well, I will definitely say that the federal government was involved in some of the PFAS issues that we have.
Farmers were encouraged to spread sludge on their fields that ended up having extremely high levels of PFAS in it.
There is a case where a farmer had to eliminate his whole entire dairy herd because of the high levels of PFAS in the milk coming from the cows.
Once PFAS is in the ground and in the environment and in our resources, it is nearly impossible to eliminate.
One of the things that it binds to really well is actually hemp.
Now, that just gets it to bind to hemp.
Doesn't mean you can still get rid of it, but you can get it out of areas.
And that's one way to look at a solution, but once it's in our water, we're having a hard time getting it out.
So I think it is the responsibility of the federal government to ensure that we do have clean and good access to drinking water.
It is one of our rights that we should have.
We will start with Mrs. Evan for this next question.
We just celebrated 250 years of this country, a tremendous feat.
I want to learn your vision for the future of the United States.
So to the candidates, what's next for this country, Mrs. Evan?
Well, when I think about 250 years and the Declaration of Independence that has life, liberty and pursuit of happiness as the major declaratory statement,
I think about life being first and we need to prioritize life, fighting for life, I'm 100% pro-life.
If we have a vision for this country, we need to be thinking about our future and that future is our children.
I had the great honor and blessing of having a son and having grown him in my own womb and held him.
And the value of life, which has been a subject of matter that the Democrats have tried to take away from us,
seeing that children are a burden. They are not. They are a blessing.
And there's a lot to be done at the federal level to still champion life, such as getting rid of the abortion pill,
that is crossing state lines, that is poisoning women as they lose their child and as the women suffer as well.
One in ten women that have taken the abortion pill end up in the emergency room with sepsis.
The children are killed. As we know, it's done grave danger. So if we cannot champion life, if we cannot do that,
then what are the other policies that matter? We have to stand up for our children. We have to defend the unborn.
I am absolutely committed to doing that.
Mr. Alfonso, your vision for the future of the country.
Very simply, we need to recommit ourselves to President Trump's America First Agenda.
Now, President Trump is working every single day to make sure costs are coming down in the United States.
But Congress, as always, is slow to act and fighting him tooth and nail.
I'm the only person on this stage that President Trump trusts to get his agenda enacted into office.
And on day one, we will re-put through, yet again, the Save America Act.
We can only have United States citizens voting in American elections.
If we want to address any other issues in the country, we have to address that one first. Thank you.
Ms. Baum, now to you, your vision.
My vision really stems from the founding of the Republican Party.
When the party was founded, there was a need for their vision and their core principles.
They wanted to ensure the government worked for the everyday average working class American,
not special interests who are wealthy special interests who are trying to influence the politicians to ensure that they could continue their way of life
and continue to take advantage.
And at the time, those wealthy special interests were plantation and slave owners.
And that was going to threaten the livelihood of the people living up here,
how they could expand and start a business and create jobs for themselves and build their lives.
So, for me, it's really about getting the special interests influences out of our politics to ensure that government is working for us fairly and properly.
I want to work on getting Citizens United overturned to ensure our representatives represent us.
And finally, Mr. Herman, same question, vision for the future.
I love this question.
For 40 years, I've been talking to high school students, church audiences,
civic organizations like the Lions and Rotary Clubs, and many political audiences
about what it means to be an American, liberty and leadership.
The reality is that I cut my teeth in politics when Ronald Reagan was President of the United States.
Ronald Reagan first coined the term in 1981 running for President,
let's make America great again.
Donald Trump, of course, is make America great again.
I am a Trump, Republican and American first conservative.
And I believe that Ronald Reagan's call to the United States, to our people,
to remain the shining city on the hill that really became the beacon for the entire world
and why so many people yearned to come to America.
We have seen during this World Cup so many people from across the planet mesmerized by what America is,
by her people, by the opportunities, by the many great things in the cities that they've been playing.
And I hope that over the course of the next 250 years,
that our constitutional foundations can be what lays the foundation, lays the groundwork for the next 250 years.
This next question will go to Mr. Alfonso I.
