3rd Congressional District Candidate Forum (4 of 4)

Welcome to this exclusive podcast of the 4th 3rd Congressional District Forum featuring

the Democratic Primary Candidates.

This special programming is presented by Civic Media.

Phil Swanhorst, the O'Clayer County Democratic Party chair, is the moderator as Rebecca

Cook, Katrina Shanklin, and Eric Wilson discuss the issues and their views.

This final forum took place at the Chippewa Valley Technical College Business Education

Center in O'Clayer on Tuesday, July 16.

Now here's moderator, Phil Swanhorst.

Wonderful crowd.

Thank you all so much for coming.

You'll be hearing that again and again tonight, but you are thanked for being here.

This evening, we are going to begin the Northern section of the 3rd CD debate with a few

words from the chair of the 3rd Congressional District Democratic Party, William Garcia

from La Crosse.

Hi everybody, and thank you so much for being here tonight.

We're going to have a fabulous time.

I'm here to talk to you today that it is not an exaggeration that the fate of our country

passes directly through Wisconsin 3rd CD.

The entire country, we know for a fact that Wisconsin is the turning point state.

Biden has to win Wisconsin in order to win the presidency.

How is he going to do it?

He's going to turn out votes right here in the 3rd CD.

This is where the votes are going to come from.

Four years ago, the 3rd CD was the deciding factor in the Biden winning Wisconsin.

We're going to do it again.

Then we're going to hold the Senate by doing the exact same thing for Tammy Baldwin.

That's how we're going to hold this in it, and that's going to happen right here in

the 3rd CD.

Below the ticket, thanks to Fair Maps, we have assembly and state senate races that are

genuine races for the first time in 14 years.

Those wins and us taking the majority in the assembly is going to happen here in the

3rd CD.

Finally, one of these fabulous people, and they are all excellent pecanidates, and I want

everyone to understand that.

Before the forum, we have three excellent choices.

It is a difficult decision.

So, the worst thing about Wisconsin politics is the fact that the primary is in August.

No other state has a primary this late.

It means it's a two month sprint.

No please, decide on who you like now, support them with door knocking, support them with

canvassing, support them financially right now.

If you wait until the primary, it's too late to do that work.

Support them now.

And with that, I'm going to turn it back over to Phil.

Thank you so much, everybody.

Boy, how do I follow that?

Good evening.

And welcome to this, the 3rd Congressional District Democratic candidate forum.

This is a forum.

This is not a debate.

A forum is where a place where ideas and the views on issues are put forth.

A debate is a discussion of issues in which opposing arguments are put forward.

This forum tonight will cover many of the issues facing us here in the 3rd CD as well

as nationwide.

And we will get to as many of the questions as time allows.

Therefore my questions will be brief, so to give the most time to the candidates to

respond.

Some of the guidelines that they are aware of that we are going to follow is opening

remarks, closing remarks, and each of their individual answers are limited to 2 minutes.

And they will be enforced on that time by 2 of O'clair County Democrats, best known time

keepers, and Macindley and Lyndon Orton right up front here.

And with that, I am going to ask that during our forum, no, we will refrain from any outbursts,

be it a clause or booing, be it cheering, or any other type of noise, no class cards.

We are here to listen to their responses to the questions.

So please try to restrain yourself.

And also, most people are aware, no cell phone use during the forum.

With that, we will get right into the questions.

The first question dealing with infrastructure.

And we, I didn't have my mic on, no, I got it on, I had it off.

We are going to begin with opening statements, thank you very much.

I'm glad we have a sense of humor, and we can keep relax, and we will start closest

to me, and then we will rotate answers as we go through.

So Katrina, first one.

Good evening everybody, and thank you so much to O'clair County Democratic Party, the

third CD and CVTC for hosting us.

It's a pleasure to be here.

I'm Katrina Shankland, I'm a Democratic lawmaker running for Congress, because the

stakes have never been higher.

We need somebody who can oust Derek Van Warden, stand up to extremism and restore common

sense to Congress and really deliver for all of us.

In the state legislature, I passed 225 bipartisan bills that I've co-authored and introduced,

and I did that by working with anyone and everyone who is serious about finding common

sense solutions to the problems that keep people up at night.

I passed laws to expand affordable health care and lower the cost of prescription drugs,

strength and clean water laws, and even enhance public education.

In Congress, I'm going to help pass new laws to protect our women's freedoms to make

their own decisions on abortion and stop their Republicans national abortion ban.

I'm also going to do everything I can to protect our democracy and stop attacks on our

elections and rule of law.

And I'll work to grow our middle class and unions, because big corporations don't need

another show in Washington.

That's why I've been endorsed by 17 labor unions and a growing coalition of folks across

the third congressional district, including Representative Jody Emerson, Senator Jeff Smith,

former Senator Kathleen Vinehoud, and former Reptino Walks.

I'm proud of our winning coalition and hope to earn your vote on or before August 13th.

Because with the stakes this high, we need a candidate with experienced winning elections

in tough districts and delivering results for the people of Wisconsin.

So a little bit more about the serious times that require skilled and experienced leaders.

We need somebody who can beat radical Derek Van Orden, who's best known for screaming

at kids in the capital and attacking our democracy.

And we need someone who's won an election before.

I have outperformed the top of the ticket in every election and have won tough races

in purple districts with Republicans throwing hundreds of thousands of dollars in attack

ads my way.

So I know what we're up against and if you send me to Congress, I'm not just going to win

this election, but all the experience to get things done and the Wisconsin values you

can trust.

Thank you, Katrina.

Next, we will have Eric.

That isn't me.

Eric, your two minutes will start.

Am I good?

Good.

Okay.

I'm Eric Wilson, the shooting at Club Q in Colorado Springs in November of 2022 was the

moment that called me to action.

If we don't do something, my LGBTQ community will continue to be slaughtered.

Those are not only killing my community, but they are the number one cause of death

among kids in Wisconsin and nationally.

That's why I sit before you today.

I was born and raised in Western Wisconsin and went to school at UW-Madison where I got

a degree in economics and a minor in Scandinavian studies.

I'm an IT project manager by trade in both healthcare and housing and I am uniquely qualified

to tackle not only the problems of today, but the problems of the future.

Healthcare is personal to me as it is to many of us in this room.

At 19, I ended up having to have major reconstructive surgery on my chest due to breathing and

heart issues.

What was supposed to be one surgery ended up being 12 over six months because I got infections

in both sides.

I ended up with a lot of medical debt.

At 19, I learned the healthcare system does not care about us and only cares about profits.

This is something that destroys the lives of Americans every single day.

Our for-profit healthcare system has put the world's wealthiest nation in a sick care

program rather than real actual healthcare.

I'm the only one in this race fighting for Medicare for all because I believe that everyone

deserves healthcare.

Let's give people something to vote for, not just against this November.

I'm looking forward to sharing my positive vision with you and what I plan to do for the

district.

Thank you.

Thank you, Eric.

