Mark Pocan

Mark Pocan

Candidate for U.S. Representative District 2

Candidate Information

Candidate Statement

Candidate Biography

Mark Pocan has a long record as an effective progressive leader. In 2013, Mark took his 14 years of experience in the Wisconsin state Assembly to Congress, where he has continued to fight for progressive values. Mark’s political roots took hold in blue-collar Kenosha, Wisconsin, where he got his start at age 8 delivering campaign literature door- to-door for his father, a longtime city alderman. Pocan came to Madison to attend college and shortly after earning a degree in journalism in 1986, opened up his own small business — a union printing company he continues to own and run today. His active years at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in College Democrats led to his election in 1991 to the Dane County Board of Supervisors where he served Madison’s downtown community for three terms. In 1998, he was elected to succeed his long-time friend and ally Tammy Baldwin as the state representative from the 78th District, when she left for Congress. He again succeeded Baldwin in the U.S. House of Representatives after she was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2012. As a small-business owner, union member and lifelong advocate for progressive causes, Pocan brings his unique experience from both the private and public sector to promote job growth and support the families of south central Wisconsin. In Congress, he serves on both the Budget Committee and the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and has been appointed an Assistant Minority Whip. In his first term, Mark has been a champion for the issues that impact the people of south-central Wisconsin. He sponsored key legislation to raise the minimum wage, making college more affordable, and close tax loopholes that allow large corporations to avoid paying their taxes in the United States and ship jobs overseas. Mark has a strong reputation, even among his opponents, as a legislator who fights hard, but fair. He knows how to bridge political divides and set aside ideology to achieve key victories without compromising his progressive values. This unique combination earned him the Congressional Progressive Caucus Newcomer of the Year Award in 2014. Mark is a fierce advocate for the common sense values we hold dear in south central Wisconsin. He has fought hard against the entrenched special interests standing in the way of moving our country forward. Pocan firmly believes in what the late Minnesota Senator Paul Wellstone famously said, “We all do better when we all do better.” That should be the goal for all progressives as we move forward in this campaign. Pocan and his husband, Phil married in Canada in 2006. They live in the Town of Vermont, Wisconsin.

Source: From candidate website