Dem Candidates In 7th CD Criticize Trump, Say Government Should Work For People Not Billionaires

Wisconsin Examiner

July 15, 2026

Democratic candidates vying for the chance to flip Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional seat for the first time in 16 years made their case during a debate Tuesday night.

The three candidates competing for the Democratic nomination are Chris Armstrong, a New Richmond resident and IT small business owner; Fred Clark, former Democratic state legislator, executive director of Wisconsin Green Fire and owner of Clark Forestry, Inc.; and Ginger Murray, a small business owner and lawyer from the Northwoods. The debate was hosted by WJFW Newswatch 12.

The winner of the Democratic primary will face the winner of the Republican primary in November. The GOP candidates participated in a debate last week. They include Michael Alfonso, whose father-in-law, Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, formerly held the seat and has been campaigning on his behalf. The other Republican contenders are Niina Baum, a lifelong Northwoods resident and dog musher; Jessi Ebben, a public relations professional; and Kevin Hermening, a financial advisor and former U.S. Marine.

The seat is currently held by Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, who is running for governor. The general election will be an uphill battle for the Democratic nominee in a district that has been represented by Republicans since 2011. In his 2024 reelection campaign, Tiffany defeated his Democratic challenger by 63.6% to 36.4% of the vote.

Dems describe how they’ll compete in Trump Country

Prior to Tiffany and Duffy, Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District was represented by Democrat Dave Obey, the longest serving U.S. House member in Wisconsin history, from 1969 until 2011. The Democratic candidates all laid out their reasons why they believe they can flip the district back from Republican control.

Ginger noted the success of progressive women in recent state Supreme Court elections, saying it is a sign that a candidate like her could win in the district.

“The lady lawyer leaders have been killer, crushing it and getting the support of this community. Most notably, Susan Crawford pushed this district over the 50% mark and showed that counties that haven’t voted blue in the longest time are absolutely looking for someone to take the reins. There are 96 other women in the Democratic caucus who are waiting for more women to join them to hold people accountable in Washington, DC, and I fit that bill.”

Armstrong said that his appeal is being a “normal guy.”

“I grew up here. I went to school here, raised my family here, started my company here. I think what people are looking for is just normal people going to get up there and advocate for them and really hold this administration accountable and start advocating for policies that are really going to make a difference in people’s lives. It’s not just Democrats, but it’s also independents and Republicans that are really sick of the status quo.”

Armstrong announced his campaign for the seat in April 2025. He said that he got “activated” by Trump’s second inauguration as he watched a “flurry of illegal, un-American, unconstitutional executive orders and Elon Musk taking a sledgehammer to the federal government.”

“I couldn’t believe that nobody was doing anything about it, so I took to the streets in my hometown in Richmond and started protesting by myself at the busiest intersection in town at rush hour.”

Clark highlighted his experience as a state lawmaker who represented a rural part of the state. He served in the state Assembly representing parts of Sauk, Columbia and Marquette counties between 2009 and 2014 before moving north to Bayfield County to retire.

Clark said he learned as a legislator “in order to be effective in your job as a representative in a district that’s very mixed politically, you have to commit to working with everybody, and you have to commit to engaging every person you represent with respect and with listening and with the willingness to find solutions.”

“I used to tell the people that I worked with, I don’t care whether you voted for me or not. It’s my job to represent you, and I’m going to do that to the best of my ability,” Clark said. “In this campaign, I’m reaching out to voters with the same proposition that this election is more about character than it is about party.”

The candidates were all critical of President Donald Trump, a distinct difference from the Republican debate, where the candidates focused on their support for the president.

Armstrong said the Trump administration needs to be held accountable. “It breaks the law and does not follow the Constitution every single day, and the fact is that, you know, Trump admits it publicly.”

Clark said he would support investigations into potential violations of the law and corrupt activities.

Democratic members of the House have introduced articles of impeachment this year that call for removing Trump from office, accusing him of circumventing congressional war powers, engaging in unconstitutional detentions and deportations and usurping Congressional power of the purse.