And our third candidate is Rebecca Cook.

Our timekeepers in Beepin, so I'm going to assume we're ready to go with Rebecca.

Awesome.

Well, thanks so much to Phil and for Eau Claire Connie Dems for hosting tonight.

I'm Rebecca Cook.

I grew up here in Eau Claire on a dairy farm raising registered Holstines before we had

to sell our cows because of the price of milk and competition with larger dairies.

Which is a story of so many of us throughout West Central Wisconsin.

And that's a key reason why I'm stepping up to run for Congress because we need a real

voice who's going to take on the monopolies that have robbed us of our farming traditions

and decimated our rural economies.

But we're tough out here and we pick ourselves up.

I put myself through college, returned home, and started a small business, Reds Mercantile,

here in Eau Claire that I ran for seven years before closing at the end of 2022 because the

difficulty of competing with cheap foreign-made goods.

I now run a hospitality business and I wait just three nights a week at the Goodwives

while I run for Congress seven days a week.

And you don't see a lot of folks like me and DC.

You see a lot of career politicians and elitists who are out of touch and radicals who want

to hijack our government.

Mike Derrickman Orton, who is more focused on climbing the career political ladder than

serving his constituents.

He's a bully.

He yells at Senate pages.

He reduces librarians to tears.

He lacks the temperament to serving Congress and does not exemplify our Wisconsin values.

We need someone who is going to reinstill our faith in our democracy and not tear it down.

And that's why I'm running.

We deserve a representative in Congress who is a doer.

Someone who knows how to roll their sleeves up to get things done for Wisconsin.

Not certifice fight.

In addition to his decorum, his policies do not match our values.

He advocates for big eggs that put small farms like ours out of business.

He's at one point called for a nationwide abortion ban.

I'm going to deliver on kitchen table issues like increasing access to affordable quality

health care, taking on corporations that are price-gouging consumers at the gas pump

in the grocery store, and I'm going to defend reproductive freedoms.

I'm looking forward to working with all of you in this room to deliver for people from

all across the region to restore sensible leadership to the third CD.

Thank you.

And now I believe we will begin with Eric with the first question dealing with infrastructure.

What are your priorities for transportation infrastructure, spending in the third congressional

district, and how would you support expansion of rail, bus, or even the electrification

of vehicles?

Transportation is important.

It's the thing that connects us, and making sure that we are expanding not only rail,

and I'm excited to have friends that are already working on it, and they're working to

put rail from a clear to the cities, which is huge.

It's a connector to a big city.

We need to look at how we can continue to expand rail systems.

Wisconsin used to have a heck of a rail system.

We don't anymore, but we can.

I want to make sure that we are prepared for the electrification, but that we are also

advocating for the reasonability of it.

We cannot transition all the way to electric and current state.

We have a lot of trucks that are hauling a lot of things, and I want to make sure that

our voice is shared and advocated out in Washington.

There are realistic, there are logistic problems, and I plan on bringing my experience on how

we can do that.

I drive an electric car, so I understand the challenges that we have not only in the winter,

that we have in the summer, that we have to have extended infrastructure.

We need to also be expanding our bus system.

It's making sure that people are able to get from point A to point B. You can't get to

lacrosse from O'Clair on public transportation without either going to the cities and then

taking a train down or going to Tomah and taking a train up.

We also need to make sure that we are expanding broadband.

It's making sure that we have access to cell service.

When we're driving to lacrosse from O'Clair, we don't have cell service.

It is 2024.

We need to be making sure that Wisconsin is not being left behind, and I will make sure

that we have a holistic plan on how we can implement these things.

The Inflation Reduction Act at the federal level was a great start in the investments

that were made from an infrastructure perspective for rail bus electrification, and there's

so much more than we can do.

I know the people in this room understand what it would mean to have a high speed rail

connecting us from O'Clair to the Twin Cities and beyond, and we've had the truth is we've

had those federal dollars, but had Scott Walker in the way to be able to deliver on that

promise.

It's important as much as I can get federal dollars allocated to the third congressional

district that we're really empowering our local communities that really understand the

challenges from a transportation perspective, and that we're allocating the dollars they

need for the projects they're identifying to get things done.

In contrast, Derek Van Orden is off the rails in Congress.

He's more worried about stoking culture wars than he is in delivering on so many of these

issues that are so pertinent and important to us here in this room.

Katrina.

Thank you so much.

Infrastructure is a key investment that is needed not only for our quality of life,

but also for our economy and our workforce.

And we've seen a decline in public transit investments on the state level for years.

Some of you may remember in 2011, the freezing of the regional transit authorities as one

example, but as my colleague mentioned, the funding and deep funding of high speed rail giving

our hundreds of millions of dollars from federal money to other states, instead of taking

up the high speed rail money was a serious concern and issue.

I support the bipartisan infrastructure law, which was the largest investment in our

nation's history and transportation.

There's 18 billion dollars in bipartisan infrastructure law money specifically to electrify

our school buses and to work on other electrification.

In addition, when it comes to public transit, I want to talk about equity, equitable access

to public transit in small and mid-sized cities in addition to our larger cities because

we're all connected and we need to be lifting each other up.

I really support electrifying our vehicles as well and just most recently on one of our

last session days voted for a $78 million capture of federal funds to provide electric vehicle

charging transportation infrastructure in Wisconsin and that's thanks to our federal government.

So really this is all to say we need an all hands on deck approach, local, state and federal,

we need our locals leading on access routes, especially related to major employers and

education and healthcare access points, just as we need the state level folks to advocate

for additional public transit funding to those small and mid-sized as well as large cities

and the federal government to lead on those investments, including the bipartisan infrastructure

law.

I specifically want to mention school buses because more than 25 million kids ride those buses

and are across the country exposed to diesel fumes.

So when we focus on leveraging those investments and transitioning to electric over time, not

only are we supporting the economy but we're supporting our kids health in future as well

as ours.

And I think that's really important because for anyone who is an advocate for public transit,

you all probably have a personal story of someone who is affected by lack of access and

I want to be a voice for equity in access.

Okay, thank you much.

We will go to question number two and that will start with Rebecca dealing with healthcare.

What is your plan to expand medical and prescription drug coverage to those who are either underinsured

or uninsured?

Healthcare is a very, very top of my platform, increasing healthcare access and affordability.

And in this community, we know all too well the issues with access and our two large hospitals

that close both in Chippewa Falls and here just down the street in Eau Claire.

And we need to have lawmakers who are very, very tuned in at making sure that people get

the healthcare access that they need and at affordable price.

I want to expand Medicare to cover vision, dental and hearing, the very things that deteriorate

as folks age.

My parents are here tonight and they go on a trip once a year down to Mexico to get their

dental work done because it's cheaper to do there than it is in our own country.

I want to ensure that our parents and our grandparents are being able to age with dignity.

My dad has cancer and has gone in to get his first prescription drugs.

This was last July that he was diagnosed and it was a $1,300 co-pay for one month

supply and $1,800 co-pay for another month supply.

