HAS ALWAYS EYES ON WISCONSIN
SHES AS DEMOCRATS IN THE
HOUSEHOLD A SLIM MAJORITY IN
2022.
TD DEMOCRATIC INCUMBENT HELD ON
IN THE LAST ELECTION AND IS NOT
RUNNING AGAIN.
BUT HIS REPUBLICAN CHALLENGER IS
AND HAS NOT STOPPED CAMPAIGNING.
DONALD TRUMP WON THE 3rd AND
IT'S A FIRM SWING DISTRICT.
INTO THAT POLITICAL ENVIRONMENT
STEPS NEWLY-ANNOUNCED DEMOCRATIC
CANDIDATE FOR THE 3rd
CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT, STATE
SENATOR BRAD PFAFF.
HE HAS SERVED AS THE EXECUTIVE
DIRECTOR OF THE U.S. DEPARTMENT
OF AGRICULTURE FARM SERVICE
AGENCY, HAS SERVED AS THE DEPUTY
CHIEF OF STAFF FOR THE OUTGOING
REPRESENTATIVE O OF THE 3rd, RON
KIND, AND ELECTED AS STATE
SENATOR IN THE 32nd IN 2020.
"HERE AND NOW" EXTENDED AN
INVITATION TO DERRICK VAN ORDEN,
WHO DECLINED FOR THIS WEEK.
TONIGHT WE TALK WITH BRAD PFAFF
AND THANKS VERY MUCH FOR BEING
HERE.
>> WELL, THANK YOU FOR HAVING
ME.
I GREATLY APPRECIATE THE
OPPORTUNITY.
>> GOOD.
SO HOW DO YOU COMPETE AGAINST
YOUR TRUMP-ENDORSED CHALLENGER
IN A DISTRICT THAT THE FORMER
PRESIDENT CARRIED?
>> OH, I FEEL VERY COMFORTABLE
WHERE WE ARE HERE.
I HAVE DEEP, DEEP ROOTS IN THIS
DISTRICT.
MY FAMILY HAS BEEN FARMING IN
THIS AREA SINCE THEY FIRST CAME
TO THIS COUNTRY IN THE 1800s.
I KNOW THE PEOPLE, THE
COMMUNITIES.
I UNDERSTAND THE VALUES OF WHAT
PEOPLE GO THROUGH EVERY SINGLE
DAY IN ORDER TO PUT FOOD ON
THEIR TABLE AND TO MAKE SURE
THAT THEY RAISE THEIR FAMILIES
AND MOVE FORWARD IN THEIR
CAREERS.
ALL POLITICS IS LOCAL.
A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE GOING TO TRY
AND NATIONALIZE THIS RACE, BUT
WE NEED TO RECOGNIZE THE FACT
THAT AT THE END OF THE DAY IT'S
THE PEOPLE HERE IN WEST CENTRAL
WISCONSIN WHO WILL MAKE THIS
DECISION.
THEY WANT A CANDIDATE THAT
UNDERSTANDS THEM, WHO THEY ARE,
WHAT THEY STAND FOR, WHAT IT
MEANS EVERY SINGLE DAY TO GET UP
AND GO TO WORK AND TO RAISE A
FAMILY AND THAT'S WHO I AM.
>> AS TO THAT, WHAT ARE YOUR TOP
PRIORITIES SHOULD YOU REPRESENT
THE 3rd CONGRESSIONAL
DISTRICT?
>> WELL, I STRONGLY BELIEVE THAT
WASHINGTON MUST DO BETTER AND
IT'S OBVIOUS THAT WE NEED TO
MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE AN
ECONOMY THAT WORKS FOR ALL OF
US.
REGARDLESS OF OUR BACKGROUND,
REGARDLESS OF OUR EDUCATION, WE
NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE
AN ECONOMY THAT CONTINUES TO
PROVIDE POSSIBILITIES AND
PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES.
WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR
SMALL TOWNS AND OUR MAIN STREETS
AND OUR FAMILY FARMERS HAVE
OPPORTUNITIES TO SUCCEED.
WE ALSO NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT
WE STICK TO OUR VALUES, THE
VALUES OF HARD WORK, DEDICATION,
RESILIENCE.
AND WHEN TIMES ARE TOUGH, WE
COME TOGETHER AND WORK TOGETHER
TO GET THINGS DONE.
WHAT'S HAPPENING RIGHT NOW IS
THERE'S BEEN A BREAKDOWN IN
SOCIAL DISCOURSE.
SADLY, WE SEE THAT AT SOME OF
OUR LOCAL SCHOOL BOARDS.
WE RECOGNIZE THE CHATTER THAT'S
TAKING PLACE ON SOCIAL MEDIA.
AND HONESTLY, JANUARY 6, JANUARY
6 DOES NOT REPRESENT THE VALUES
OF THE PEOPLE OF WESTERN
WISCONSIN.
AND WE CAN DO BETTER AND WE NEED
TO PRIORITIZE THE PEOPLE HERE IN
THIS DISTRICT AND I'M STEPPING
FORWARD AND RUNNING.
>> ON INFRASTRUCTURE AND SOCIAL
SPENDING, NOW GRIPPING
WASHINGTON, WOULD YOU BE IN THE
CAMP LOOKING TO SPEND MORE OR
SPEND LESS?
>> WELL, I COME FROM A
BACKGROUND OBVIOUSLY THAT WE PAY
OUR BILLS.