Murray noted the two previous articles of impeachment levied against Trump and said she would “absolutely” support articles of impeachment if enough lawmakers thought it was right.

“It won’t take very long, considering all the information that we already have,” Murray said. “I also think the fastest way to remove the current administration is to get to the bottom of the Epstein files.”

The candidates focused much of their criticism on the campaign of mass deportation and detentions being carried out by the Trump administration.

“What this administration has done is to create a reign of terror in American communities… It’s not only immoral, but it’s unconstitutional,” Clark said, adding that Congress should work towards visa reform. “That would be the single, simplest, most impactful solution, and we could… allow law-abiding people to work in this country legally and fill American jobs that employers need.”

Trump’s mass deportation campaign is “just inhumane, cruel and, fundamentally, anti-American,” Armstrong said. He added that immigrants are essential to the Wisconsin economy and many will never see the benefits of the taxes they pay. He also said he recently got outreach from a Trump voter in Eagle River, who asked him about immigration enforcement.

“I said, well, not a big fan of Trump’s leadership, and when ICE and CBP are regularly violating people’s First, Second, Fourth, Fifth, Eighth, Tenth and Fourteenth Amendment rights, these people need to be held accountable for their crimes against the American people,” Armstrong said. “He said ‘You know, I voted for Trump, and I’m voting for you because I need someone who’s going to stand up for the rule of law in the Constitution.’”

Addressing millionaires and helping average Wisconsinites

Asked about the rise of Democratic Socialists in the Democratic party, including the momentum behind state Rep. Francesca Hong’s campaign in the gubernatorial primary race, the candidates said the focus should be less on labels and more on helping the average Wisconsinite.

Armstrong said he was a “fan” of Hong.

“I just don’t really think it makes a lot of sense to get caught up on all the trappings of different labels,” he said. “I mean, if we’re talking about policies that are good for normal people, you know the policies of many administrations, not just the Trump administration, have favored the well-connected, the super rich. We need to be getting back to the work of the people. I really don’t care what label you put on it.”

Clark said he hadn’t heard of the label until a few months ago, but that it gets back to asking how to ensure people can afford housing, healthcare and to live in their communities.

“There’s a role for government in helping make sure that those things can happen,” Clark said, adding, “If you want to go back to look at the Republican presidents like Dwight D. Eisenhower, a lot of the things that his administration was talking about are things that people on the other side of the aisle would call socialist or communist today, so I don’t think the labels are doing us any good.”

Murray said the conversation should be about the “have and have-nots,” saying that the government is “set up to support billionaires.”

On healthcare, the candidates appeared to have differences on how far the federal government and Congress should go to help with coverage.

Armstrong said the U.S. should be able to figure out how to ensure healthcare access for everyone, even in an area like the 7th CD with low population density.

“I don’t admit to be a healthcare policy expert, but Medicare For All sure seems to be something that is viable,” Armstrong said. “We’re the richest country in the world in the history of this planet, and there’s just no excuse that can’t deliver high-quality healthcare for everybody.”

Clark said cuts to the Affordable Care Act tax credits have “precipitated a crisis that is going to affect everyone.” He noted that many rural hospitals, including in Wisconsin, get more than 50% of their revenue from Medicaid, meaning that cuts could lead to closures in rural areas. He said the first action by Congress should be to reverse those cuts and restore Medicaid funding.

“Then, we need to look forward to how we find healthcare that works for everybody,” Clark said. “I support strengthening Medicare support, lowering Medicare enrollment age, and I support creating a public option that will make affordable healthcare run by the Medicare program available to everyone at any age for a fair price.”

Murray said she would support any of those options because they are an improvement from where the country is now, but she said that she would want to ensure the solution is possible.

“I am for universal healthcare. I do not want to overestimate my impact or influence,” Murray said. “I will be one of 435 people who would be voting on this issue in the House of Representatives… I’m in favor of it as long as we get results. It’s not empty promises to our people. They need real results, and they need them really quick.”

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