What Democrats seeking to challenge Glenn Grothman said during a forum Thursday (2024)

Diana Dombrowski|USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin

Democratic candidates for the Sixth Congressional District responded to questions Thursday night at a candidate forum sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin and Oshkosh Media.

Candidates Michael G. Beardsley ofOshkosh, Matthew L. Boor ofCleveland andJessica J. King ofOshkosh responded to questions ranging from how they wantthe coronavirus pandemic handled to police reformduring the event, which was held at Oshkosh City Hall.

Coronavirus precautions prevented the forum from being held in front of an audience, but it was livestreamed online and broadcast on WOCT 101.9 FM andwill be rebroadcast several times before the Aug. 11 primary.

The Sixth Congressional District includesSheboygan, Fond du Lac, Ozaukee, Manitowoc, Waushara, Green Lake, Marquette and Columbia counties, as well as parts of Dodge, Winnebago and Milwaukee counties.

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On their priorities

Asked what their priorities would be if elected, Boor, who has experience managing wind energy projects, listed renewable energy first.

Wind and solar farms promote onshore manufacturing and jobs, Boor said.

His other priorities are decriminalizing marijuana andexpanding high-speed internet into rural parts of the country.

King said she'd focus on health care reform,securing affordable prescriptions and universal coverage.

King noted that several counties in Wisconsin don't have an OB-GYN and said access to those professionals would be part of her focus in a new system.

In her opening statement, Kingreferenced her background as a practicing attorney for 20 years, the last seven of which she has represented hospital providers and patients against health insurance companies and government payers like the Veterans Administration and Medicare.

Beardsley's first priorityfocused on the environment and climate change. He said he supports the Green New Deal and a carbon tax and dividend plan, and would work toward net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. He also supports reentering the Paris Climate Accord.

"It is a global issue, so I think it's very important that we lead as a nation," Beardsley said.

His other priorities would include health care and elections reform.

Beardsley is an IT consultant and said the district is ready for something new.

Grothman was first elected in 2014 andis on his third term in Congress.

On COVID-19, agriculture and manufacturing

In response to a question about what the most pressing issue is facing the district, Boor and King's answers focused on the COVID-19 pandemic.

Boor said the main concern he's heard from potential constituents about he pandemic is whether kids are going back to school in the fall and what parents or guardians willdo for child care.

The federal government needs to keep pushing for a vaccine, Boor said, and needs to communicate clearly.

King pointed to the recession, unemployment rate and the pandemic. The federal government needs to rebuild people's confidence in public health, King said, and balance health and safety with an open economy.

King also said the next stimulus package should include funding for education.

Beardsley said the most pressing issue is supporting the agriculture and manufacturing industries, providing them with relief and incentivizing transitions to sustainable technologies through federal grants.

Beardsley also said a carbon tax would provide more opportunities for rural communities, which would benefit from new technologies like wind turbines.

On ICE and immigration

On ICE policy,Boor said ICE's practices should be evaluated through a lens of compassion, and people trying to cross the border should be detained and sent back to their countries in some way, but ran out of time during his answer.

King said ICE's current enforcement is an overreach and detention isn't a cost-effective solution.

Beardsley called ICE's policies inhumane and said he supports a deportation freeze, but also supports detaining people, giving them due process and a clear path to citizenship.

"It's almost Holocaust level stuff," Beardsley said of people being kept in cages in detention camps.

RELATED:Sheboygan protest takes aim at Sheriff's Department agreement with ICE

On race and monuments

Amid the national outcry to remove symbols and monuments tied to the country'spast, candidates were asked how they would balance preserving the nation's history while addressing racism and prejudice.

Beardsley said addressing racism always comes first, that he's in favor of getting rid of Columbus Day and associated statues. It's a symbol that's causing harm to people, Beardsley said, and if it's making them uncomfortable or they feel unsafe, "It's all about putting those people first."

Boor said he also supports removing Columbus Day, but also replacing it with Juneteenth. More explanation on both the good and the bad parts of history is needed, said Boor.

King called the nation's history complicated and said there isn't enough funding for education on Indigenous cultures.

To deal with systematic racism, "we need to look at all of our systems with a wide brush," King said.

Ultimately, the people making decisions need to change, King said, and more needs to be done to encourage people from diverse backgrounds to run for office.

"It has to do with changing the faces in the seats," King added.

On police reform

Asked about Congress' role in addressing police issues, Boor blamed partisan bickering for people losing faith in the system.

"With too many politicians just sticking to party lines and talking points, it degrades the caliber of the entire society," Boor said.

King said the burden has fallen on police officers "to become the only mechanism that we still properly fund to engage society."

Balance in the rest of the public structures needs to be restored through funding otherareas of the system, like schools, social workers and mental health resources, King said.

Beardsley called for improved transparency and shifting the mentality away from "us vs. them" through the demilitarization of the police. He also said he supports community oversight committees.

What's next in the race

A First Friday Forum will be held by the Sheboygan County Chamber on Aug. 7 featuring Sixth Congressional District candidates and Assembly District 26 candidates.

To register to vote or to check your polling location, visit myvote.wi.gov. Registration can be completed by mail, online, at your municipal clerk's office or at your polling location on election day. Proof of residence is required. For more information visit www.elections.wi.gov.

Contact Diana Dombrowski at 920-242-7079 or ddombrowski@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @domdomdiana

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