The Great Wolf has moved on and off the federal endangered species list over the years,
creating uncertainty over who should manage the population and whether Wisconsin can hold a wolf hunt
as a member of Congress what role should the federal government play in wolf management
and what policy would you support going forward, Mr. Alfonso?
Man, you're making me start to sound like a broken record up here.
It turns out almost every single one of our problems is actually caused by the federal government.
The federal government should not be regulating the gray wolf.
Do you know why?
They don't deal with it in Washington, D.C.
In Hayward, Wisconsin, where I live, we do deal with it.
Farmers across the district are having their livestock eaten by gray wolves.
We absolutely need to bring this to the state level.
Again, only Wisconsinites know what is best for Wisconsinites.
Bureaucrats in Washington, D.C. have no idea what rural America is.
Ms. Bomb, what role should the federal government play in wolf management?
I think the current role it plays is adequate,
and right now there is a big push for delisting the gray wolf,
and I fully support that.
The numbers are adequate and show that there is definitely need to delist them.
The populations have bounced back, and a hunt on a responsible hunt on them
would not threaten the species in this area.
Now to Mr. Herrmaning, same question.
Will I also support the delisting of the gray wolf?
But I also agree that it is a state issue, but right now,
because it's being dealt with at the federal level,
we need to have the federal government implement that type of a policy,
and I think that our former congressmen has had it exactly right,
and that is to delist the gray wolf.
And finally to Mrs. Evans, same question.
Congress needs to delist the gray wolf.
That bill has to pass.
Congressman Tom Tiffany, our current representative of the 7th Congressional District,
has been working tirelessly on this and his natural resource committee,
got it passed through the house and now it's sitting with the U.S. Senate.
When I talk with people on the trail throughout our very rural communities here,
they are extremely concerned about the gray wolf and its predatory enactment
on livestock, on calves, on guard dogs, on guard animals, on bear dogs,
and laying like county alone in this last fall,
there was one weekend where six bear dogs were killed in one weekend in one area.
When I talk directly with bear hunters and other hunters throughout this district,
this is their number one issue.
It's also a huge issue for farmers and everyday people.
The wolves are not scared of anything.
When I talk with my neighbors who are out checking their trail cams,
they are followed by two different wolves at a time.
I have to carry.
When I talk with those who do concealed carry classes,
they are now training more people who are recreationally hiked throughout our area,
but they want to feel safe.
The wolf has become the gray wolf, has become way too predatory,
and we need to deal with it, and that starts with delisting it
from the endangered species list that takes an act of Congress,
and I'm absolutely committed to getting that done.
The next question will go to Ms. Baum first.
The national debt now exceeds $40 trillion.
I want you to be specific here.
What specific federal programs would you reduce or taxes you would change
to put the country on a more sustainable fiscal path?
Do you think Medicaid, Medicare, or Social Security benefits
should be changed, Ms. Baum?
Let me start on Social Security benefits.
I don't think there should be any cuts to Social Security benefits.
That is such a critical component to people who live up here
in the seventh district.
Automatic 23% cuts to benefits would be very detrimental
to the economy up here.
As a lot of people rely on those Social Security benefits.
The bigger issue when it comes to our spending and our debt,
it's prioritizing where we put our money and how we spend our money.
There's plenty of it.
There's more than enough to make sure that various programs
and initiatives are met and that we can receive them.
It's a prioritization issue at the end of the day.
And how do we fix that prioritization issue?
We fix that by electing different types of people to Congress.
Again, if we continue to elect people who soul and first focus
is not representing the people and who are influenced
by outside special interests, there is no accountability for them
to actually make sure that policy and bills and legislation going forward
will impact and help keep our money going to the things
that are actually a priority and what we actually need and want.
So we need to change the type of people that we elect to Congress
to ensure that the budget is actually a priority.
So Ms. Bon, let's be specific here.
Should we raise taxes?
Should we cut something else?
We don't need to raise taxes.
It's a prioritization issue.
There's no accountability.
There's plenty of money in the government.
The Pentagon hasn't passed an audit ever.
They can't account for trillions of dollars in assets.
If you're a business and you don't pass an audit,
there's consequences.
