DNC Day 2: Wisconsin Democrats, Republicans discuss plans to address issues in rural Wisconsin

MARATHON COUNTY, Wis. (WSAW) - The theme of day two of the Democratic National Convention was how Joe Biden will unite Americans struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic and fix what he sees as a leadership deficit.

One group he says he's committed to helping is farmers and rural Americans. Democrats hosted a virtual session to discuss issues facing rural Wisconsin Tuesday afternoon as Republicans held an in-person GOP unity rally in Mosinee.

Democratic Congressman Ron Kind from Wisconsin’s 3rd district said Joe Biden will be an ally in Washington for issues in rural Wisconsin during the pandemic with his “Build Back Better” plan. Rep. Kind’s Republican challenger, former Navy SEAL Derrick Van Orden, said he will be more successful than Rep. Kind at addressing the needs of rural communities.

At a Biden event Tuesday, Congressman Kind says Biden’s plan for rural America is in line with the work he wants to do if reelected.

“Included in it is a major chapter for broadband expansion in rural Wisconsin, rural Iowa, and throughout the country. And included in it is heavy investment in renewable and alternative energy and the role that production agriculture can play in all of this to take us to where we need to go,” he said.

Democratic candidate for Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District Tricia Zunker says part of Biden’s strategy is committing to support policies that benefit farmers, who she believes have been harmed by the Trump presidency.

“A healthy, vibrant rural America is key to our success, and we see that rural communities are struggling. Last year alone, over 800 dairy farms went bankrupt due to Trump’s trade wars. We have to make sure that our small and mid-size farmers are taken care of, that they have access to markets, that they have incentives for use of sustainable, renewable energy,” she said.

Zunker elaborated on the need to address other issues like broadband access, exposed by the pandemic.

“This is something that we saw highlighted with the mandated virtual learning in the spring in the State of Wisconsin, and how many students and teachers couldn’t get online because of broadband issues,” she said.

After speaking to a room of supporters at the GOP rally, Van Orden questioned why Congressman Kind is not on the House Agriculture Committee.

“Ron has been in office coming up on 24 years, he’s senior enough to lead any committee, but he doesn’t even choose to be on the Ag Committee. Actions speak louder than words,” he said.

He believes the president has proven his commitment to farmers with the USMCA trade agreement to replace NAFTA.

“President Trump and Vice President Pence pushed through the USMCA. It was held up for a little over a year by, interestingly enough, Ron Kind and the Ways and Means Committee. Now that that’s being implemented, our trade policies are flattening out,” he said.

Also campaigning for Van Orden and President Trump was a former member of SEAL Team Six who killed Osama Bin Laden, Robert J. O’Neill.

“A lot of people don’t realize that some of the values of the far left are not the values of the people of Wisconsin. We’re just trying to let them know, just because your grandfather was a Democrat, doesn’t mean you are,” O’Neill said.

Republicans at the rally pointed out the president’s visit to Oshkosh as Biden chose to stay home for the DNC due to COVID-19. Republican National Committee Political Director Chris Carr offered two words to describe President Donald Trump’s reelection strategy: “Wisconsin matters.”

“We’re going to win because of the power of volunteers. The volunteers are the ones that talk to the voters. They’re the ones that talk to their neighbors, to their friends, to their colleagues, and there’s really three things that we’ve focused on in the field, fundamentals-- voter registration, voter persuasion of the swing voters and voter turnout,” Carr said.

The Republican National Convention will begin Monday, August 24. Newschannel 7 will have full coverage of the event. The DNC continues through Thursday.

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