YOUR KNOW, I COME FROM AN
AGRICULTURE BACKGROUND.
AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE HAVE
TO LIVE WITHIN OUR MEANS.
BUT I ALSO RECOGNIZE THE FACT
I'M HERE EVERY SINGLE DAY FOR MY
CONSTITUENTS IN THIS DISTRICT.
THE REAL NEED FOR IMPROVEMENT IN
ROADS AND BRIDGES SO WE CAN GET
OUR PRODUCTS TO MARKET.
THE NEED FOR CHILD CARE, FOR
BROADBAND, FOR LOWER
PRESCRIPTION DRUG COST PRICES.
ALL OF THAT IS VERY, VERY REAL.
I'M NOT IN WASHINGTON RIGHT NOW.
I CAN'T TELL YOU THE BACK AND
THE FORTH OF THE NEGOTIATIONS
THAT ARE TAKING PLACE, BUT WE
NEED TO RECOGNIZE THE FACT THAT
WE GOT TO GIVE OUR PEOPLE AN
OPPORTUNITY TO SUCCEED IN
TODAY'S ECONOMY.
AND THERE ARE RESOURCES THAT WE
NEED TO INVEST IN.
BUT WE ALSO NEED TO LIVE WITHIN
OUR MEANS.
AND WE'RE THRIFTY, HARD-WORKING
PEOPLE IN THIS PART OF THE
STATE.
WE RECOGNIZE THE VALUE OF A
DOLLAR.
AND THAT'S WHO I AM AND THAT'S
WHERE I COME FROM AND I WILL
ALWAYS, ALWAYS RECOGNIZE THAT
IT'S THE PEOPLE'S MONEY, IT'S
THE TAXPAYERS' MONEY.
AND SO ANY INVESTMENT THAT WE
MAKE WILL BE INVESTMENT THAT
WILL BE A GOOD RETURN ON ALL OF
OUR MONEY.
>> SO WISCONSIN REPUBLICANS, AS
YOU KNOW, ARE EMBARKING ON AN
INVESTIGATION INTO THE 2020
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION AND YOUR
CHALLENGER TRAVELED TO
WASHINGTON D.C. FOR JANUARY 6
BUT SAYS HE LEFT WHEN IT TURNED
INTO AN INSURRECTION.
FIRST, WHAT IS YOUR REACTION TO
THE PERSISTENT DRUMBEAT THAT THE
ELECTION IN WISCONSIN COULD HAVE
BEEN RIFE WITH FRAUD?
>> WELL, THAT'S THE KEY WORD,
COULD BE.
IT WASN'T.
THEY DON'T HAVE ANY EVIDENCE OF
THAT.
I MEAN, THIS -- THEY'RE SPENDING
TAXPAYER MONEY THAT --
UNNECESSARILY HERE.
THEY'RE STOKING AND GETTING
PEOPLE EXCITED ABOUT SOMETHING
THAT DOES NOT EXIST.
WE HAVE OPPORTUNITIES TO COME
TOGETHER, TO MAKE SURE THAT WE
BEAT THIS GLOBAL HEALTH
PANDEMIC, TO MAKE SURE THAT, YOU
KNOW, WE PROVIDE JOBS AND
OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE PEOPLE OF
THIS STATE.
WE HAVE OPPORTUNITIES TO
CONTINUE TO INVEST IN
TRANSPORTATION.
BUT INSTEAD, THERE'S SOMETHING
GOING ON HERE AS FAR AS
CONTINUING TO PERPETUATE, YOU
KNOW, THE BIG LIE ABOUT THE
ELECTION AND THAT IS SOMETHING
THAT OBVIOUSLY, YOU KNOW, I'M
DISAPPOINTED IN THAT.
I SPEAK TO MY COUNTY CLERKS AND
CITY CLERKS ALL THE TIME.
SOME OF THEM ARE REPUBLICANS,
SOME ARE DEMOCRATS.
THEY'RE DOING THEIR JOB.
AND SO THERE'S NO EVIDENCE
THERE.
IN REGARDS TO MY OPPONENT,
REPUBLICAN OPPONENT, HE WAS IN
WASHINGTON D.C. ON JANUARY 6.
HE WAS ON THE CAPITOL GROUNDS.
WHY WAS HE THERE?
WHAT'S GOING ON?
THAT'S NOT WHO WE ARE HERE IN
WESTERN WISCONSIN.
THAT'S NOT OUR VALUES.
OUR VALUES ARE TO PUT OUR HEAD
DOWN AND WORK HARD AND GET
THINGS DONE.
AND WHEN TIMES ARE TOUGH, WE
COME TOGETHER TO HELP OUR
NEIGHBORS AND HELP OUT ONE
ANOTHER.
AS I LIKE TO SAY, YOU KNOW, I'M
FROM A FARM.
I GREW UP ON A FARM.
WE USED OUR PITCHFORKS TO LIFT
HAY, NOT TO TEAR DOWN CONGRESS.
AND THAT'S A DISAPPOINTING THING
THAT HAPPENED IN WASHINGTON ON
JANUARY 6.
>> WE NEED TO LEAVE IT THERE.
THANKS VERY MUCH FOR JOINING US.
BRAD PFAFF, THANK YOU.
>> THANKS FOR THE OPPORTUNITY.
>> REDISTRICTING COULD ALSO
AFFECT THE 3rd CONGRESSIONAL
DISTRICT.
THAT PROCESS IS CURRENTLY
UNDERWAY AND ALREADY IN THE