, ,

2 Democrats Make Primary Ballot To Face Sean Duffy In 7th Congressional District

Margaret Engebretson, Brian Ewert Will Compete To Take On 4-Term Republican

By
Ballot and voting machine
Ingmar Zahorsky (CC-BY-NC-ND)

The August 14 primary ballot in northern Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District will feature just two Democrats.

Margaret Engebretson and Brian Ewert were the only announced candidates to file enough signatures to make it on the ballot, according to the Wisconsin Elections Commission. They will compete to take on four-term Republican U.S. Rep. Sean Duffy.

Engebretson is a Polk County attorney, military veteran and former union worker. She said universal health care is her top priority.

Stay informed on the latest news

Sign up for WPR’s email newsletter.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

“I have a history of fighting for what I believe is right. I’ve worked most my life in male-dominated fields, and I had to fight for a place for myself to be heard,” Engebretson said. “As an attorney I focus most of my legal work as a guardian ad litem, which is an attorney that advocates for the best interests of children and vulnerable adults.”

Ewert is a physician and a former CEO of the Marshfield Clinic. He said he decided to run when Duffy voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act.

“What fired me up was that the bill Rep. Duffy voted for last summer would have hurt the very people who I spend my day taking care of, and that’s really what motivated me,” Ewert said. “Universal, affordable health care is a right that all Americans are entitled to.”

Ewert favors a public option so people can get Medicare-style coverage in the ACA exchange. Engebretson favors a single-payer health care system that would take the responsibility for insurance away from businesses.

“I’ve spoken to a lot of small business owners. I was a small business owner,” Engebretson said. “A lot of these folks don’t take on employees because they can’t afford to pay for their insurance.”

Ewert also said Duffy has not met the district’s needs for rural broadband and infrastructure spending.

“The people of the 7th district have been left behind,” Ewert said. “After eight years, it’s time for someone to step up who has spent his life solving problems and creating solutions. It’s what I’ve done as a physician. It’s what I’ve done as a health care leader.”

Several Democrats who announced their candidacies either dropped out of the race or didn’t turn in enough signatures to qualify for the primary ballot.

Bob Look, a former broadcaster and advocate for gun safety legislation, said on his Facebook page that he would mount a write-in campaign.

Kyle Frenette, manager of Bon Iver, dropped out of the race because of what he called “unforeseen circumstances.”

Ken Driessen, of Hayward, an independent candidate, turned in enough signatures to appear on the November general election ballot.

Mark Bednar, campaign spokesman for Duffy, predicted in a written response that Engebretson and Ewert would have a “raucous primary.”

“Margaret Engebretson is too progressive and Brian Ewert is simply out of touch for the people of central, northern, and western Wisconsin,” Bednar said. “Meanwhile, Congressman Sean Duffy is going to continue to fight to strengthen middle-class Wisconsin families with tax reform, new job opportunities, real wage growth and reducing Washington red tape to ensure our workers can thrive in today’s economy.”

Editor’s note: This story was updated at 11:40 a.m. Tuesday, June 5, 2018 to include a comment from Duffy’s campaign.