Ryan Says He’ll Debate His Democratic Challenger

U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan said he’ll debate his Democratic challenger Rob Zerban at least once this fall, in contrast to 2012, when he refused to engage in a congressional debate during his vice-presidential run.

This year, though Ryan has refused to rule out a bid for president in 2016, he has agreed to at least one debate with Zerban, a Kenosha businessman who is once again vying for the 1st Congressional District after an unsuccessful 2012 bid.

Ryan told a Milwaukee Rotary and Press Club luncheon that he and Zerban are very different politically.

“He’s a liberal progressive who’s very proud of his views, and I’m not,” said Ryan. “I’m a conservative. We have very different governing philosophies. We have very different beliefs on health care and the rest.”

Zerban agreed that he and Ryan are political opposites, and also have some personal differences.

“I’m somebody who started two businesses and met a payroll and had 45 employees. He’s never had that experience,” said Zerban. “Since he’s gotten out of college, he’s been working in Washington, D.C., therefore (he’s) a bureaucrat himself. I think people want someone who’s had practical experience.”

Zerban said that on current issues, one key difference between the two is that he supports the federal government raising the minimum wage. Ryan has said that hiking the minimum wage would hurt too many business and job creation efforts.

The date of the Ryan-Zerban debate has not been set.