We need people in Congress that are not lining their pockets with big pharma dollars and

special interest dollars, but that are going to take those folks on so that we can get

the healthcare access that we need and an affordable price.

When it comes to healthcare, I want to start by talking about abortion access, IVF and

contraception because Republicans in Congress are intent on a national abortion ban and

they even, according to Project 2025, are interested in surveillance.

We need a champion on reproductive access and freedom and I am proud to have a 100% voting

record.

On this issue over 12 years, I'm going to expand access to our reproductive freedoms in

Congress.

I also want to talk about the Medicaid reimbursement rate, should we and would we have expanded

Medicaid in Wisconsin, which I was on a bill for over 12 years, 90,000 more people would

have had access to affordable healthcare and we would have leveraged over a billion dollars

in funds.

What could we have done with those billion dollars, reinvested them into our communities,

into our healthcare infrastructure, into our providers, like our oncology departments,

our ERs, our behavioral health clinics.

What could they have done?

Their doors would have stayed open.

So as a member of Congress, I'm going to take very seriously the lack of healthcare infrastructure

in some communities across Wisconsin and the real threat that 30% of hospitals across

the country that are listed as rural, according to the American Hospital Association, are at

risk of closing.

So when we talk about healthcare access and lowering the costs, I've been a leader on

lowering prescription drug costs, passing six bills into law over 12 years to do so.

I'm going to stand up to Big Pharma in Congress to make everyone's prescription drugs lower,

but we also need a champion on healthcare access who has the experience to understand

the significant needs, not only in investing in our healthcare infrastructure, but in leveraging

existing funds to ensure our provider's doors stay open, especially as it relates to HHS

and Privea.

I think knowing that they only had to comply with an a 90 day limit to warn folks locally

in Chippewa Valley about the doors closing is a significant problem that we need to fix

and we need an all of government approach to do so.

So whether it's expanding Medicaid, not only for 90,000 more people, but also to post

part of benefits, I've been a champion on that issue in Wisconsin and I plan on doing

so in Congress for all of you.

Thank you and Eric.

The only way to make sure that everyone is covered is to have a Medicare for all system

or a universal healthcare system.

Everyone deserves to have healthcare.

I'm the only one in this race that supports a Medicare for all system because if we don't

have our health, what do we have?

Not a lot and we shouldn't have to make the decision of do I go get my prescriptions

or do I put food on my table?

Simply expanding healthcare does not solve the problem.

I am the only one here that actually has professional experience within the healthcare

system.

I've worked for Signan Express Scripts, which is health insurance and pharmaceutical

management benefits.

I know the inside of the beast and how it is not working for us.

They literally have teams in place to deny people claims that are too expensive.

That is the problem with our healthcare system.

That is what I can address.

Thank you.

I'm being very technologically inclined here to rotate the cameras around.

Our next question on climate, we will start with Katrina and the question is, what legislative

priorities would you support to address the threat of global warming to our climate?

Climate change is a significant threat to our everyday life and I am proud to have a 100

percent lifetime voting record and score with the Wisconsin conservation voters who are

a leader on climate change and tackling climate and clean energy.

Prior to my career in the state legislature, I actually was a training network coordinator

for a six state network of solar trainers in the Midwest.

I'm really proud of my work to scale up renewable energy.

That's why Governor Evers made me the only legislative tour he appointed to the Green

Ribbon Commission, which is charged with standing up in environmental innovation fund similar

to a green bank.

Why did he do this?

Because for the last decade, I've had a bill to create a clean energy accelerator or green

bank like other states have.

I know that we have to jump start our investments in clean energy and energy efficiency as well

as water quality.

It's all connected.

Inflation Reduction Act was the best possible bill to pass in terms of moving climate goals

forward and reducing that zero emissions by 2050.

But what I want to do as a member of Congress is ensure that low to middle income folks who

don't have the capital up front to purchase an electric vehicle or hybrid vehicle or insulation

for windows to have them have access to that working capital on the front ends.

Having stayed to provide support to climate initiatives like the Environmental Innovation

Fund.

I plan to be a leader on that in Congress because I think the Inflation Reduction Act was

a great start and we have even more to do to ensure that everyone can leverage the benefits.

We can have free energy assessments right now, but many people won't be able to afford

the rest of the recommendations on their list.

If we want to get to that zero carbon emissions, we have to do more to ensure people can

scale up on those investments within their own homes while also holding corporations

and polluters accountable.

And I think that's really important too because when it comes time to have this conversation

in Congress, there will be people who won't be brave enough to say those words.

And I've taken a no corporate pack pledge to not only crack down on corporate pack money,

but to say they won't have any influence over me.

And Eric?

The recent Chevron Supreme Court decision is a disaster.

We urgently need to pass new environmental protections.

I am the only candidate here that supports the Green New Deal.

I support this because half-assing it isn't going to save us.

That is our single biggest crisis.

If we don't have a world to live in, the rest of this doesn't really matter.

And quite frankly, we have the most beautiful district in the nation.

And I want to make sure that future generations can enjoy it like we have.

It's protecting our water.

It's protecting our farming land.

We are a climate refugee state.

We all know it because it's amazing here.

But people from the coast will be moving to Wisconsin.

And we are not ready.

We talked a little bit about infrastructure.

We do not have the capacity for people to move here.

I want to make sure that we are aggressively attacking that.

It's making sure that we are updating our housing, updating our infrastructure, making sure

that we are putting solar panels on anything that we can, making sure that we're

expanding our electric grid to carry the capacity of that influx.

We can do this if we all work together.

We have to do this.

Is the reality of it?

And so I want to make sure that we are attacking this as aggressively as we can so that we can

all have a place to live here in Wisconsin.

And that we can actually afford to live here in Wisconsin.

And Rebecca.

I will echo Eric's sentiments that this is one of the most beautiful districts in the

entire country.

And I like to talk about the environment like I like to talk about politics locally, right?

And I think about the issues that are facing this district in particular with PFAS and

our water wells, both here in Eau Claire and LaCrosse and in smaller municipalities throughout

the third.

In Congress, I want to direct federal funds for more research, testing and remediation

to extinguish this issue that we have to have safe drinking water throughout our communities.

I want to work with our rural electric cooperatives throughout the third as they're moving away

from our reliance on fossil fuels and doing that in a reliable way to keep our grid reliable

and expanding tax credits that we received from the IRA that is allowing some of those

rural electric cooperatives to be able to invest in the green energy infrastructure that

we need to or in order to make that transition.

And finally, we need buy-in from folks.

We need buy-in from rural stakeholders and from folks in our urban areas.

I'm a big proponent of agrivoltaics, both Senator Chuck Grassley and Senator Tammy Baldwin

have a bipartisan bill that they've put forth that encourages trying to use solar panels

and mixing that in with livestock and mixing that in with growing crops.

And so you're creating buy-in with rural communities in the places in which we're trying

to put a lot of these projects.

