My Fox Wausau - Seventh District Up for Grabs Between Westlund, Duffy in November Midterms

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By David Schuman

It's election season and Rep. Sean Duffy and Kelly Westlund are battling for Wisconsin's seventh congressional district.

Westlund says she hopes to unseat the two-time incumbent through a grassroots campaign.

Duffy says he will continue to listen to people to figure out what's best for the district.

One thing they can agree on is that the economy is one of the most important issues in the upcoming midterm elections.

"I'm focusing on making sure we have economic growth," said Duffy. "We have more opportunity and more jobs for families in central, northern and western Wisconsin. I think that's the biggest issue."

"Whether it's their ability to put food on the table or to make ends meet, folks are hungry for the opportunity to improve their situation and provide a secure economic future for their families," Westlund said.

FOX55 News@9 asked each candidate what can be done to strengthen the seventh district's economy.

Westlund sees opportunity in what she calls crumbling infrastructure.

"If we're willing to reprioritize some of the spending in Washington and invest that money in rebuilding our infrastructure, that is a solid foundation on which the rest of our commerce can grow," she said.

Duffy believes there are too many rules and regulations on businesses.

"If you're a smaller business that employs families in our area, it's harder for those small businesses to comply when you compare them to a big multinational corporation," he said.

Before either candidate can put their ideas into action, there's an election to win.

"When you're going up against an incumbent, you've got to work a lot harder to raise the money, to make sure that you're getting around the district and getting your name recognition up," said Westlund.

"One of the most important things for me is making sure I listen though," Duffy said. "I do a lot of town halls whether they're in person or via telephone and when I have that kind of feedback from people, it lets me make sure I know where the pulse of the district is."

Both candidates urge people to get out and vote on November 4th.

Westlund's campaign tells FOX55 News@9 there is a debate scheduled for October 29th in Wausau between Duffy and Westlund.

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