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