Everybody's got to be on board in order to meet these goals that the administration has

set.

And Derek Van Orden is a part of a faction of Congress that doesn't believe in science

and he's got to go.

Okay, thank you.

Our next question will begin with Eric and it deals with Labor Union.

How would you support the revitalization of Labor Union?

Should public works be paid for with tax dollars and be done with Union Labor?

I would start by passing the Pro Act.

We need to protect the right to join a Union.

Paid sick leave and family leave are a necessity for people.

We are people.

We are not machines.

And we need to make sure that we are pushing back against corporate greed.

Unions help us do this.

We need to advocate for and implement a wealth tax and we need to close corporate loopholes.

We need to make sure that we are able to stand together and corporations are held accountable.

We're seeing it with Amazon and workers are literally dying because they are not allowing

them to have water.

That's unacceptable.

I actually would not be able to work as an openly gay man if it weren't for unions being

strong advocates for the human rights movement.

So I owe a lot to unions and I want to make sure that we are continuing to support them.

My dad was in the Teachers Union.

One of my supporters, Al, was in the Teachers Union.

They fought for generations to make sure that we can all retire with dignity.

That's what we are fighting for and that's what will revitalize unions.

As someone that knows what it's like to be alone.

I will fight to make sure that everyone can stand together.

Berka?

I grew up in a union family.

My brother is a union firefighter down in Madison and my sister works for the Teachers Union

Education, Minnesota and one of my top priorities throughout this campaign and the last like

Eric is to get the Pro Act pass and undo the work that Scott Walker and his cronies did

with Act 10.

And you know that Derek Van Orden is lying and stuck with those kinds of priorities.

To the question, should public works paid with tax, excuse me, should public works paid

with tax dollars be done by union labor?

The answer is yes.

And I want to make sure that every federal project that comes to my district has a project

labor agreement attached to it.

I've proudly been endorsed by CWA, APWU, OPEIU and I've also received support from

teamsters.

And I think we need people with working class backgrounds that are really going to advocate

for working families in Congress.

And so this is something that I've been committed to both in running this cycle and last cycle.

And I'm going to be a champion for when I get out to DC.

And Katrina?

Prior to being an elected official, I was an organizer and I got my start in politics

because I was working at a renewable energy nonprofit and Act 10 happened.

My parents were public school teachers at the time and I'm really proud of them and

the incredible work they've done for their community and I saw firsthand how it hit

them and their pocketbooks but also their collective bargaining rights.

So I was one of the people who stood with many of you at the Capitol and asked for them

back and I'm very proud to be an elected official who's introduced bills to restore collective

bargaining rights, repeal act 10, restore right to work, restore prevailing wage laws in

Wisconsin and allow for project labor agreements again.

Because of my leadership on not only organized labor but supporting workers, I have the

backing of 17 different labor unions from brick layers and plumbers to electricians and

firefighters to our two major teachers unions in Wisconsin.

And it's because of my record of service and my experience leading the charge on restoring

workers rights.

I'm going to not only support the pro act in Congress, but I'm also going to support

the Public Service Freedom to Negotiate Act, which would allow for collective bargaining

rights in other states like Wisconsin, because we don't just need to prohibit states with

right to work policies, but we also need to enact collective bargaining rights.

Act 10, the most recent decision from the Dame County Circuit Court was a great first step

and I'm very excited that they're looking at repealing it and that it's likely to, but

we need leaders with experience to deliver on these key issues because workers are struggling.

Corporations are delivering record profits, but those certainly aren't creating record

wages.

And so that's why I've stood with teamsters at Linies and Chippewa Falls to the UAW and

Hudson when they were on strike.

I'm not just a lawmaker who gets things done.

When push comes to shove and workers right through on the line, I'm standing shoulder to

shoulder with all of you because I'm one of you.

It's how I got my start in public service and it's certainly why I'm running to go to

Washington to not only defend our rights, but to expand workers rights and ensure that

everyone has a fair shot.

Okay, thank you.

Our next question will begin with Rebecca and it deals with firearms.

How do we address good, I'm not the only one.

How do we address gun safety and responsibility issues?

Did we establish guidelines for purchasing guns?

What other policies would you support?

So we have a deep tradition of hunting and gamesmanship in Wisconsin.

I have been to a deer camp or two and fired a gun before, but AR-15s have no place at

a deer camp and I support the ban of AR-15s.

I support common-sense gun laws like universal background checks and enforcing universal

bank background checks and most gun owners that you talk to throughout Wisconsin feel

the same way.

I want everybody that has a firearm to be as safe as the owners that have them right now.

I also want to enforce red flag laws that ensure that guns aren't put into the hands of anybody

that might be a harm to themselves or others when those red flag laws go up and ensures

that more people are protected.

Katrina?

Everyone deserves to feel safe in their homes, their churches and places of worship at their

businesses and schools, out in public at a political rally and I think that it's important

that we come together on this issue.

That's why, as a lawmaker, I've co-sponsored a number of bills to really crack down on

getting illegal guns off our streets and out of the hands of violent criminals.

So here are just a few of them, whether it's enacting violent history checks and closing

the gun show loophole or creating and closing the domestic abuser or boyfriend loophole banning

bump stocks, which has been in the news lately because of the travesty of a Supreme Court

decision that actually undid a ban on bump stocks, enforcing red flag laws and enacting

them in states that don't have them, and cracking down on straw purchasing, which is one

one person purchases a gun for another person who's not allowed to own a firearm.

And I think all of these things are important.

I have a record that shows that I prioritize them in my time in the state legislature.

There's a bipartisan bump stock bill in Congress that needs a leader who has the persistence

and tenacity to get it across the finish line in the same way that we need someone to stand

up to decisions like the Supreme Court who were wrong to say that we shouldn't, that any

kind of ban on bump stocks is not constitutional, right?

So at the end of the day, here's what I want to do.

I'm a hunter.

I'm the co-chair of the Legislative Sportsman's Caucus and the Capitol, and I'm a member

of the Isaac Walton League.

So as a rural Wisconsinite, I know what kind of conversations we can have with hunters

who are responsible gun owners to actually lead on responsible gun ownership.

It isn't just going to take a few votes in Congress.

It's going to take thoughtful conversations in the halls of our churches and local employers

and VFWs and Bingo halls and local restaurants.

And I'm committed to leading those efforts because I have the track record of not only working

across the aisle on key issues like ending gun violence, but also funding the Office of

School Safety for our kids and ensuring that kids in schools have the freedom to thrive

as well.

Who will move on to Eric?

Guns are the reason that I'm in this race.

It was the moment to see my community continue to be killed.

We need to bring back the assault weapons ban.

We also need to be talking about this issue.

So I truly thank whoever submitted this question because until now, I have been the only one

talking about this issue.

We need to have background checks, universal background checks.

If you need one to get a job, you probably need one to buy a firearm.

Our kids should not have to do active shooter drills.

We are terrorizing our kids on a monthly basis.

