APPLETON, Wis. (WBAY) – There are two State Senate races in this election. One of the most competitive is in the Fox Valley, which includes the cities of Appleton, Neenah, Menasha and Oshkosh.

The district has an open seat after new redistricting boundaries were signed into law by Gov. Tony Evers.

Democrats hold a five- to six-point advantage among voters in the Senate District 18, but both candidates, Democrat Kristin Alfheim and Republican Dr. Anthony Phillips doesn’t take anything for granted.

While Kristin Alfheim served on the Appleton City Council, Dr. None of the candidates on the ballot are strangers to politics, with Anthony Phillips previously serving on the Governor’s bipartisan maps commission. Phillips has been an oncologist in the Fox Cities for the past 25 years.

“The most important things I hear at the door are economic problems, inflation, realities and the impact on the budget. I have some experience with this. I raised five children. So definitely economic problems. “I want to see a government that is lean and efficient, but I also want to be able to appropriately serve the people of Wisconsin,” said Dr. Anthony Phillips, (R) Senate District 18 Candidate.

“The first thing I say when I go to the doors is who I am, I’m on your ballot. I’m here to listen. What questions do you have or what do you want to tell me because ultimately I don’t care who you vote for, if I win, it’s my job to listen,” said Kristin Alfheim/(D) Candidate for Senate District 18.

Being an Appleton alder, Alfheim says he really understands the issues around shared revenue and how it causes budget problems for some municipalities.

“When the governor talks about potholes, he’s talking about highways. I want to talk about the potholes on Spencer. The road I travel often. These are municipal streets. We don’t have the money to maintain our infrastructure. If we want to help our police department, we need the funds to come back,” Alfheim said.

Both candidates have slightly different ideas on how to spend the state’s budget surplus, but agree it’s an issue voters want addressed after both parties have been unable to reach an agreement for years and the state has a list of needs.

“I think this needs to be returned to taxpayers in some way, maybe in the form of tax deductions. I believe that whatever is spent, any excess spent, should be something that is self-sustaining. I don’t think the legislature should buy something that we’re going to ask taxpayers to put more money into two years from now,” Phillips said.

“We have issues we need to deal with: child care, healthcare, grocery costs, public schools. These are the issues we agree on. So we need people who listen to both sides and work through difficult conversations with some strength to actually get some things done,” Alfheim said.

As a doctor, we also asked Phillips about his stance on abortion, which was revealed in ads run on behalf of his opponent. Phillips says he’s in favor of a state referendum.

“My belief is that I believe in exceptions for rape, incest and maternal health. I hear this a lot at doors. I hear everyone’s opinions. So I’d love to hear more from voters. I trust the voters on this issue,” Phillips said.

Alfheim says realistic solutions are needed regarding inflation.

“There’s pain out there. Whether it’s grocery costs, child care, or health care. We feel pain. The problem is, who’s listening and who’s actually making an effort to fix it, or who’s continuing to poke at what hurts? People are tired of being poked,” Alfheim said.

Currently, Democrats do not hold a single state Senate Seat in Northeast Wisconsin and haven’t since Green Bay’s Dave Hansen retired, opting not to run again in 2020.

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