McGrath campaigns in Eau Claire

Jul. 19—EAU CLAIRE — Deb McGrath's bid for Congress crystallized about 18 months ago, during the January 6 riots at the Capitol.

She saw parallels between what she had encountered in her previous careers in the U.S. Army and, later, the CIA. It worried her.

"Our democracy is at risk," she said. "I've seen how democracies fall and I did see the instability in our country. We can't have politics as normal right now."

McGrath is running for the Democratic Party nomination in Wisconsin's 3rd Congressional District. She brought the campaign to Eau Claire Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning, though it's never really all that far away. McGrath is a Menomonie native and still lives there.

The jump straight into Congress, without first holding other elected offices, might raise eyebrows. But McGrath has a long history hearing about how legislative bodies work. Her father, Al Baldus, served in both the Wisconsin Legislature and in Congress. She said the experience of seeing him work with people and of watching her mother's teaching career still informs her approach.

"I grew up learning to listen," she said.

McGrath is one of four candidates for the Democratic nomination. The winner will face Republican Derrick Van Orden, who is unopposed for his party's nomination. While critical of Van Orden, who McGrath notes was at the rally that preceded the Capitol riots, she also panned outgoing Rep. Ron Kind for his vote on the Active Shooter Alert Act.

The House vote was unusually bipartisan, with 43 Republicans joining 217 Democrats to support the bill. Kind was the sole Democrat to vote against it. That didn't sit well with McGrath, who called the act a "common sense" first step to address gun violence and protect people.

McGrath said both the Army and the CIA depend on people being able to come in from widely varying backgrounds and find common ground. What you think about a given person or issue has to become subordinate to the immediate goal.

The same has to happen in a functioning legislature. No one person is likely to have answers to what McGrath termed "complex problems" facing the country. That includes the recent Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade, which she criticized.

But McGrath said her first priority is the economy. She wants to find ways to lower prices, but also change U.S. tax policies to take pressure off those who have a hard time making ends meet. To her, that also means ensuring a living wage and increasing access to child care for families that need both parents to work.

"For too long our rural areas have been left behind," McGrath said. "We are listening to people's problems. We're really going to rural areas to talk to farmers. The groundswell of support has just been amazing."

While she believes her experiences will help her play a cooperative role, McGrath cautioned people not to confuse that with indecision or being able to take a stand.

"There are concerns and we are addressing them. But I don't have to take a poll to answer a question," she said.