When I grew up, it was just fire drills or tornado drills.

Now they are having active shooter drills.

We can do better as a society.

We just need people that are willing to step up and talk about it.

I'm the only one that has this issue on my website because it is that important.

And we need someone in Congress that will lead the way on this issue.

It is very, very important to the younger generation of people.

And that's how we will win in November.

It's getting younger people out and talking about their experiences and their issues.

And that is where I have a strength in this race.

Okay, thank you.

Our next question will begin with Katrina and it deals with the economy.

With the increasing consolidation of large corporations, small businesses and workers

are finding it more and more difficult to compete.

Do we need new anti-trust, anti-monopoly laws to keep our economy fair or what would

you propose?

I appreciate this question because we are seeing corporate consolidation in just about

every industry.

I think three really clear examples are agriculture, big tech and health care.

When you have two choices for health care and two insurers that block the other from accessing

that other health care provider, that's a problem.

In the same way that when you have a limited number of meat processors or you have one or two

choices for a technology company, not only does that harm consumers, but it drives up costs.

Competition is good for the economy and we need a fair marketplace.

The FTC is really key to this and so the FTC has under the Biden administration really

done a better job recently in enforcing anti-trust laws, but I'm open to having that conversation

about what more is needed.

In the meantime, I'd like to point out I followed very closely the Albert Sins and Kroger proposed

merger and the Biden administration moving to block it because that would be the largest

merger of any supermarket in our nation's history.

And what does that mean?

Driven up food costs for people already reeling from years of inflation.

And instead we should be ensuring competition and cracking down on price gouging and fraudulent

ways that companies can sometimes defraud consumers.

So here's a couple of things I think the FTC should do.

They're doing a good job of collaborating with the attorneys generals across the country,

but they need to also seek funding and civil penalties on behalf of defrauded consumers

to disincentivize corporations from going after them in the same way that we need more staff

in both the Bureau of Competition as well as the Bureau of Consumer Protection.

I think it's safe to say a lot of Republican lawmakers who take a lot of corporate pack

money are leading the charge on not funding the FTC the way they need to be to truly enforce

our anti-trust laws.

But when we get beyond that, and now let's talk about what else we can do to drive down

cost for consumers, help working families, and ensure that everybody has a fair shot

because right now most people are struggling.

And you won't see that in the news with the economic markers, but that's what we're hearing

on the trail.

And that's what I'm taking seriously as your next member of Congress.

And we'll move on to Eric.

The reality is a lot of this comes down to corporate greed.

Inflation is corporate greed.

It is price-catching.

I'm the only one here that has an economic degree and has the ability to look at things

systematically and understanding the relationships between corporations, supply, demand.

We have an issue of money.

Money corporations are only focused on profits.

They don't care about people.

And they will continue to use that money to push us out and push us down.

We have to be more aggressive.

The laws are there.

We just need to fund the institutions to hold corporations accountable.

We will always see consolidation of markets.

There is economies of scale.

We see it in the airline industry.

We see it in the telecoms industry.

We see it in big farm.

It is cheaper at a bigger level.

The role of government is to put a stop to that and make sure that there is competition

out there.

Make sure that small businesses have the ability to actually survive.

And so I'll make sure that we are enforcing those laws, breaking them up and ensuring

that we have competition and not allow corporations to just continue to raise prices on the things

that we need to live.

Thank you and Rebecca.

So this question hits home to me.

We are one of those farm families that was told to get bigger, get out, right?

The hyper consolidation you've seen in the egg industry.

I ran a small business here in downtown Eau Claire that I sold because of increased

competition with cheap foreign-made goods, the Amazon's of the world.

We've seen consolidation in all of these sectors.

We have put on a forming meat processors and those have real implications on our working

families throughout Wisconsin and across this country.

And so enforcing anti-trust laws is something that I've talked about throughout this campaign.

We have corporations that are price-gudging consumers, both at the grocery store at the

gas pump in our housing market.

Well they're making record profits off the backs of their workers.

And we're running against somebody like Derek Van Orden who is very happy to take special

interest dollars.

All of us here have it taped in the no corporate pack pledge.

So we're not going to let those corporations infiltrate what we're going to be doing for

working families in Washington.

Thank you.

Our next questions will begin with Eric's answer and the question deals with the LGBTQ plus

community.

Being part of the community, I, I'll, I'll read it, sorry, I love it.

At least they're eager to answer our questions.

With the LGBTQ community facing increasing attacks, what will you do in Congress to support

them and protect their rights?

Eric.

Well I'm jumping on the issue.

Being part of the community, this is obviously important to me.

What we are fighting for is just to be allowed to be humans, just be allowed to be people.

And so I will make sure that we are protecting the LGBTQ community and other marginalized

communities.

I also support gender affirming care.

Like abortion, it is a woman's body.

It is their body.

It is not for me to determine that.

I got lucky.

My parents are here tonight.

They are supportive of me.

But there are a lot of people out there that don't have that support at home.

And so we need to make sure that we are protecting them and that they have a safe place.

As I have been going around, especially to colleges, I mean 30% of Gen Z individuals

identify as non-straight.

This is not just a small subset of people anymore.

As I'm going around the district, it was in Steven's point.

And I had someone come up to me and say thank you for running.

Because I can't come out to my family, I'll get cut off.

And that is a scenario that is very, very relevant throughout Wisconsin.

And so unlike Derek Van Orden, who goes into libraries and screams about LGBTQ books,

I will make sure that everyone has representation and that everyone can be themselves.

Mental health is a huge problem within the community.

And so I will also make sure that everyone has the resources that they need to work through

who they are.

That's how we be in that.

That's how we are advocates.

That's how we help marginalized communities.

And that's how we help the LGBTQ community.

Thank you.

Rebecca.

Queer folks.

Excuse me.

Queer folks are my friends, my neighbors, my boss, my co-workers.

My campaign manager.

And getting policy passed like the Equality Act is going to be a top priority of mine, ensuring

that the queer community is able to be free from discrimination.

This is in contrast to somebody like Derek Van Orden who wants to work to limit freedoms

in this district.

I want to expand them.

We all know what he's done in Prairie Ducine, tearing down a pride book display and lashing

out a young librarian.

And that kind of hate has no place in a third congressional district.

And Katrina.

Thank you so much.

I really appreciate this question and I want to thank the person who brought it forward

because it is important that we center LGBTQIA rights in any discussion about everyone having

the freedom to be themselves and move with dignity in their communities.

So I'm proud to not only have co-authored the full equality agenda in the state capital,

but it's exactly what I want to do in Congress.

So I'm going to list a few of those bills.

But I think first and foremost what I want to say is this, I see you and I hear you and

I know how important it is to have champions and advocates in Congress when we have Republicans

like Derek Van Orden attacking your identity and your well-being.

So not only would I co-author the Equality Act in Congress, but I also think it's important

to ban conversion therapy.

This is a bill we have been working on on the state level and there's a bill on the federal

level as well is extremely harmful and we need to stand up against these practices.

