Wisconsin Primary 2020: 4 Running For 7th District Congress

MILWAUKEE, WI — Republican Congressman Sean Duffy (R-WI) stepped down from Wisconsin's Seventh District seat in Sept. 2019 after news that his family needed to give extra care and attention to their ninth child, who was born on Sept. 30 and welcomed home after several weeks in the hospital.

On Feb. 18, a total of four candidates will be on the ballot for a special primary election to pare two Republican and two Democratic suitors for Duffy's former congressional seat. Voters will get to choose from Democrats Lawrence Dale and Tricia Zunker or Republicans Jason Church and Tom Tiffany.

Democratic primary candidates

• Lawrence Dale
• Tricia Zunker

Republican primary candidates

• Jason Church
• Tom Tiffany
  

Jason Church

Age: 30

Hometown: Hudson, WI

Occupation: Lawyer

Political experience:

I have always wanted to serve my country. When I joined the military I wanted to make it my career, but that changed when I lost my legs in an IED explosion in Afghanistan. I met Senator Ron Johnson when he visited me at Walter Reed Medical Center. Over the past six years, I worked for Sen. Johnson in different capacities first as a military fellow on Capitol Hill, and then in Wisconsin as State Counsel and Northern Regional Director.

Leading Issues:

Taking care of our farmers is one of my top priorities. We need to make sure that our trade agreements open American products to foreign markets. The USMCA was particularly beneficial to Wisconsin’s dairy farmers as it opens the dairy market with Canada. This allows Americans to sell more dairy products to our northern neighbor. Phase One of the new trade agreement with China is also another success, and we will see more relief for farmers in future phases from decreased tariffs. But it’s not just about the farms, it’s about other job creators in the 7th district and the cost of goods for all of us. I want to help President Trump continue to bring economic prosperity to Wisconsin.

Interesting Fact About Me:

I had two pairs of boots while serving in Afghanistan. One pair was obliterated in the explosion that took my legs. I gave the other pair to my dad when he served in Kabul. He wanted my boots to finish their tour and get a proper exit.

Lawrence Dale

Occupation: Independent Insurance Agent,

Residence: Eagle River, WI since 2006;

Military: Vietnam veteran.

Education: Bachelors degree, major in Government from Ohio University; M.S. from the University of Oregon, major: Industrial and Labor Relations with a focus on economics.

Interesting thing about myself: I avoided being deployed to Cambodian while in Vietnam by rotating out just before the incursion. The ensuing protests over this incursion were the National Guard killings of protestors and passer-bys at the Kent State protests against internationalizing the Vietnam War.

Top Issue of my campaign:

Save family run dairy farm by placing a moratorium on the expansion of Industrial Dairies.; Hold the Republican party leadership responsible for manipulating the raw milk supply market at the expense of thousands of small family dairy operations; Hold the Republican party leadership accountable for failure to enforce the Clean Water Act allowing mass contamination of clean water resources.

How I intend to approach each legislatively:

1.) Write legislation/seek support for a national moratorium against Industrial Dairy Farms due to the fact they are a danger to public health on many levels.

2.) Write legislation/ seek support to require all states to place into effect Supply Management policy like Canada's to control over supply of raw milk thereby (as in Canada) saving family dairy operations from being subjected to over-supply consequences we are seeing now in Wisconsin and other states.

Political Experience:

I ran as a Green Party endorsed protest vote in 2014 against the attempt to strip mine vast section of our multi-billion dollar tourism economy here in the 7th Congressional District. I was also endorsed by the largest Native American community in Wisconsin, the Lac du Flambeau tribe near Eagle River in Vilas County.

In 2016 I worked as a Bernie Sanders volunteer and was a Sanders Delegate from Vilas County (Eagle River). I also ran as a Democrat for the 34th Wisconsin Assembly District but was campaigned against by the establishment Democratic Party who aren't partial to Bernie-crats.

Note:

Candidates Tom Tiffany and Tricia Zunker did not return candidate profile information upon request from Wisconsin Patch.