Tom Palzewicz is the Democrat running for Congress in Wisconsin's 5th Congressional District. He is a small-business owner and Navy Veteran running against Scott Fitzgerald in this traditionally red district.

BROOKFIELD, WI - Greetings, my name is Tom Palzewicz. I am a small-business owner, Navy Veteran, and Democrat running for Congress in Wisconsin's 5th Congressional District. I'm running because our country lacks vision. We are at a crossroads for our Democracy, and the stakes are high for our country. When I got into this race, I looked forward to an honest exchange of ideas and solutions. Unfortunately, my opponent, Scott Fitzgerald, has been unwilling to engage in this fundamentally democratic exercise.

The central tenet of our Democracy is debate. We will never agree with anyone on everything, nor were we meant to. Still, the ability to find common ground is almost impossible without a free-flowing exchange of ideas. A series of debates provides voters a window into the policy solutions we offer as prospective representatives. I am ready, willing, and eager to engage in a robust, open, and respectful conversation with Senator Fitzgerald because it is what the voters deserve. After sending letters, making phone calls, and reaching out across various channels, Fitzgerald still declines the opportunity to make his case to the voters and defend his ideas. I know the voters of this district, not as Republicans or Democrats, but as my friends, family, and neighbors. I know that no matter what party you identify with, you welcome solutions, and you welcome debates.

Party loyalty has sadly been absolute at the federal level of our government. In the White House, Senate, and even here in Wisconsin the “with us or against us" mentality is pervasive. I know Wisconsinites are better than this. Instead of placing the country's needs first and having real conversations about our values and ideas, we are dividing almost everything by fealty to party and raw power acquisition. We have not had a reasonable discussion about how to solve our most pressing issues. We are amid a pandemic that claimed the lives of over 200,000 Americans, we see racial injustice violently unfold before our eyes, and we are witnessing an unrelenting climate crisis. No matter how great these challenges may seem, we can overcome them through the American spirit of dialogue, discussion, and yes, debate.

WISCONSIN -- Today, three women veterans from Wisconsin’s Third Congressional District will hold a press conference expressing their outrage following revelations of Derrick Van Orden’s troubling history of sexual harassment in the United States Navy. 

Last week, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel first reported that in his 2015 book, Derrick Van Orden bragged about sexually harassing two women naval officers by exposing them to a male Lieutenant’s genitals without their consent. 

WHAT: A video press call with three women veterans from Wisconsin’s Third Congressional District expressing their disgust in Derrick Van Orden’s history of sexual harassment in the Navy.

WHO: Three women veterans from Wisconsin’s Third Congressional District.

WHEN: TODAY, October 1st, 11:00 AM CT