I also believe in fair and equal housing and so the Equality Act will help with not discrimination

in housing and employment, education and access to public spaces, but there's separate bills

specifically regarding fair and equal housing.

In addition, I think we need to prohibit discrimination based on gender identity and I have not

only co-authored a bill such as that in the state legislature, but I will continue to

advocate for that in Congress because these issues are personal.

I have constituents in the Stevens Point area who met with me privately two years ago to

let me know several families were looking at leaving because of the attacks in the state

capital by Republicans on our kids and because of who they are.

And that is not okay and as a member of the committee that heard these bills, I was there

with them every step of the way and will continue to do so in Congress because it isn't just

about voting the right way, it's about meeting with your constituents and really representing

their needs and interests and standing up to the bullies in the capital, whether it's Derek

van Orden in Congress or otherwise.

And I think if you look at Project 2025 and the attack on the trans community and the

LGBTQIA community, it is clear that they have a radical agenda to take away our rights

and freedoms.

Thank you much.

The next set of questions, question will be begun by Rebecca about technology and that

has with the expanding role of technology in our lives, should Congress play a role in

regulation of new technology such as social media, artificial intelligence and others.

And how would you expand access to broadband in the third congressional district?

I'm proud to serve on the Wisconsin Technology Council and this is something that we talk

about often.

Right now a lot of this is being decided at the state level and we need to have a federal

conversation around this to put some guardrails on AI and that type of new technology regulation

because we've seen it to be a threat to our democracy when you look back at the 2016

election and there's so much more that we have to do in order to regulate that.

And it comes to expanding access to broadband in the third CD.

There's been a lot of federal funding that's come down to the state level but everybody

is operating in a really siloed basis, right?

And a lot of that gets stuck in Madison so we need to be having open lines of communication

with both our state lawmakers and our federal lawmakers that this is actually being deployed

into communities and then it's not just Starlink and some of these other new technologies

but they're laying fiber that we know is the most effective way for folks to be connected

within their communities.

When I was a part of the WEDC board, the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, I helped

serve in kicking off a broadband connectors pilot that really helped communities that were

applying for grants at the state level with technical assistance.

So they might not have a grant writer on staff in a small municipality but if they could

get that technical assistance they get access to that grant.

So I'm open to innovative things that work to get those dollars, not just to the largest

communities in our district but also a lot of the smallest communities that need them

the most.

Katrina?

I'm going to start with broadband because this is a really important subject.

I want to start by saying that Derek Van Orden and Republicans in Congress let the Affordable

Connectivity Program and Internet Discount Program for Seniors and Working Families

expire in May and hundreds of thousands of people relied on that to affordably get access

to broadband.

So that's wrong and I wrote a letter to all of our members of Congress asking them to

lead on continuing it.

In addition, I've written a number of letters for communities applying for broadband grants

and have been championing that in the legislature.

There is a lot of federal money coming in and it needs to be planned well and equitably

so that the last mile on those super rural districts and areas actually get access, I introduced

to Bill specifically called Fiber to Farms because there's too many farmers especially

in the third but across the state that do not have access yet to reliable broadband and

they need it for technology.

Now on to affordable, not affordable, AI artificial intelligence, I support consumer protections

and guard rail specifically for artificial intelligence and co-sponsored a bill that

would actually require disclosures of AI and campaigns and elections.

We need a federal task force on this just like Governor Tony Evers started and I'm committed

to doing and working on that.

I also support regulating and creating a level playing field as it relates to crypto and

digital assets and ensuring consumer protection with privacy safeguards.

Congress has a lot of work to do to catch up to new and emerging technology and I fear

that whether it's AI or social media, if we aren't convening conversations that center

workers and consumers, we are letting corporations get ahead of the people.

Thank you and Eric.

Like I've said, Internet is an essential.

It's just like electricity.

It is absolutely necessary for everyone to have access to it.

I'm the only one here that has IT professional experience.

That is huge as we are moving into the next phase of development for a lot of these technologies.

We need someone that actually understands what's happening in the databases of artificial

intelligence.

We need someone that actually understands how Facebook is targeting and how corporations

are using our personal data to target and influence our decisions.

We need someone that has an understanding of cryptocurrency and how that impacts our

financial markets.

We need someone that can actually have the conversations with big corporations that are

coming in with their fancy lobbyists and lawyers and trying to persuade people.

I can call their BS because I've been in the industry.

As we're moving forward, World War III will not be bullets.

It will be technology.

It will be cyber attacks.

One thing we need to be considering is our electric infrastructure and making sure that we

are updating it accordingly and that we are all protected.

These are the types of things that I have the background and the understanding to address

and make sure that we are all protected.

Technology, if it isn't implemented correctly, is a very dangerous thing and that's what

we're moving into.

That's what we're seeing.

It's not just about access.

It's about making sure that we are developing the future in a responsible way.

Thank you.

Our next category will deal with education and the question is what role should the federal

government play in expanding access to high quality, K through 12 education and beyond?

Should the federal government play a role in student debt relief?

I think the federal government needs to play a role in child care to pre-K through 12

public schools to apprenticeships, technical colleges and public universities because access

is incredibly important across the third and across Wisconsin.

An education is the cornerstone of our democracy and strengthens our economy and gives people

bright futures and opportunities.

I think, first and foremost, we have a child care crisis and a child care desert across

many parts of the state and we need to be doing more on both the state and federal level

to marshal resources to our child care providers because early childhood education is education

that the federal government needs to be investing in.

In the same way that we need to do more for our K-12 public schools.

If we funded IDEA, we'd have a billion more dollars in our Wisconsin public schools.

We could lower property taxes instead of raise them and we could give teachers a raise.

In addition to that, if we funded our universities and our technical colleges on the federal level,

which flows to the state level, like we should, we wouldn't have Richland Center, for example,

closing its doors and not being able to serve the most rural folks in southwest Wisconsin.

So when it comes to access, we need to be doing more with both state and federal funds,

but we also need leaders who intimately are aware and understand higher education and

I'm a higher education leader who's introduced bills to fund our financial aid and expand

it and even help with student loan debt.

This session, I co-sponsored a bill that would provide if there were student loan forgiveness

in Wisconsin, you wouldn't have to pay taxes on it.

And I think that's important because a lot of people wouldn't be able to pay that bill.

In the same way that I co-sponsored a bill, higher ed lower debt to allow people with student

loans to refinance their student loans.

So I think when it comes to the federal government's role in public education, I believe it's

a great responsibility because it's the primary funder of key programs like IDEA, which ensures

our kids with special needs, get the support that they have a right to.

And that's why as a leader in public education at all levels, I've been endorsed by both

of the teachers unions in the state, AFT, Wisconsin, and WIAC, and I'm proud to be a public

education champion.

Thank you and Eric.

I believe public education actually starts with paid family leave.

I support the Family Act, which would provide up to 12 weeks of paid leave.