So where's the accountability within our own government
and how our money is spent?
Moving on to Mr. Hermanning.
Mr. Hermanning, what specifically can be done to balance the budget in Washington, D.C.?
Well, I think one thing we need to do is to stop putting all of these pieces
of legislation into a big Christmas tree-type bill
where the people in Congress don't even know what they're voting on
before they actually are asked to cast a vote.
They can't come back to their district.
They cannot tell us what's in the legislation that they voted for.
That is a problem.
We need to start separating out these pieces of legislation as an example.
Why is the agriculture commodities and subsidy programs
lumped in with SNAP and nutrition programs?
Each of those types of things, whether it's on the farm bill,
whether it is on the defense bill, whether it is on immigration law
and the bills that are passed to fund legal immigration, border security,
the various types of ways that we can protect Americans from illegal immigrants,
it's all lumped into a single piece of legislation.
And once we start separating those out,
the American people are going to better trust that the elected officials
know what they're doing in Washington, D.C.
Congress has stolen the money from Social Security.
We need to start shoring it up.
It does not require cutting benefits for retirees or near retirees or anybody.
We do not have a revenue problem.
We have a spending problem.
And the sooner that Congress starts taking seriously,
their responsibility to manage the purse strings,
which is the priority job of a member of the House to pass a budget,
the better off the American people will be.
So, Mr. Herman, you mentioned Social Security is off the table for you,
but we have to mention something.
What can be cut to get us to a better fiscal situation?
Well, I think that for one thing, we all know about the fraud that's happening,
whether it is the daycare centers in Minneapolis and St. Paul
or the Medicaid fraud in Southeast Wisconsin
or some of the other fraud areas that have already been identified in Ohio
and in California, that's a start.
It certainly doesn't finish the job,
but the best way to solve an economic crisis
is to get the federal government out of the way
so that people like the folks who I work with every day
who are small business owners and farmers,
they have the opportunity to move forward their jobs,
their companies, hire people.
That's all people want is for the federal government to get out of the way,
to give us the opportunity to make the best of our lives
from an economic and a social perspective
and maybe, just maybe,
if the government doesn't tax and spend the future of our people as they retire
and as they want to pass a small part of what's left onto their heirs,
the people might trust the government to actually get their job done.
Mr. Alfonso, now same question, what should be done to balance the budget in D.C.?
Our vital programs, like Social Security,
cannot be taken away from the older generation.
They were promised by the United States that they would receive these benefits.
My parents receive Social Security.
The idea that we could take that away from them is un-American.
Here in America, we pay our debts, and we will.
I will tell you how we'll find the money in the budget as well.
When we look at just the doge cuts,
Elon Musk estimated it was around a trillion dollars a year.
Do you know how much of that was actually cut from the budget?
Almost none, because the president can't do that.
The president has to shift the funding. He cannot cut it.
We will work every single day to make sure that the fraud, waste, and abuse in our system
is taken, gotten rid of.
Because if we want to protect these programs that we rely so much on,
we need to make sure that illegals are not receiving these benefits,
that only people that paid into the system are receiving these benefits.
As a young man, I can't think of a single issue that matters more to the young people of America
who are paying into a program that many of them believe they will never see a dime off.
We need to address these issues, and it starts by getting rid of the fraud, waste, and abuse in our government.
Mrs. Evans, same question.
As an act of Congress, we can pass the balanced budget amendment.
And add something to it that if the budget is not passed in a balanced way,
that Congress doesn't get paid. Take the reward from Congress, and you'll start seeing some action get done.
So we need to balance the budget. We need to prioritize spending. We can do a lot more with less.
It's what everyone has to do at their kitchen table every night, send down as a family,
and figure out how to work with their household budget.
We need people who understand that to go to Congress and make those common sense decisions.
Now, I work in manufacturing, and one of the things that we have to do constantly
is look at how do we create a better product, higher quality, but lower cost,
but yet create a streamlined process.
And we need more people with that manufacturing mindset to go into Congress
to understand, to take out the efficiencies, to find the waste.
And in this case, to find the waste fraud and abuse.
