Democrat and first-time candidate Kyle Kilbourn is challenging Sen. Tom Tiffany* for the seat in US Congressional District 7, which covers the majority of northwest and north-central Wisconsin (including St. Croix County).

Kyle Kilbourn (D)

Age: 46

Prior elected office(s): First-time candidate.

Occupation/experience: I’ve spent my career as a product designer and researcher, working across industries to find innovative solutions to complex problems, from improving healthcare systems to developing new technologies. I’m not a career politician, and that’s an advantage. Washington needs fresh voices who can break through partisan gridlock and focus on common-sense policies—like lowering prescription drug costs, investing in rural healthcare centers, and ensuring fair wages for working families. My experience isn’t in giving speeches but in getting things done. That’s the approach I’ll take to Congress—bringing practical, innovative thinking to address the real issues folks in rural Wisconsin face every day.

What civic/community organizations do you belong to? I dedicate my time to community organizations like my local lake association and volunteer on county level projects, like giving citizen input on a recent grant around accessible tourism.

Tell us about your family: I grew up in a small town in North Dakota where my dad was in construction and my mom was a waitress. Like many young people in rural areas, I moved to find better opportunities. I like to say that I married into Wisconsin, as my husband grew up in Price County. We have several nieces and nephews in Alaska and Southern Wisconsin and love having them visit us in Northern Wisconsin.

Why are you running for office? What has prepared you to represent the people of Wisconsin's 7th Congressional District? I believe I should represent Wisconsin’s 7th District in the U.S. House because we need to break the gridlock in Washington and stop this toxic culture of extremism and partisanship. The kind of politics we’re seeing today just doesn’t work for rural Wisconsin, where people want common-sense solutions that improve their lives. My opponent’s record shows he’s more interested in fueling division and serving corporate interests over our communities. I’m running to bring fresh leadership focused on what really matters—like expanding healthcare access, protecting body autonomy in healthcare decisions, lowering the cost of living, and safeguarding our natural landscapes from corporate greed and foreign mining interests. I want to make sure we have a government that works for everyone, not just corporations looking to exploit our resources and labor.

What issues do you believe are the most pressing in our district and how would you address them? I’m committed to actually lowering the cost of living, not just talking about it. For example, my opponent voted against the Inflation Reduction Act, which included measures to lower prescription drug prices, cap insulin costs for seniors, and invest in rural healthcare access. He also opposed the Consumer Fuel Price Gouging Prevention Act, which aimed to prevent oil companies from inflating gas prices. These are common-sense solutions that would’ve helped families and seniors in rural Wisconsin, but they were blocked by partisan politics. I’ll support legislation that brings real relief to everyday costs, protects Medicare and Social Security from the spending cuts our current representative supports, and expands healthcare access to ensure our seniors aren’t left behind.

Many voters believe members of both parties are guilty of sticking strictly to their party lines. How will you work with members of the opposite party to get things done in Washington? I come from a background in innovation, where success means bringing together different perspectives to push industries forward. I believe in finding common ground on kitchen table issues that matter to everyday people, like lowering costs and expanding healthcare access, especially in rural areas like ours. I take a co-governance approach, listening and working with the people to get things done. On the other hand, my opponent showed his loyalty to a broken system when he used one of his first votes in 2021 to subvert our democracy and voted to decertify a free and fair election. That’s not just partisanship—it’s a betrayal of our Constitution and all those who’ve sacrificed for it. We need leaders who respect democracy and focus on what matters to people, not just playing political games.

What would you do to address immigration if elected? What are the issues? How do you solve them? If you look at the data, illegal immigration is a non-issue in Wisconsin, no matter how often extremists like Tom Tiffany try to sound the alarm to distract the public from the corporate tax cuts that are actually cratering the job market. The real threat isn’t immigrants taking jobs—it’s foreign mining interests and corporations avoiding their fair share of taxes and recording massive profits that never filter down to local economies. In fact, my opponent and his allies in Congress intentionally blew up a bipartisan immigration deal that would have fixed the border and given border patrol what they needed—all so it would be an election year issue. To me, breaking something and then putting the blame on someone else is behavior that belongs in a children’s schoolyard, not the halls of Congress. If elected, I would support the bipartisan bill that was ready for passage in Congress, which would have provided resources and funding for border patrol to enhance security, streamlined our immigration process to reduce backlogs and inefficiencies, and offered long-overdue protections for Dreamers to ensure they have a clear path to citizenship and stability in our communities.

What policies would you propose to make life more affordable for Wisconsin residents? To make life more affordable for Wisconsin residents, I would focus on lowering healthcare costs, starting with capping the price of essential medications like insulin—something our current representative, Tom Tiffany, voted against. I also support increasing Social Security benefits and protecting Medicare from cuts that hurt our seniors. Beyond healthcare, we need to rein in corporate greed by ensuring that big corporations pay their fair share of taxes. When the wealthy and corporations get tax breaks while Main Street struggles, it stifles consumer spending and hurts local businesses. Let’s put policies in place that actually benefit working and middle-class families.

Why should people vote for you? People should vote for me because I believe in creating a new dawn in our politics—not by reinventing something new, but by returning to a time when government actually worked together. A time when neighbor helped neighbor, and we held our representatives accountable if they weren't serving us or if they were corrupt. I have a clear vision that focuses on rural Wisconsin, prioritizing the needs of our communities over the interests of foreign mining companies and large corporations buying up our natural landscapes. We have one of the most beautiful backyards in the USA, and we must protect it while ensuring the people who live here have the opportunity not just to get by, but to get ahead. It’s time for fresh leadership that puts people and place first.

Tom Tiffany* (R)

Sen. Tom Tiffany did not respond to the Journal’s questionnaire.

According to his website biography (tiffany.house.gov), Tiffany was elected to the 7^th Congressional District of Wisconsin in May 2020 in a special election for the seat. Prior to his time in Congress, Tiffany served in the Wisconsin State Assembly and State Senate District 12.

Tiffany grew up on a dairy farm near Elmwood and graduated from UW-River Falls with a degree in agricultural economics. He and wife Chris owned and operated Wilderness Cruises in Wisconsin’s Northwoods for 20 years; he also served as the damtender on the Willow Flowage for 29 years.

He served as a supervisor on the Rice Town Board for two terms before running for State Assembly in 2010.