Tony Wied, Kristin Lyerly face off

Studying Time: 5 minutes

Voters in northeast Wisconsin will select a brand new consultant in Congress subsequent month, with each candidates for Wisconsin’s eighth Congressional District coming from the non-public sector. 

Republican Tony Wied, a businessman from De Pere, and Democrat Kristin Lyerly, an OB-GYN from De Pere, are each working for the seat beforehand held by former U.S. Rep. Mike Gallagher, a Republican who resigned earlier this yr. 

Wied and Lyerly will every be on the poll twice on Nov. 5, for each a common and particular election. The particular election will enable the winner to complete Gallagher’s time period in Congress.

Wied, who owned a series of Dino Cease comfort shops till 2022, acquired the endorsement of former President Donald Trump when he entered the race as a political unknown.

Throughout a crowded GOP major race, he leaned into the Trump endorsement, and he’s additionally campaigned on his expertise as a small enterprise proprietor.

“I’ll take the strategy that I’ve all the time taken when working my enterprise, elevating my household and conducting myself over 48 years,” Wied mentioned at a current debate. “I’ll take a realistic strategy. I’m not one to scream and assault individuals. I’m one to assault issues.”

Lyerly has been an outspoken advocate for reproductive rights for the reason that U.S. Supreme Court docket overturned Roe v. Wade. She turned a plaintiff in a lawsuit difficult Wisconsin’s pre-Civil Struggle abortion legislation.

She ran for an Meeting seat in 2020, however misplaced to incumbent state Rep. John Macco, R-Ledgeview. She mentioned she voted Republican for a lot of her life.

“I by no means voted for a Democrat till I used to be in all probability in my 30s, and I by no means turned a Democrat till proper earlier than I ran for workplace,” Lyerly mentioned on the debate. “I’m an unbiased thinker. I’m any person who listens to individuals, identical to I do within the workplace once I’m speaking to a affected person.”

From inflation to abortion, Wied and Lyerly at odds on the problems

Throughout their current debate, Wied and Lyerly squared off on inflation, abortion, immigration and training. 

On inflation, Wied mentioned he desires to chop authorities spending to carry prices down, calling inflation a “tax” on the decrease and center courses.

“It’s no completely different than each one in every of you in your personal households. You need to have a look at each single price range, and that’s what I’ll carry to Congress,” he mentioned. “Now we have to have a balanced price range. Now we have to maneuver in the direction of much less spending.”

Past authorities spending, Lyerly argued that “company greed” additionally performed an outsized position in driving inflation. She proposed creating new federal applications to assist tackle rising housing prices, which have contributed to inflation.

“We are able to use federal lands for public growth,” she mentioned. “There are various issues that we are able to do as members of Congress that can assist to take the stress off of the housing market and get first-time dwelling patrons into their houses.”

On abortion, Wied has mentioned he believes the problem is one for the states and never the federal authorities. Throughout the debate, he was requested what he believes Wisconsin’s abortion coverage needs to be. He didn’t expressly reply.

“It received’t be on the federal stage, in order that’s not on my plate,” Wied mentioned. “I’m going to proceed to work exhausting on the issues that I can management in america Home of Representatives.”

In the meantime, Lyerly mentioned she believes ladies ought to “have the liberty to make our personal decisions” about their our bodies. She known as Wied’s place of leaving abortion coverage as much as the states a “cop-out.”

“That tells me that in states with bans, the place moms die at a charge 3 times larger than in states with out bans, you’re OK with that,” she mentioned. 

On immigration, Wied mentioned he’s in favor of bringing again the pandemic-era “Stay in Mexico” coverage and finishing the border wall.

Lyerly mentioned she would assist a bipartisan border safety invoice that was negotiated by Senate Republicans and Democrats, however was derailed by Trump.

“The individuals who pulled my opponent’s strings mentioned no (to the invoice),” Lyerly mentioned. “They mentioned no as a result of they need to use it for politics. They need to use it to induce worry.”

Wied argued the invoice didn’t do sufficient to reestablish the insurance policies of the Trump administration.

“This invoice doesn’t go far sufficient,” he mentioned. “We have to shut this border down (and) discover an efficient immigration coverage.”

Throughout the debate, a College of Wisconsin-Inexperienced Bay pupil requested each candidates for his or her views on bringing the price of faculty down, and on pupil mortgage aid. 

Wied was not in favor of pupil mortgage forgiveness, however Lyerly mentioned she was open to the concept. Each mentioned extra must be completed to get college students into the expert trades, however Lyerly criticized Wied for his assist for ending the U.S. Division of Schooling.

“By eliminating the Division of Schooling, that might get rid of a lot of funding streams for college students,” Lyerly mentioned. “Not solely that, however it might drive states and native municipalities into chaos.”

Wied mentioned he believes the Division of Schooling is basically micromanaging faculties.

“It is best to have the management to run your faculties right here regionally, and I don’t imagine within the federal authorities educating our kids,” he mentioned. “Now we have federal bureaucrats persevering with to become involved in our kids’s training.”

Election Day is Nov. 5. Get all the knowledge it’s essential to vote.

What do their supporters say?

Whether or not it’s Wied or Lyerly, the winner of the eighth District will likely be a first-time officeholder. Supporters for each suppose their candidate is up for the problem.

De Pere resident Bob Gryboski mentioned he’s identified Wied for years. Gryboski runs a building firm together with his brother and thinks Wied’s enterprise background makes him the proper candidate.

“Being a small enterprise proprietor, you get to satisfy individuals on all scales of the earnings scale, and it’s essential to work together with these individuals and work collectively to get issues completed,” Gryboski mentioned. “He’s going to have a very good sense of the neighborhood usually.”

Gryboski mentioned he thought Trump’s endorsement would assist Wied, at the same time as he acknowledged the previous president had been “a polarizing particular person.”

“I agree with most of the insurance policies that (Trump) helps,” Gryboski mentioned. “By Tony getting that endorsement, that might point out that he clearly additionally will likely be supporting a number of the insurance policies.”

Shawano resident Lora Perdelwitz is a Lyerly supporter who acquired to know the candidate at a number of marketing campaign stops in Shawano. She says she appears like Lyerly listens to voters in the identical approach she listens to her medical sufferers.

“I would like somebody representing me who has that trait as a result of should you’re listening to the individuals you’re representing, you may signify what their desires and desires are,” Perdelwitz mentioned. “The issues she talks about are in alignment with my desires and desires at this level, so far as reproductive rights.”

Perdelwitz mentioned Trump’s endorsement of Wied is “extremely regarding,” saying the Jan. 6 riot stays prime of thoughts for her. 

“To me, that’s an enormous crimson flag,” she mentioned. “In the event you’re utilizing his endorsement to get you votes, that’s just a little horrifying.”

As of Sept. 30, Lyerly had raised and spent more cash than Wied, in keeping with the Federal Elections Fee.

Lyerly raised greater than $2 million {dollars}, spent roughly $1.4 million and had roughly $603,000 of money available heading into the ultimate leg of the race. Wied raised greater than $1.3 million, spent about $1.1 million and had roughly $230,000 of money available.

The eighth Congressional District has been held by Republicans since 2011, and the Cook dinner Political Report charges the seat as “strong Republican.”

This story was initially printed by WPR.