U.S. Rep. Tony Wied of De Pere is running for reelection against Democrat Rick Crosson of Green Bay in the Nov. 3 midterm election.
Wied, a Republican, represents the 8th Congressional District, which includes all or parts of Brown, Calumet, Door Kewaunee, Marinette, Menominee, Oconto, Outagamie, Shawano, Waupaca and Winnebago counties.
The candidates were sent surveys by the Northeastern Wisconsin News Lab as part of its coverage of the 2026 election.
Early, in-person voting starts Oct. 20. To find out the races on your ballot, where to vote or how to get an absentee ballot, go to MyVote Wisconsin website at myvote.wi.gov.
Age: 68
Residence: Green Bay
Occupation/employer: Retired transportation/logistics executive in deBoer Transportation and retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel
Relevant experience: 20 years as a U.S. Army officer, retiring as a lieutenant colonel and Master Army Aviator. Mexico Liaison Officer for U.S. Army Forces Command. Chief operating officer of transportation and logistics companies, retiring from deBoer Transportation. Green Bay School Board. Brown County Library Board. UW-Stevens Point Business Advisory Council. Master of public administration, Golden Gate University. B.S., Seattle University. Army Command and General Staff College.
Campaign website: www.rickcrosson.com; https://www.facebook.com/crossonforcongress
Age: 50
Residence: De Pere
Occupation/employer: Member of Congress
Relevant experience: I am a proud lifelong resident of Northeast Wisconsin, a former small business owner and a political outsider. For nearly three decades, my wife Angela and I ran our gas station and convenience store business (Dino Stop), employing hundreds of local workers, all while raising our four sons. I brought my experience as a business owner, along with my outsider perspective, to Washington, and I have been proud to fight for the great people of northeast Wisconsin for the last two years.
Campaign website: facebook.com/profile.php?id=61559139311009 and tonywiedforcongress.com
Crosson: Yes. I’m already doing town halls across the district. These will continue with regularity when I become the representative. It is part of being accountable to the people.
Wied: In recent years, in-person town halls have become nothing more than unproductive spectacles in which folks often scream, shout and drown out any meaningful conversation. This happens on both sides of the aisle. I have held multiple tele-town halls that let us reach tens of thousands of constituents at once and respond to questions from all over the district – something that would not be possible with an in-person setting. Most importantly, I meet with hundreds of constituents each week in real, organic settings. I meet people where they are.
Crosson: Affordability starts with the things Congress actually controls. End a war Congress never authorized, which is draining money we need at home. Reclaim the power of the purse, war powers and tariff authority from the executive branch, so trade decisions stop being made without us. Raise the minimum wage to a living wage and index it so it keeps pace with costs. Restore the food and housing assistance that was cut. Bring down health premiums. Go after the price gouging and consolidation driving everyday prices up. Then measure whether it worked, and report those numbers publicly.
Wied: Under the Biden administration, families across our country faced decade-high inflation (9.1%), out-of-control mortgage rates and a loss of almost $3,000 in purchasing power. Republicans took action, and inflation dropped to the lowest point in six years, mortgage rates eased and real wages outpaced inflation. I was proud to vote for the Working Families Tax Cuts, which delivered the largest tax cuts in history. Republicans are working for you to reverse the damage of the previous administration and put more money back into people’s pockets. While more work remains, I am proud of what we have accomplished.
Crosson: I’m for closing every tax loophole favoring millionaires, billionaires and mega corporations, and build a tax code that reaches wealth, not just wages. The wealthiest take no paycheck. End “buy, borrow, die” leveraging of assets, borrowing against them for cash without triggering a taxable sale and passing them down at a stepped-up value. We need a minimum tax on wealth at the top, no more stepped-up basis at death and large loans against appreciated assets treated as income. Lift the Social Security wage cap, so income above $184,500 pays in like every dollar below it.
Wied: We need to do everything in our power to make the positive changes from the Working Families Tax Cuts permanent. Americans are seeing the impact of these tax cuts through provisions like no tax on tips and overtime, an increased Child Tax Credit, the largest tax deductions for seniors in American history, the elimination of the death tax and more. We, as members of Congress, need to ensure these life-changing provisions last beyond this administration and continue improving Americans’ lives. In addition, Congress should work to simplify the tax code and restrict tax increases that oppose individual economic success.
Crosson: Automation is not new to me. I ran companies that automated work. Done right, it makes the job better. Done carelessly, the cost lands on the worker. Congress should start with a clear, honest look at where AI is replacing work and where it is not, because the hype runs ahead of the facts in both directions. Then act. Fund retraining through our technical colleges and apprenticeships, tied to real jobs. Don’t allow the tax code to make replacing a worker cheaper than training one. Make sure data centers deliver the jobs and pay the power costs they promise.