But you know who else has that manufacturing mindset, who has a background in manufacturing,
and has strict on government spending, and doesn't back down, is U.S. Senator Ron Johnson.
We need more people with that type of understanding of manufacturing, of common sense solutions,
and knowing when to stand tall and say no to more spending,
and that's exactly what I will do as well, take the manufacturing mindset to say no to additional spending.
It's about time we crack down on the budget.
Question for Mr. Hermanning first.
Artificial intelligence is expected to transform industries
ranging from manufacturing to healthcare.
Should Congress regulate AI more aggressively, Mr. Hermanning?
Well, thank goodness for artificial intelligence, because it's the next frontier.
But it cannot run unfettered.
We've had, of course, the Industrial Revolution, the Information Revolution,
and now it's artificial intelligence.
The federal government's role is to make sure that we are not left behind on the world stage.
It is the federal government's job, I believe, to not put in place unnecessary, unneeded regulations
so that those people who want to start companies, those people who want to grow companies,
those people who want to take chances at future success, have the opportunity to do so.
Too often the government gets in the way, too often the government thinks it knows best,
and it seems from the chair that I sit in every single day working with my customers
who are worried about the future and affordability, that one way to keep costs down
is by looking at options for artificial intelligence, but not at the expense of the important jobs
of doing the heavy labor jobs that are necessary in a future America.
I served on my school board for 16 years, and we had an emphasis on the trades,
because an artificial intelligence effort is not ever going to change our oil.
It's not ever going to work in the, it helps in the tool and dye industries,
but it's not going to totally replace it, thankfully.
It makes the job simpler in many cases, but it cannot replace the needs that the American people have.
Now to Mrs. Evan, should Congress regulate AI more aggressively?
I think with any new emerging technology, we need to be cautious about it.
We need to understand it, get comfortable with it, but not rely on it.
It's a tool in the tool belt, but it's not something to be, again, fully relied upon.
What I am concerned with AI is images and protecting our children,
making sure their children aren't included in any images,
and that they don't have any of that coming on to their own devices.
We also need to look at AI through an education perspective.
There's been enough technology in the schools, we need to make sure that students can read, write,
and do arithmetic.
Our outcomes have only gone down in the state of Wisconsin, including up here in northern Wisconsin as well.
So we need to make sure that AI is not a reliant tool in our education system,
that kids are still learning not only the traits, but also the reading, writing, and math
that will set them on the right path.
Again, this is something to learn to be comfortable with, but not rely on.
Studies have already been done where they're seeing that our brains are losing their knowledge
when we rely on AI, because we're not doing our own research or reading,
and we're not doing our own figuring out and solving of our own problems.
So I would just say be cautious, understand it, but don't rely heavily on it.
Mr. Alfonso, same question.
I might be the only politician who is honest enough to say, I don't know.
I grew up with AI. I went to college during the AI boom.
We don't know where this technology is going to take us,
but we need to watch it very closely.
We cannot have hundreds of thousands of Americans displaced from their jobs.
Jobs give you the integrity of life.
The government's only role is to protect life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
When it comes to AI, it is a very new technology.
Even the people building it don't quite know where it is going to go,
but I will tell you that we will not allow Americans to lose their jobs by the thousands from AI.
Ms. Baum, same question.
Well, Congress already regulates a lot of other industries.
Why is AI the exception? It shouldn't be.
It should be regulated just like we do a lot of other aspects in different industries across the nation.
Unfortunately, it's been getting extra benefits in a way.
The state of Wisconsin proved in the budget to give AI data centers its sales tax exemption.
I know this is a state level thing, but I'm using this as an example because
why are they getting that benefit when there are small businesses who actually provide consistent jobs
and more jobs than an AI data center will at the end of the day after its completion?
They should not be getting breaks. They should not be getting it to be easier for them to implement.
They should go through all the same hoops and hurdles as every other industry does.
They should not have an exception, and that is Congress's job to ensure that it is evenly dispersed among industries.
General question now, let's take a step back. It's going to Mr. Alfonso first.
What do you believe is the single most important quality a member of Congress should have and how have you demonstrated it?
Simply put, character and conviction.
