Northwoods Democrats Vow to Oppose Trump in Their Primary Debate

Voters enter a polling location Tuesday, April 7, 2026, at the McFarland Municipal Center in McFarland, Wis. Angela Major/WPR

The three Democratic candidates for Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District in a primary debate Tuesday all stressed the need to hold the Trump administration accountable — while two of the three stressed the need to work with Republicans on national issues.

During a candidate forum hosted by television station WJFW in Rhinelander, Chris Armstrong, Ginger Murray and Fred Clark discussed national issues such as the war in Iran, affordability, immigration enforcement and the role of Congress.

Each candidate tried to explain how he or she could flip the solidly conservative district, and how they’d work with Republicans on national issues.

Despite consistently calling for holding the administration accountable, when asked by a moderator, only Armstrong said he would vote to impeach President Donald Trump for his actions in office.

“The answer is absolutely,” Armstrong said. “I mean, it is actually the primary foundation of my campaign, which is we need to hold this administration accountable.”

The other two candidates both said there were many concerns about the president, and that Congress should investigate his actions in office.

“I can’t tell you how I would vote on that, but what I can tell you is that the investigations need to begin, that we have all the evidence that we need for violations of the law and corrupt activities that Americans of all political persuasions are seeing and they’re appalled by,” Clark said.

Murray said if the majority of the 434 members of the House of Representatives decided that’s what needed to be done,“I would absolutely support it.”

While the sprawling district, which includes parts central and northwestern Wisconsin and much of the Northwoods, was held by Democratic U.S. Rep. Dave Obey of Wausau for nearly four decades, since 2011 it’s been solidly Republican.

The district is represented by U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, R-Minocqua, who won a special election in 2020 after the resignation from Congress of current U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. Tiffany, who is running for Wisconsin governor, is not seeking reelection. Six Republicans filed to fill his seat, and five remain in the race.

In 2024, Tiffany won re-election in the heavily Republican district by more than 27 points.

Clark, a former member of the Wisconsin Assembly, said during the debate that he knew it would be an uphill battle to win as a Democrat but felt many Wisconsinites were “fed up” with current legislators in Washington and how their choices are affecting everyday people.

The other two candidates echoed that statement. Murray, an attorney who has worked as a public defender and prosecutor, felt the district was ready to flip, and pointed to the landslide election of liberal Judge Chris Taylor in April as a sign rural people were willing to look at individual candidates.

Armstrong, a systems engineer with no prior political experience, was the most vocal in his opposition to Trump. He said he felt he had to stand up to the current administration.

The three Democrats all have policies in line with national party leaders. But Clark and Murray stressed their desire to work with Republicans on most issues.

“I’m looking forward to a new kind of politics,” Clark said.

Murray’s campaign says she’s a “proud Northwoods native,” and wants to focus her time in Congress on fighting bad policy, improving education, economic stability and healthcare.

Armstrong’s website says he wants “sensible agriculture policy” and supports abolishing ICE, taxing corporations and impeaching all leaders of the current administration.

Clark wants to take “Wisconsin-based” policies to Washington, according to his website. Affordability, border security and rural economics are his major concerns.

The candidates gave their stances on several important issues in Wisconsin and nationally.

Iran war

• Clark said Congress needs to assume power over war actions and feels the president is uninterested in solving the issue.
• Murray said she’s against the way the president has gone about it and worried about losing allies around the world. She wouldn’t vote for funds for the war.
• Armstrong says people care about affordability and gas prices, and Trump made the choice affecting both. He doesn’t know how America will leave the war, but feels it will be hard to save face.

Immigration enforcement

• Murray wants reform on both ICE operations and timeframes for noncitizens to apply to become Americans.
• Armstrong doesn’t support any Trump administration policies and feels ICE and Border Patrol need to be held accountable.
• Clark wants immigration enforcement reform but criticized the chaos of Trump administration actions. He wants Congress to look at visa reforms.

Healthcare

• Armstrong expressed support for government healthcare programs and feels there’s no reason not to offer public healthcare options.
• Clark said there were healthcare problems before 2025, however, cuts to healthcare by the Trump Administration need to be fixed first.
• Murray said no matter the past problems, previous healthcare options are better than none. She wants to work with Republicans to find a way to create healthcare plans.

Northwoods Democrats promise to stand up to Trump in primary debate was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.