California PAC takes on Duffy

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The 7th Congressional District race in northern Wisconsin has gone radical. Or not.

Last month, U.S. Rep. Sean Duffy, R-Weston, accused the liberal California-based political action committee, CREDO, of following him around as he campaigns in his district, calling them “San Francisco radicals.” CREDO President Becky Bond said Duffy is part of their “Take Down the Tea Party 10” campaign. But she says it’s Duffy who’s radical.

“Our members on the ground, in those congressional districts, they think there’s nothing radical about supporting birth control, Social Security, Medicare, the science behind climate change,” Bond said. “But apparently these Tea Party Republicans are so radical that they want to oppose these common sense programs.”

On Tuesday Duffy held a $1,000-a-person fundraiser … in San Francisco. National Republican Congressional Committee spokeswoman Andrea Bozek said there’s nothing ironic about that.

“Congressman Duffy doesn’t have a problem going into Nancy Pelosi’s hometown and talking to her constituents about how their plans to destroy jobs, continue Obamacare, a radical takeover of health care,” Bozek said. “Sean and his freshman colleagues have really changed the conversation in Washington.”

Adam Klaus is from Watertown, Wis., and works for the CREDO telephone company in San Francisco. He said he doesn’t feel radical.

“I would say that’s something I’ve never heard,” Klaus said. “I mean, like lots of people out here I’m a transplant, and I think my progressive values really come from growing up in Wisconsin.”

Duffy wasn’t available for an interview for this story.

Meanwhile, the National Republican Congressional Committee’s expenditure arm announced Wednesday it was reserving $738,000 in television ad time in the Wausau market for Duffy. The ads would begin running after Labor Day.

Duffy is being challenged for re-election by former State Sen. Pat Kreitlow of Chippewa Falls in what is considered a close race.

In Minnesota, Republicans will spend $856,000 in the Minneapolis market for freshman Republican Chip Cravaack of northern Minnesota’s 8th Congressional District. Cravaack is challenged by three Democratic candidates including former Duluth City Councilor Jeff Anderson, former state Sen. Tarryl Clark, and DFL-endorsed candidate and former U.S. Rep. Rick Nolan.

Wisconsin Public Radio is heard locally on 91.3 KUWS-FM and online at www.wpr.org.

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