So families can bond and grow without fear of financial ruin.

Dogs actually have better rights in this regards than we do.

We're not allowed to take puppies away for eight weeks, but we expect people to go back

to work a week after having a child.

That's ridiculous.

I am the only one here that supports student loan forgiveness.

Why?

Because it will add a trillion dollars to our economy over the next 10 years.

It allows people to buy houses.

It allows people to buy cars.

It puts money back into our economy.

And it's the right thing to do.

Education is the cornerstone of our future.

You shouldn't be charged to learn.

And the only one that supports free college tuition, inclusive of trade schools,

two years, two year four year, public education should be free.

Because again, it's an investment in our future.

We have a predatory system right now with student loans.

There are people that have been paying on their loans for decades and have not paid a single

dollar of principal.

Again, ridiculous.

My plan will make sure that we are investing in the future and making sure that young people

will get out in November.

Because we have to systematically fix our education system.

If we can cancel PPP loans for the wealthy, we can cancel student debt.

It's also making sure that we are investing in our teachers and our K through 12 systems.

They don't have the resources to continue on.

We are seeing referendum after referendum.

I will make sure that they have money from a federal perspective so that everyone gets

an education.

Thank you and Rebecca.

I am a proud product of Eau Claire Public Schools.

I'm a Sherman star.

I'm a Delong Knight.

I'm a North Husky.

And we need to do all that we can to fully fund and staff our public schools.

I've talked at length with my sister who works for the Teachers Union in Minnesota about

teacher retention and attraction.

Teachers are overworked and underpaid.

I like to see work study pay teachers when their student teaching and have tuition waivers,

so teachers aren't paying for schooling when they're not actually taking classes.

When it comes to funding our schools, I want funding formulas to go up by at least half

the rate of inflation.

I'm in favor of potentially expanding S or funds and more federal funding for full service

community schools which are a proven way to improve the achievement gap.

I myself went through college with the help of Pell Grants and Work Study and I want to

expand Pell Grants for middle and low income families.

I want to push for more alternative paths to the middle class like technical college education,

all of us being here today at CBTC and looking at those paths as paths of dignity.

Like Derek Van Orden, far right Republicans like him, they wanted to slash our public

education and that's one of the reasons why I'm running to take him on.

Thank you very much.

And now I'm going to make a confession to the crowd.

The candidates were given one hour advanced notice of the nine questions that they have

been asked and beautifully answered.

However, we do have time and I think it is important to hear in prompt to answers from

some very well-known questions that have been circulating in the newspapers and the news

media for weeks, months, for years.

And we'll start with Eric on this one.

And it has to deal with immigration.

Anyone heard of immigration?

What should we do about the immigration issues, especially DACA, the deferred action of

childhood arrivals?

Immigration.

The reality is we need immigration.

We do not have enough people to work in hospitality, to work in agriculture, to work in other industries.

We need people.

And so we need to make a system that actually works.

Our immigration system is broken.

It takes far too long, it's far too complicated, and it's part of what is causing the issues

on the southern border, which is something we hear about.

I also believe that we can do it in a humane way.

We should not be putting people in camps.

We should not be creating humanitarian crises.

I support getting rid of ICE and making sure that everyone that wants to come to America

and have opportunity can.

Thank you, and Rebecca, immigration.

So for years, our country has taken a patchwork approach to immigration reform.

And we need comprehensive immigration reform now.

We need to secure the border.

We're also ensuring that people that are here in our own country paying into our system

are no longer living in the shadows.

I think about our district, and I like to talk about immigration and relating it here

to the third congressional district.

We have a lot of farm workers down in the Arcadia area, right, and factory workers who are

paying into a system in which they're not receiving any benefits.

And you have somebody like Derek Van Orden, who is really demonizing our neighbors.

And we've had opportunities, bipartisan opportunities, to pass a bill in which the far right radicals

in Congress hijacked so that President Trump could run on that very issue.

So we need people that are going to be able to work across the aisle on this issue to get

things done and not make it something that's part of political gamesmanship.

And that's exactly what the far right has done.

We need people that are going to work to deliver for working families throughout our district.

Thank you and Katrina.

Thank you so much.

My dad's an immigrant.

He naturalized at the lacrosse counties circuit courts just about three decades ago.

And in that time, we have not gotten any bipartisan comprehensive immigration reform in this country,

even though there have been clear demands for it.

Now just last week, I was on East Hill and I was chatting with folks from Eau Claire telling

me about immigration.

One of them let me know it took her family 14 years to complete the citizenship process

and naturalize.

And this person works at UW Eau Claire.

And this person contributes to the economy and is teaching and leading another generation

of young people.

And so there is more that we need to do not just with comprehensive immigration reform,

but I support a pathway to citizenship that is fair and equitable.

And I know that when it comes to this conversation, Republicans spiked the football.

They listened to their leader, Trump Derrick van Orden was one of them.

He refused to sit down at the table, compromise or negotiate on clear solutions.

And that's wrong because the majority of folks, especially here in the third, want comprehensive

immigration reform.

And I think it's especially important that we have leaders with the experience to deliver

who have worked across the aisle before to get things done, especially on key issues that

people like Derrick van Orden have played politics with.

When it comes time for me to take a key vote on an issue as big as this one, you can count

on me to be sitting down with our dairy farmers and our dairy workers with our workforce development

experts and leaders and our immigration leaders to talk about things like modernizing our

H2AV Sus system and providing more support and resources, not only at the border, but

to ensure that we're actually processing these applications in a fair and timely way.

That is just common sense.

And that's why I'm running for Congress.

We don't have enough common sense in Congress.

And when Republicans are spiking the football on a key issue like this one, we know it's

time for experienced leaders who have delivered before to step up and lead again.

And that's my promise to you if I become your member of Congress.

Thank you very much.

The second in prompt to question deals with a issue, all of these candidates and every

candidate for any state office or federal office deals with.

And that's they need money to run a campaign.

So my question, we'll start with Becca's answer, is do we need and how would you create

new campaign finance laws?

Thanks for this question.

So you don't see a lot of folks like me running for Congress.

You see a lot of people usually that are wealthy or are elitists.

They're a little bit out of touch with working class folks maybe.

And it's because the number one thing that people look at when they're working to recruit

candidates to run for Congress is how much money can you raise.

And I think it's so important that we change our campaign finance laws so that there's

more people with my type of background stepping up to run for offices at this level.

I know I don't have a background in politics being a career politician, but I do have a background

I think that's really rooted in my community that I think connects with everyday folks in

this district growing up on a dairy farm, running a small business for a number of years,

running a nonprofit organization and wait for you seeing three nights a week.

And I think there's value and dignity in that type of work that's translatable at the

highest level of office or at the highest level of office, but to Congress.

Katrina?

We need to end corruption and restore public integrity.

And for too long, especially since Citizens United became a decision, unfortunately, that

declared that money is speech and corporations are people.

We have seen the capture of politicians who take corporate PAC money and do the bidding

of the corporate lobbyists.