I believe every single person on this stage has actually shown character and conviction,
but I would tell you, being a Christian, it is my goal always every single day to honor God through every single thing that I do.
I think in this country, one of the easiest ways to see the decline is the way we no longer discuss God.
Long ago, we had the ruling that said we're going to separate the church and the state,
but that was to keep the state out of the churches, not the churches out of the state.
We are a Christian nation, and I look forward to getting back to those founding principles.
Thank you, Mr. Alfonso. Same question to Ms. Baum now. What is the most important value a candidate for Congress should have and how have you demonstrated it?
I think the most important value is integrity.
You need integrity to make the right choices and decisions and to be able to advocate for the people in the district properly.
Again, the role of a representative in Congress is to represent people and hold the executive branch accountable.
I have pledged to not take any corporate PAC money so that people in this district know exactly who I represent.
You know that my decisions and advocacy will not be swayed by any outside special interests.
My priority will always be my constituents.
Mrs. Evans, same question to you.
Showing up for the people and showing them who you are, how you're going to represent their values on our way of life.
And I've done that time and again. I've been on the campaign trail now for nearly nine and a half months,
but about 45,000 miles on my car, traveling the district to hear directly from people, showing up time and again at debates and form.
I called for the debates back in March and I'm glad so many have taken place and I'm proud to be here tonight.
We need to make sure that the voice of the people is heard and that showing up time and again at local town meetings,
at public forums on important issues, at regular Republican meetings, but at parades, at dairy breakfasts, at rodeos,
at all the town festivals going on throughout our district, showing up matters,
understanding the issues directly from the people and not a lobbyist matters, knowing how to do the work matters as well.
And again, my experience in manufacturing, specifically taking on the federal bureaucracy,
being dedicated to manufacturing and industry here to save thousands of domestic manufacturing jobs.
That's exactly what I've done. This is a very public long job interview and how we show up matters.
I've shown up time and again and I will continue to do so as your representative to make sure your voice is heard,
and I listen, that I learn from you, and I take my proven lived experience to champion our values, our way of life,
and your values there as well.
Same question to Mr. Herrmaning.
I think it's having an undying belief in the greatness of the United States of America.
God endowed.
We are a nation of a diverse people.
Only not flawless. We've had a lot of mistakes as a nation, and many leaders have failed us.
But you have to have a belief in the future of our country, which is built on the foundation of where we've come,
or the course of the past now 250 years and a few days.
It is about conviction. It is about confidence. It is about opportunity.
It's about belief in the Bible. It's about belief in our individual mores.
It's about really understanding that when it comes time to do this job,
it means that we represent the interests of the people of the district,
the people who voted for us, and the people who didn't vote for us, but live in our communities.
I've lived here for 40 years. People know me. They know my values.
They know my core philosophy of economic opportunity, personal responsibility,
and certainly a strong belief in a national defense that can protect our nation on a dangerous world stage.
So I will always show up, not just during campaign time, but after I'm elected.
Thank you, Mr. Hermaning. We are nearing the end of our debate.
Our final question, before closing statements, we'll go to Mr. Alfonso first.
So I want to know about an issue we haven't spoken about tonight. Mr. Alfonso, what is something we missed in this debate
that you think is important to the people of the district, Mr. Alfonso?
You know, going around the district, there are a lot of issues in our country,
but the number one issue I hear is about the tariffs.
You know, we hear time and time again from these DC swamp people
that the tariffs are causing inflation, that the tariffs are negatively affecting our people,
the tariffs are creating fair trade, not free trade.
Every farmer I have spoken to, every manufacturer I have spoken to has said,
we do not want handouts. What we want is an even playing field.
And I'll tell you what, I will take Wisconsin products, the seventh district's products,
over any product in the entire United States, but it is Congress's job to regulate commerce.
And when I go into Congress, I will stand strong with President Trump's tariff agenda.
But number two, I will make sure that the revenue generated from the tariffs
will go to the businesses affected by the tariffs. Thank you.
Ms. Bomb, to you now, what's an issue important to you? We haven't touched on yet.
All right, I'm going to try to squeeze two in. We'll see how it goes.
