Meet the candidates running for Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District seat

Incumbent Republican Tom Tiffany will face challenger Democrat Kyle Kilbourn in the Nov. 5 general election for Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District.

The 7th Congressional District covers most of the northern half of the state and consists of all or part of 26 of the state’s 72 counties including Marathon, Wood, Lincoln, Clark and Taylor counties.

Representatives to the U.S. Congress serve two-year terms. Tiffany has served two full terms in the seat since 2021. He was elected in a 2020 special election to fill the seat following Republican Sean Duffy’s resignation.

To learn more about registering to vote and to find your polling place, visit the My Vote Wisconsin website.

USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin asked each of the candidates to address important issues in the district and why they are running for the position.

Kyle Kilbourn

Residence: Town of Woodboro in Oneida County

Age: 46

Occupation and education: I am a product designer, innovator and former professor. I’ve worked in the health care, retail and design industries. I have a Ph.D. in product design and innovation from the University of Southern Denmark, master’s degree in IT product design and a bachelor’s degree in life sciences and rhetoric from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. I come from a working-class background and am the first in my family with undergraduate and graduate degrees.

Relevant experience: I have a history of governing, not politics − student and neighborhood boards, and recently in a tourism project to make Oneida County an accessible and inviting place for tourists and residents. Whether it was conducting research about aging in place for seniors or understanding convenience station users, I listen to find underlying values. I have collaborated with C-suite executives, patients, health care workers, delivery drivers and many others to develop market-facing solutions. In Congress, I will listen to constituents to develop better solutions and laws.

Campaign website/Facebook page: www.kylekilbourn.com and Kyle Kilbourn for Congress – WI-07 on Facebook

Tom Tiffany

Residence: Minocqua

Age: 66

Occupation and education: Former small business owner; studied agricultural economics at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls

Relevant experience: I am in my second full term as your U.S. Representative. I have previously served seven years in the Wisconsin Senate and two years in the State Assembly, representing the northeast region of the state.

Campaign website/Facebook page: https://tomtiffany.com and Tom Tiffany on Facebook

Why are you running for office?

Kilbourn: I’m running for Congress because the American dream is slipping away for too many families. Growing up, I saw how hard my parents worked to make ends meet, and today, rising costs for health care, housing and everyday essentials are making it harder for working families to get ahead. Washington is broken. Hyper-partisanship has left people fed up, and it’s time for leadership that delivers. I’ll focus on lowering costs, protecting voting rights and reproductive freedoms, and ensuring that Wisconsin’s working families − not special interests − come first.

Tiffany: I am running to make America safe and affordable again. During the Biden-Harris administration’s time in office, we have seen inflation skyrocket and a complete collapse of our southern border. The current administration’s war on American energy and reckless spending are the main causes of the inflation that is making it harder to achieve the American dream. That is why I am working to rein in the out-of-control Washington spending, unleash American energy, secure our borders and restore American greatness.

What makes you the better candidate in this race?

Kilbourn: I’ve traveled thousands of miles listening to rural Wisconsinites who are struggling with rising health care, housing and everyday costs. My campaign is focused on lowering those costs, protecting Social Security and Medicare, and defending personal freedoms like voting and reproductive rights. Our current representative, meanwhile, has supported policies that raise the retirement age and cut Social Security − moves that hurt our seniors. They’ve also taken stances that threaten reproductive rights. Rural Wisconsin deserves leadership that prioritizes working families, not one focused on corporate interests and partisan politics.

Tiffany: As a long-time resident of northern Wisconsin, I know what issues are impacting our communities the most. That is why I have prioritized local issues and delivered some major wins for our region. As a member of the Natural Resources Committee, I have worked to lessen regulatory burdens so that all Wisconsin farms can succeed. I have also sponsored legislation to dismantle a Biden Administration program that openly discriminates against farmers based solely on the color of their skin. Perhaps most importantly, I successfully passed legislation through the House to delist the grey wolf from the endangered species list.

What is the most pressing issue facing Wisconsin, and how would you address it?

