GREEN BAY (NBC26) — The two candidates for Wisconsin's 8th congressional district, Dr. Kristin Lyerly(D) and Tony Wied(R), debated each other on Friday night.
- Attendees felt the debate was civil.
- The candidates were asked questions on the economy, inflation, immigration, abortion, student loans and mental health.
- The candidates will appear on the ballot twice– to finish out the 2024 term and to take the seat in 2025.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story, edited for web.)
After the debate, both candidates felt the event went well.
"I love that we had the opportunity to talk about all these things that Northeastern Wisconsin, Wisconsinites are thinking about," Dr. Lyerly said.
"I think it went great, and this is the American way, this is freedom of speech, the first amendment, and I think we as people that want to serve this country need to be able to be out in the public," Wied said.
The debate was an hour, and both candidates were given 90 seconds to answer each question and a 60 second response.
Inflation was referenced throughout the debate.
Wied blamed poor federal budgeting for inflation, and he said better use of federal dollars would be a solution.
"Where does it come from?" he said. "It comes from the reckless spending that we continue to see in Washington. and during this administration."
Dr. Lyerly said she would look into incentives for first time home buyers and developers.
"Because home ownership is a step in upward mobility," she said.
On immigration, Dr. Lyerly said she supports the most recent bipartisan border bill voted down by congress,
Wied said the bill did not go far enough and that he supports former president Donald Trump's border policy.
On abortion, Dr. Lyerly said she supports reinstating Roe v. Wade, while Wied said he wants to leave abortion laws to the state.
Attendees felt the debate was civil.
"I thought they both did a really good job. they kept the rhetoric down, answered the questions and they hit the topics," Gary VandeHei, a local voter, said after the debate.
Multiple times, Dr. Lyerly referenced Trump as the "person who pulls Tony Wied's strings."
In response after the debate, Wied said he's still an independent thinker.
“It's certainly an honor to have the 45th president's endorsement, but look, I'm an independent thinker," he said. "I believe in the policies of president Trump. I believe we were better off during his presidency.”
Previously, Wied has made a similar critique of Dr. Lyerly, calling her a "rubber stamp" of the Biden-Harris Administration.
“I mean, my opponent literally has Donald Trump's names on his yard signs, all over his website and in his rhetoric," Dr. Lyerly said in response after the debate. "I'm a democrat. Kamala Harris is a democrat, but it's not nearly the kind of rubber stamp that Tony Wied has.”
Both candidates will appear on the ballot twice this November– once for a special election and once for the general election.
The general election will determine who takes the seat in 2025.
The special election will determine who takes over the current seat for the rest of 2024, which was left empty after Mike Gallagher resigned.