First is around supporting our small businesses.
One in five people are bound by non-disclosure agreements. Sorry.
One in five people are bound by non-compete agreements.
There's 32 million people across the nation.
This limits people from starting a small business. This limits competition.
This limits the ability for people to pursue entrepreneurship.
So I would like to see legislation passed around non-compete agreements being eliminated.
Also, 1099 independent contractor work.
This was regulated more heavily under the Biden administration and made harder for people
to be able to work as an independent contractor under 1099.
And that needs to get repealed.
It needs to be so that people can actually work independently, have their side hustles,
and work with different organizations.
Housing is a huge thing too.
At the federal level, I would support housing initiatives for small and medium-sized businesses
that would help bring our workforce up here and allow them to hire employees
and provide them housing so that we can make sure that our businesses are getting the workers that they need.
And two, then those workers have housing that they need to be able to move and live in the area.
Mrs. Evans, same question.
Well, we need to make sure our country is secure.
That we secure our southern border, that we continue to build and finish the wall,
that we deport violent criminal illegal aliens.
I've talked with many sheriffs and law enforcement officers throughout this campaign timeframe,
honored to earn the backing of so many sheriffs, including right here in Oneida County,
Grady Hartman, along with neighboring county violence of Jerry Ritter and former sheriff Joe Fath,
along with Iron, Lincoln, and many other counties.
And as I've spoken with them, they talked about how they see the effects of good border policy.
When the border was open with President Biden, they saw an influx of drugs coming into our communities,
targeting this in people, and they lost a lot of lives.
We've lost a lot of lives in this district because of drugs.
Now, the sheriffs have also said that as soon as that border went up and strong security took place once again,
as soon as President Trump came into office, we saw a decrease, specifically a fentanyl,
and a significant decrease in overdoses.
Policy matters, securing the border matters, getting violent criminal legal aliens matters as well.
We've lost innocent lives.
Young Sheridan out in Chicago, a young woman just visiting with her friends,
hanging out and was shot in the back of the head.
These bad policies by Biden have had terrible repercussions on our communities.
We've seen it time and again, we have to continue to champion President Trump's secure border policy and tough on immigration.
Finally to Mr. Herrmanning.
Well, I'm going to bring up the President because the President has done exactly what he said he was going to do.
He's worked to secure the border, and he's done that.
He's worked to bring about no tax on social security, no tax on overtime, no tax on tips.
He's worked in so many areas that he promised during the 2024 election,
and the only thing that Congress has to show for it is the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act last July.
Now, it's great that they did that, but that was only implementing part of the President's agenda,
because they made most of that legislation temporary, and they didn't actually go far enough,
because Congress actually stymied the rest of the President's agenda.
The President has put forth so many executive orders, and that's fantastic,
because it's protected the American people and given us so many opportunities.
Now Congress needs to finish its job and put some of those executive orders into actual legislation,
so that they will last beyond the President's term, which ends in January of 2029.
I am committed to helping him finish that job when I'm elected next January, and take off his next January.
We now move to our closing statements.
Ms. Baum, you will go first. Go ahead.
Well, I want to take this moment to announce something pretty cool and exciting as part of my campaign.
Starting tomorrow, I'm going to be embarking on a 400-mile biking tour through the district,
starting here in Rhinelander and ending in Superior.
I will be slowing down and really getting to know our different communities, different industries,
different businesses and organizations, all and how they impact our economy up here,
and I will be meeting with voters along the way to talk with them and hear from them directly.
This tour is really a testament to taking things a little bit slower, really paying attention,
really taking the time to listen and to get to know this district,
instead of just buzzing through towns and driving through quickly
and missing half of the things that make them so unique and interesting.
And even just as I've been planning this, it's incredible to see all the different organizations and businesses and industries
and how they differently impact each of our communities.
You might have communities 20 miles from each other, but yet the economic impacts for those two communities
could be completely different.
And so I'm going to take this opportunity to really showcase what it is to be a resident of the Northwoods
in the 7th Congressional District and what the needs of this district are and hear and take that right from
the people who are living in it and showcase it to you.