Kilbourn: The most pressing issues facing Wisconsin today are the rising cost of living and protecting reproductive rights. Families are struggling with skyrocketing costs for health care, housing, and everyday essentials like gas and groceries. We need leadership focused on lowering those costs, while also defending reproductive freedoms from government interference. By creating good-paying jobs in sectors like renewable energy and care work, we can strengthen our economy without harming the environment. It’s time for real solutions that support Wisconsin’s working families and protect their personal freedoms.

Tiffany: The single most important issue facing Wisconsin is the rising cost of living. The financial burden imposed on us by the current administration doesn’t discriminate. Whether it be those on a fixed income choosing between prescription drugs and food or young people being unable to afford their first home, we are all feeling the pain of Bidenomics. We must rein in spending, cut burdensome regulations and bring down the cost of energy. The solutions are simple, we just need to have the political will to implement them.

What are residents telling you are their most important issues, and how would you address them?

Kilbourn: Residents are deeply concerned about rising health care costs, the lack of affordable child care, housing affordability, and the safety of their drinking water. These challenges highlight the neglect rural communities face. We need serious investments in health care facilities, housing, schools and essential services like post offices and nursing homes. Too many of our communities are being left behind because of poor representation. My focus is on strengthening access to resources, ensuring that rural Wisconsin has the funding and leadership it deserves to protect the quality of life for everyone who calls this place home.

Tiffany: Besides inflation and the cost of living, the most talked about issue is border security. I voted to pass H.R.2 earlier this session and it is one of the strongest border bills ever passed out of the House of Representatives. It finishes the border wall, ends catch and release, and expands the types of crimes that may make an individual ineligible for asylum. Having the Senate pass this piece of legislation and sending it to the White House will secure our border and make America safe again.

Residents of central Wisconsin are seeing increasing costs in necessary and everyday expenses such as housing, child care, groceries, health care and transportation. If elected, what will you do to help residents who are struggling to make ends meet?

Kilbourn: We need to reform how we fund essential services like health care and child care in rural areas. These industries are not viable as for-profit models in communities like ours, which is why providers are pulling out, leaving families without options. I’ll push for federal funding to ensure services are accessible and affordable. Meanwhile, the current crisis is deepened by policies like the Trump tax cuts, which our current representative has supported and continues to back, benefiting corporations and the wealthy while leaving working families behind. It’s time for leadership that prioritizes working Wisconsinites, not special interests.

Tiffany: Lowering the cost of energy is the key to reducing inflation and giving people breathing room. Our economy is dependent on energy, it is how our groceries get to the store, it is how we get to work, and it is how things are made. If the cost of energy goes up, so will the cost of everything else. On day one, President Biden declared war on American energy by canceling the XL pipeline and ordering the EPA to go after American energy companies. One of my top priorities is to remove burdensome regulations and restore American energy independence.

As costs have increased for individuals, so have the costs for our local units of government. Our local schools and technical colleges, municipalities and counties are limited in how much local tax levies can be raised. These limits were set decades ago and adjustments to them are rare and inadequate for matching increases in cost of living and inflation. If elected, what would you do in Congress to reduce the burden on local residents who have to consider levy limit referendums for school districts, public safety workers or large transportation projects so frequently in elections?

Kilbourn: Too often, residents are forced to choose between vital community services and making ends meet at home. This stems from letting billionaires and large corporations avoid paying their fair share in taxes, leaving local governments struggling to fund essential services. We need a comprehensive federal rural strategy to invest in education, health care, roads, and infrastructure, which are important for our communities’ well-being. Our current representative continues to support policies that benefit the wealthiest while our schools and public services suffer. It’s time for Washington to focus on ensuring rural communities can thrive without forcing residents to make impossible choices.

Tiffany: Inflation is crushing public budgets just like family budgets. Stopping the wasteful spending in Washington and reducing energy prices will rein in inflation. Everyone’s budget will go further when we cut inflation and stabilize prices. Now is not the time to raise taxes on communities that are already struggling to make ends meet.

Erik Pfantz covers local government and education in central Wisconsin for USA TODAY NETWORK – Wisconsin and values his background as a rural Wisconsinite. Contact him at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Wausau Daily Herald: Who is running for Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District seat?