Wied: As Americans, we never shy away from new opportunities or challenges. We conquered the frontier, saved millions from tyranny, landed on the moon and created the best economic opportunity for individuals to rise. We should apply the same principles to our approach to AI, while ensuring we protect and prepare our workers. We must lead the world in the AI race and ensure our adversaries, like China, do not get ahead. However, we must also ensure reasonable safeguards to protect personal privacy, hold companies accountable for wrongdoing and allow Americans to decide whether they want data centers in their neighborhoods.
Crosson: I served on the Green Bay School Board. I gained a unique perspective regarding the rise in special educational needs of our student population. We need to fully fund all federal and state special education programs. This is a critical investment. I will fight for that.
Wied: We need to empower local communities and parents, not Washington bureaucrats. We can do this by continuing to cut waste, fraud and abuse in programs meant to help children and ensuring resources directly benefit those they are intended for. Special education, school meals, Head Start and all other programs intended to help our future generations operate best under local control, not administratively bloated national organizations. We should also expand school choice and protect parental rights to ensure families have ultimate control in deciding what is right for their children, especially children with special needs.
Crosson: Most of Wisconsin’s backlog is a state responsibility, so let me be specific about where Congress actually has leverage. Expand the number of federal district judges via legislation. Fund the John R. Justice program, which repays student loans for public defenders and prosecutors, because Wisconsin’s backlog is driven by an attorney shortage more than anything else. Expand federal justice assistance grants so counties can add capacity on their own terms. And de-schedule marijuana, which clears federal dockets.
Wied: To alleviate court backlogs, we need to be tough on crime. We need to let our law enforcement officers do their jobs, and we need to make sure prosecutors put criminals away. We need to enforce the laws that are already on the books, and when a criminal is caught, they need to be put away. Soft-on-crime policies result in criminal recidivism, in which the same individuals often cycle through the system, resulting in backlogs. Congress needs to support tougher enforcement, including deporting illegal aliens, to stop repeat offenders and take strain off our system.
Crosson: My last role as an Army lieutenant colonel was counter drug operations along our Southwest border. I know the realities. Our resources should be focused on the sources of narcotics trafficking. We should work with our neighboring countries to address the root causes of narco-terrorism. We should also focus here at home on the causes of our illegal drug demands as well as improving our support resources for drug and alcohol abuse.
Wied: Two words: Border security. Under the Biden administration, upwards of 10 million people came into our country illegally. This abhorrent mismanagement has downstream effects and connected issues. We need to end catch-and-release as well as fully fund and support our hardworking law enforcement officers, Border Patrol agents and ICE agents. Through our support, they will continue to stop fentanyl and cartel operations at the source and send back anyone who made it through previously. Ending soft-on-crime policies and deporting criminals will take the strain off local law enforcement.
Crosson: Climate change is real and significant. This is a subject that has been assessed and studied expansively over time. We need to take an unbiased, objective look at the data and factors affecting our climate, and resolve to do all that is humanly possible to address the problems. The warnings have been sounding for years. It’s time for the government to do whatever it can to mitigate climate change before it’s too late.
Wied: The solution to any climate concerns, human-caused or natural, is to expand nuclear energy. We need to stay energy-dominant and oppose all Green New Deal-aligned policies that harm our farmers, manufacturers and families. Unleash American energy independence.
Crosson: This is an unresolved, critical issue! Areas like Marinette and Peshtigo are experiencing high levels of PFAS contamination. The recent fines levied against the perpetrators fell far short of a remedy. There are still the unresolved issues and seeming conflict between the need to use biosolids as fertilizer. Remediation costs should employ a formula commensurate with the scope of damages.
Wied: While I believe PFAS regulation is more effectively handled by states, I support practical efforts to clean up contaminated sites and to protect the health of Wisconsinites and the environment. This is an incredibly pertinent issue in northeast Wisconsin, and it should continue to be addressed locally. This is why I cosponsored HR 1267, to ensure that water systems which filter and manage PFAS, which are removed from the water supply, are not held liable as polluters.
Non-citizen immigrants make up a significant portion of the home health and nursing home workforce. What do you think about federal immigration policy, especially as it relates to the immigrant workforce among
Crosson: Our immigration laws are outdated and severely limiting for those seeking a pathway to citizenship and for those seeking work opportunities. Congress needs to enact reformed legislation to resolve these problems. This issue is among my priority initiatives.
Wied: American jobs are for American citizens. We need to keep building and supporting our workforce and do everything in our power to protect our American workers. My role as a congressman is to serve the interests of our citizens, not illegal aliens.
This story was produced as part of the NEW (Northeast Wisconsin) News Lab, a consortium of five news outlets.
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