Mrs. Evan, your closing statement.
I am the only candidate that has both the energy and the experience
to properly get the job done and represent the people here in the 7th Congressional District.
I'm the only candidate that's gone up against the federal bureaucracy under the Biden Administration
and won, saving thousands of domestic manufacturing jobs right here in our state of Wisconsin.
This is what it's going to take to defend our values in our way of life,
continuing the great work of our Congressman Tom Tiffany,
and champion the America First agenda alongside President Trump,
standing for our values and pro-life 100% pro-life, making sure we protect our young children,
make sure we protect them as they age to make sure we don't have men in girls' bathrooms
or in their sports or in their locker rooms, make sure that we protect our God-given rights,
including the Second Amendment, making sure our farmland is not infringed upon,
bought by China or covered in solar panels or windmills.
We need to make sure that we secure the southern border
that we deport violent criminal illegal aliens and that we support law enforcement,
and it's an honor in this race to be backed by shares from throughout this district
who defend a way of life. That's what I'm fighting for.
I grew up out in the country, amongst the farms, where neighbors had each other's backs.
We solved our problems with common-sense solutions and the values of faith, family, and freedom were prevalent.
I want that for my son, and I want that for all Wisconsinites,
to have a chance to chase and achieve the American dream, which has slipped out of grass for so many.
We've got a lot of work to do. I've committed to doing it. I've got skin in the game.
And we've had a tremendous opportunity, but it's going to take hard work.
It's going to take great, not a silver spoon or a red carpet,
but going out, taking my proven lived-and-work experience
to defend our way of life within the halls of Congress.
This is my mission in serving you.
So I ask for your support and for your vote on August 11th.
Mr. Herman, your closing statement.
So, President Trump made an endorsement before I was in the race.
But I have been so honored to have earned the endorsement from people who have gotten to know me over the past 40 years.
Women like Senator Mary Felskowski, several county party chair women across the 7th district,
state representatives like my neighbors, Pat Snyder, fellow veterans, John Spiroz and Duke Tucker,
and Brent Jacobson, who fought the COVID mandates
when I was school board president in Mosany, and he was the mayor.
My good friend, Senator Romaine Quinn, from up in the southwest part of the district.
These folks have gotten to know me over the course of the past many years,
not just during the course of the campaign,
or since moving into the district, though for me, that was 41 years ago.
People ask me why I'm running.
I do have a two and a half year old grandson.
When I think about what's going on halfway around the world right now,
I do not want him to have to go fight a war that isn't finished by President Trump.
Veterans are the last people who want to commit troops on the ground, or even to an area that is dangerous on the planet.
And I bring to this seat to this race a high degree of financial literacy,
and I am best positioned to bring financial awareness and literacy to Washington as your next congressman.
I am ready on day one.
I'm not running to be somebody.
I am running to do something.
And I ask for your vote on August 11th.
Mr. Alfonso, your closing statement.
We've heard about a lot of problems tonight.
And from some of my answers, you might think that I'm a pessimist, but I'm not.
I believe all Christians are called to be happy warriors, or in other words, optimists.
I believe in the future of this country.
I raise my daughter in the seventh district because I believe in the people of the seventh district.
And my promise to you tonight is the same I made to President Trump when he gave me his endorsement.
I will bring the energy of a young man, but the values of the people of the seventh district, faith and family.
President Trump actually endorsed me twice to make sure that it was very clear he knew every single person in this race.
He evaluated their experience.
He evaluated more importantly their character and their conviction and their work ethic.
And today, with the support of the president, I now ask for the support of the most important people.
My neighbors in the seventh district, please come out and vote August 11th.
Let's give President Trump two more years in office and not just talk about it.
Thank you.
As we wrap up tonight's debate, I want to thank all four candidates for taking part in this important conversation.
And thank you at home for joining us.
We will be hosting the Democratic primary debate next Tuesday, same time.
The actual primary is on Tuesday, August 11th.
We encourage everyone to research the candidates, make a plan to vote, and most importantly, participate in our democracy.
On behalf of everyone at WJFW, thank you for watching.
Have a great evening.
All my souls.