Tom Tiffany faces Tricia Zunker in the May 12 election for Wisconsin's 7th Congressional District.

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Weeks after the state's first pandemic election, another is set for later this month in northern Wisconsin

JACK KELLY Medill News Service 8 hrs ago

Tiffany-Zunker

Tom Tiffany faces Tricia Zunker in the May 12 election for Wisconsin's 7th Congressional District.



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Just weeks after the controversial decision to hold Wisconsin’s early April elections amid a pandemic, voters in Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District are being asked to return to the polls on May 12.

The special election in Wisconsin’s northernmost congressional district will decide who fills the vacancy left by Republican Rep. Sean Duffy, who resigned from his U.S. House seat in September. It pits state Sen. Tom Tiffany, R-Minocqua, against Democrat Tricia Zunker, who is Wausau’s School Board president and an associate justice on the Ho-Chunk Nation Supreme Court. The winner will serve only until January; the seat will be up for grabs again in November.

In pre-election fundraising totals reported Thursday, Tiffany brought in $145,000 during the first three weeks of April, bringing his fundraising total to more than $1.35 million. Over the same period, Zunker raised just shy of $155,000. To date, the tribal judge has raised just over $450,000.

The district, which encompasses much of northwestern Wisconsin, was traditionally a Democratic stronghold. Dave Obey held the seat for 42 years until his retirement a decade ago. He was succeeded by Duffy, who first won the seat in 2010. Since redistricting after the 2010 Census, the district has voted 8 percentage points more Republican than the national average in the last two presidential elections, according to the Cook Political Report, a nonpartisan election tracker.

With the April 7 election behind them, municipal clerks in the district say they feel more prepared to manage the election during a pandemic.
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Broadband access is “essentially a utility at this point,” she said, adding “we see that now more than ever with COVID-19 with students that don’t have access to their classes because they can’t get online.”

If elected, Zunker would make history on several accounts. She would be the first Native American to represent Wisconsin in Congress, which she said would be a “deep honor” and “quite humbling.” Additionally, she would be the first woman to represent the district and would be just the second single parent currently serving in Congress.

If she loses, she said, she is “absolutely running again” in November.

“I’m ready to work hard for the people of Wisconsin in Congress,” Zunker said.............................