Fred Clark

Fred Clark is the Democratic nominee for the open 7th District. A forester and small-business owner, he served in the Wisconsin State Assembly from 2009 to 2015 and has served on state conservation and tourism bodies. He is running for Congress after relocating to Bayfield County.[1][2][3]

Clark earned a bachelor's degree from Michigan State University in 1985 and a master's degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1992.[1] He has worked as a forester and land manager: a service forester and consultant with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, a forest ecologist for The Nature Conservancy, and owner of Clark Forestry, Inc.[1][2][4] The Wisconsin Examiner also reports that he was executive director and a founding board member of Wisconsin Green Fire.[4]

Clark was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly and represented District 81 from 2009 to 2015; in 2009-2010 he was vice chair of the Forestry committee and of Tourism, Recreation and State Properties.[1] In 2011 he ran in a recall election against Republican state Sen. Luther Olsen in Senate District 14 and lost, 52.1% to 47.8%, and he won re-election to the Assembly in 2012.[1]

According to UpNorthNews, Clark has served on the Wisconsin Council on Forestry, the Wisconsin Council on Tourism and the state Natural Resources Board, and provides forestry management consulting services.[3] A Democrat from Bayfield, he said in 2025 that he has been involved in conservation and environmental policy and community volunteering in Bayfield County since leaving the legislature.[2][3] He announced his candidacy on October 1, 2025, after incumbent Tom Tiffany decided to run for governor, and won the August 11, 2026 Democratic primary with 37.5% over Ginger Murray and Chris Armstrong.[3][1]

Researched from the cited sources on 2026-10-21.