And this is why we have artificially inflated prescription drug costs and health care costs.

So if we truly want to enact some of the reforms we discussed tonight, we need to end Citizens

United.

And I'll be a democracy for all amendment co-sponsor, which will overturn that decision.

But in the capital, I've also co-sponsored bills to enact public financing of some elections

because I know that some candidates can't and shouldn't spend eight to 10 hours of their

day calling people, especially people out of state and outside of their district for

money.

When instead, they could be working on behalf of the average person in their district.

And so that's why I'm proud to be endorsed by Uncitizens United.

And I was really proud in our last forum when I presented my friends here in the Democratic

Primary with the opportunity to sign the no corporate PAC pledge that they did too.

In addition, we need to pass the anti-corruption and public integrity act.

I know some Supreme Court justices who should definitely be following ethics laws.

We need to close the revolving door.

We need to reform lobbying rules.

Not only do we need a judicial integrity, but we need to make it easier for folks to run

for office at any level and make it easier for folks to vote.

So strengthening voting rights is a key component to this because the more voters who are participating

in civil society and in our government, the better chance we have of recruiting more candidates

who are going to be speaking the language of the average person in their district.

When it comes to campaign finance reform, this is something that I've seen up close and

in person in the state capital, but there's tens of thousands of lobbyists in DC.

And that's why I made sure when I chose to run for Congress to sit down with Uncitizens

United and talk about how we can get rid of the pernicious corporate influence on our

politics and our democracy.

And I want to point out, Derek Van Orden is bought and paid for by big special interests.

We need someone bold enough and brave enough to stand up to him and really lead on this

issue.

Thank you and Eric.

So I actually started by campaign with a pledge to not take any corporate PAC money.

When I launched an October from the beginning, because this is important, you shouldn't

be able to buy an election.

I also support Union Citizens United.

It's also going to step further and it's banning Congress people from trading stocks and

making money off of the decisions that they are making.

It's enforcing the laws against your inventory.

We should have fair elections as we know very well here in Wisconsin.

Fair elections should be free and have undue influence.

Like I said, you shouldn't be able to buy an election and that's currently how our system

is working.

You win in theory by raising the most money, not having the ideas that speak most to people

and standing with the people.

I'm proud to have 99% of my donations be from individuals.

I am truly running a grassroots campaign and have an average donation of $27.

You can't buy me, but it's important because we have to show that it's possible to run

a successful campaign on the message, not the money.

Thank you.

The third and final in prom two, so each of them will have opportunity to be the first to

respond to an impromptu question.

This isn't maybe one that's well known, but it's one each and every person in this room

has to be aware of we need an answer.

Because the reason for this forum tonight is to find the best replacement for our current

representation.

All of you are so very much better candidates than our current congressman.

The question.

The question we have before we allow their final two minutes slots for closing arguments

that I wish to ask them, will you endorse the winner of this primary as well as direct

your volunteers to continue working for the Democrat who wins and will you to the best

of your abilities financially support the candidate to ensure we have a Democrat as our

next congressperson, Katrina, we start with you.

Thank you so much for this question, Phil, and thank you for your leadership.

Absolutely.

I am a Democrat, and I'm proud to be a Democrat.

I'm proud to have supported dozens and dozens of candidates across Wisconsin.

I've knocked doors for people in swing districts, not only in the third, but across our state,

and I'm going to continue to, regardless of how the primary shakes out.

Of course, I want the opportunity to earn your vote, and I hope I can count on it.

But should the primary not go my way, I pledge and promise that I will be supporting the

Democratic nominee because Derek Van Orden is one of the most extreme members of Congress,

and we get one chance at taking him on and defeating him.

We all know the stakes of this race.

We know what's on the line.

It's abortion rights and reproductive freedom, health care, public education, clean water,

infrastructure, union rights, and democracy.

Democracy is on the line, and so I actually approach my colleagues, the candidates here,

a few months ago, I would say now, asking, you know, if we're going to do a unity pledge,

which I was happy to say yes to, can we also pledge 40 hours of call time, 40 hours of

making calls to our supporters on behalf of the candidates, events across the district,

doors, and phone calls.

And I initiated that because I know how important this race is, the path to the White House,

the third congressional district, leading to the House majority, and the path to the U.S.

Senate, runs through the third congressional district.

We should be proud, we should work hard, and we should work together.

And so I appreciate the call for unity because there is nothing more important to the future

of our country and our democracy than us uniting, not only as Democrats, but as independents

who care about democracy and freedom, who want to make sure we protect our democracy

and fight like mad for it.

It's going to take every single one of us, so I really appreciate the call to action,

because that's exactly what all of us have to do to make sure we don't just win in November,

but it's really about enacting reforms that strengthen our democracy, voting rights,

freedoms like abortion, and more.

So I look forward to working with all of you on this vital initiative for our state and country.

Thank you, Eric. Will you support the winner?

Yes, absolutely.

And I don't have any conditions to support the winner.

Although, I will have to go back to work, but that's a reality.

That's a reality.

Like, I have always committed that if it's not me, I will do everything that I can

to make sure it's not Derek in November.

But the reality is, I'm going to have to go back to work, too.

I'm going to have to have to go back to work as well.

But yeah, actually, everybody up here has already made a unity pledge to one another

that we will support whoever the nominee is.

That's something I did last cycle.

I ran for the seat last cycle and supported state Senator Brett Palfe, hosted events,

knock doors, was vocal about getting behind him.

And that's something that we all have to come together to do.

Because at the end of the day, Derek Van Orden is who we're really running against.

And he is not the right fit for us here in Western Wisconsin,

both his demeanor and Congress, his values that he represents,

and the policies that he supports.

And so we're very united in that in that front, so.

Thank you very much.

And now we will have closing comments from all three candidates.

And we will start with Eric.

Thank you, everyone, for coming out tonight.

Progressive change is the only thing that is going to win this race.

This is not the year to be a moderate.

Judge Janet won this district with 55% of the vote running on abortion and fair maps.

Tammy won this district with 56% of the vote.

And everyone's favorite progressive who is just here recently Bernie.

One with 62% of the vote.

The reality is progressives win in the third district.

To flip Congress, to hold the Senate, to reelect Joe Biden,

it's going to take us all.

This district has six universities, and we will need young people.

It is 55,000 people.

That means speaking to their issues, though.

I'm the only Democrat in this race that is called for a ceasefire.

I am the only one that is in support of the Green New Deal.

I'm the only one that supports student loan forgiveness.

I'm the only one that's called for a wealth tax.

I'm the only one fighting for Medicare for all,

which Democrats have been fighting for for years, decades, before I was born.

It is our winning issue.

I am the one running to lead the next generation of Americans to a brighter future.

With my background in IT, health care and housing,

I have the most experience to address the top issues that we have not only today,

but tomorrow.

We need to energize our base.

And that means running on a platform that speaks to them.

My positive vision has created a coalition of vocal elected support.