Democratic candidates challenging U.S. Rep. Sean Duffy, R-Wis., are taking a stand against the congressman for his failure to react to comments made by President Trump in Helsinki, Finland, this week.

Democratic candidate Margaret Engebretson held a press conference Thursday in Superior, and Dr. Brian Ewert sent out a prepared statement critical of Duffy the same day.

"Just this week, director of National Intelligence, Dan Coats, told us that the warning lights are blinking red - that 'the digital infrastructure that serves this country is literally under attack,'" Engebretson said.

"We also witnessed our president ... hold a joint press conference with Russian president Vladimir Putin, in Helsinki. The demeanor of President Trump was nothing short of servile, while he denigrated American intelligence agencies."

Engebretson said Duffy is using his position as a member of the House of Representatives to systematically undermine the Mueller investigation, which led to the indictments of 12 intelligence agents for cyberattacks on U.S. political organizations in the 2016 election just in the last week.

"Over the past few days, I have waited to see if Congressman Duffy would join the bravest of his colleagues and condemn the comments made by President Trump in regards to NATO and Russia," Ewert said. "An attack on NATO is an attack on the devotion of the greatest generation, who drove back the forces of totalitarianism in Europe, securing a better future for the world. We owe it to that generation and their legacy to support the coalition they formed to keep the forces of evil at bay."

Putin is a dictator who sees the rise of democracy as a threat to his power, Ewert said.

"If a congressman is unable to stand up against a dictator, unable to defend the unprecedented accomplishments of the greatest generation, then he is unworthy of the high honor of representing the 7th District," Ewert said. "The people of the 7th deserve a congressman that will speak out against threats to our freedom. They deserve a congressman brave enough to speak out against a president of his own party."

Engebretson and Ewert face off in the Aug. 14 primary.