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7th Congressional Candidates Spar Over Money In Politics, Climate Change

Candidates Also Critical Of Other Party's Presidential Nominees

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The candidates for northern Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District sparred Thursday night in Wausau over money in politics and energy policy. Democrat Mary Hoeft is trying to unseat three-term incumbent Republican Sean Duffy.

At the debate in Wausau, Duffy asked Hoeft to repudiate negative ads being run against him.

“There’s only one dark money group that’s running ads in this district today, and it’s an ad against me,” Duffy said.

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Hoeft attacked Duffy for his fundraising activity. Corporate donations to Duffy’s campaign influenced Duffy’s positions on climate change and the environment, Hoeft said.

“Sean Duffy chairs a bank oversight committee and recently accepted more than $400,000 in political contributions from bankers,” she said.

Hoeft later added, “Climate change is real. We must act now. We must act fast.”

Duffy said he was trying to keep energy costs low for the people in the district.

“I don’t know about you, Mary, but if you want to try to heat your house in January with solar panels and windmills, good luck with that,” Duffy said.

The candidates both said they opposed the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal and criticized each other’s support for their party’s presidential nominees.

Hoeft was critical of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and the news of his alleged sexual assaults of women that have surfaced within the last months of the election.

“This is a man who has made it clear in his boasts, in his rants, that he has sexually abused women,” Hoeft said.

Duffy was equally critical of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and the FBI’s investigation into her use of a private email server while she was secretary of state.

“There is only one candidate that’s being investigated by the FBI right now, and that’s Hillary Clinton,” Duffy said.