>> In less than a month, voters head to the polls, taking their concerns over the economy.

With them.

Tonight, "Here& Now", reporter Murv Seymour takes us on the campaign trail with both candidates for governor as they try to reach voters.

Wisconsin Steil.

>> Economy wise.

It's mostly don't screw things up.

>> Are the economy rising?

Prices at the pump and grocery stores?

Steady jobs, but stagnant wages.

>> Everyone agrees that the Democrats are the people who are truly talking about affordability.

>> When it comes to making things more affordable, supporters of all political parties believe their party has the answers.

>> I think we're going to have more tax cuts when it comes back to the Republican Party.

>> University of Wisconsin Lafollette School of Public Affairs economy Professor J Michael Collins says in Wisconsin, sure, the unemployment rate is below the national average, but too many families don't bring home enough money.

In his words, economic indicators don't always tell the whole story of how Wisconsinites are coping or how they feel like they're coping.

When it comes to the economy.

>> There's things they can control and things they can't.

So housing, you know, I got to pay.

I got to have a roof over my head.

I got to pay for gas.

I got to get to work.

I have to have transportation.

I have to have to have food for young families, child care in Wisconsin is one of the most expensive states for child care.

These are non-negotiable, right?

So as a result, what gets pushed to the side?

It's, you know, any of the extras, it's the eating out.

It's the, you know, replacing that appliance.

It's, you know, all those other kinds of things that people have to cut back on.

>> Outback of town Center Park in Grand Chute, a 20 year tradition is fully in motion.

>> It's the end of the summer.

This is our annual corn roast.

We got a grill we picked up for like, 20 bucks from a sale, and we're making brats, burgers, hot dogs, and corn.

>> It's an all out patriotic and political picnic for Republican voters and their candidates to meet and greet with each other.

>> So now we know who all the candidates are going to be after that.

You know, you're you're getting ready for the general election.

And so then it becomes who needs what, what strategies we need to implement.

>> In between buttery corn on the cob, brunch and potato salad talk centers around the number one issue for voters nationwide.

The economy.

From the smoky grill, Ben Seguin tells me he wants to see less government spending.

>> Housing is going up.

Gas is going up.

Okay.

There's loads of of increases, right?

Those increases are a reaction to what happened in the past.

Trying to offset them by doing additional spending is ridiculous.

>> Thank you for all you've been doing.

But also the.

>> Chairwoman of the Republican Party in Outagamie County, Pam Van Handel, is the lead organizer of the annual corn roast from the party's headquarters in a nearby strip mall in Appleton, surrounded by campaign signs, shirts, hats and buttons and all things Republican.

Pam tells me part of her job is to rally support for party candidates.

She and her husband run a small machine shop just up the road from here, where the impact of the economy hits close to home, especially for her employees.

Pam would love to see more tax cuts, especially as statewide.

No tax on tips or overtime in Wisconsin.

>> Owning a machine shop with employees that are younger adults trying to buy a home.

Gas, gas and groceries are high.

I think it's tough right now for everybody.

When I talk to, like I said, the age groups of the 30 to 40 year olds and you hear they're not going out and doing stuff and maybe vacationing them as much because all their money has to go into saving for a house, living every day.

We got to get prices down somehow.

And I don't know the answer.

>> Back at the Republican corn Roast, Pam and others hope their candidates do have answers.

When it's time for Tom Tiffany.

All ears are front and center.

>> We're going to add the 400 year property tax increase.

Day one.

We're going to end it.

We're going to make Wisconsin more affordable.

We're going to return all the budget surplus regardless of how much it is.

They're talking $3 billion now or however much it is.

We're returning all of the surplus to you, the people that created it.

>> 160 miles to the east.

[MUSIC] at the La Crosse County Fairgrounds for an annual corn roast of their own.

>> This is Brad Pfaff old fashioned corn roast.

It is a decades old tradition here in La Crosse County.

[MUSIC] >> It's a chance to meet, mingle and get up close and personal with the candidates up and down the Democratic ticket.

>> The general idea is just a really a way for people to come together and learn from each other, and especially hear from candidates, hear from our elected officials, so that we can really understand what's happening all the way in Madison.

>> William Garcia tells me what should be happening is trust in a Democratic led strategy that promises to lower the cost of living.

>> Democrats are the people who are truly talking about affordability.

Were the how to fix property taxes, how to maintain our public schools?

meet the candidates.

>> New to the party.

That's what Robin Schmidt says about being here.

>> It's important to see see our politicians as people, and this event allows you to do that because you can have that one on one face time.

We have a big gap between the folks who have more than enough, and those who are barely getting by.

And to me, I feel like we need to have opportunities for people at the bottom to be able to afford to raise their children, to afford to be able to send them to college someday, to afford groceries, basic needs, and health care costs.

>> Our expectations on the economy is that we elect people who actually care about fixing the economy.

>> The evening ends.

>> Join me in welcoming David Crowley to the stage.

>> With candidate Crowley making his personal pitch at this picnic political rally.

>> Together we will cut taxes.

We will lower health care costs.

We're raising three daughters in the same neighborhood that I grew up in.

And you know what?

We got a mortgage and a car payment to pay as well.

And I live in know firsthand that our economy is not working for folks.

Is it working for you?

No.

Absolutely not.

It's not working for regular people.

And and we also need to make sure that government is that much more transparent and held accountable.

>> Like these two traditional corn roast events candidates, Crowley and Tiffany, may be miles apart when it comes to what it will take to better the economy.

The hope is that talk at these casual and annual picnic style political get togethers gives voters something motivating to chew on before they make their decisions on Election Day.

Reporting from La Crosse in Outagamie County.

I'm Murv Seymour for "Here& Now".

>> And we're going to do it.

>> In the months and weeks ahead of the 2026 midterm ahead of the 2026 midterm