There's a clear choice in the election for the 2nd Congressional District seat: Mark Pocan has proven he's an effective representative of his district and deserves another term.
His Republican challenger, Peter Theron, seems to be running a very limited and narrowly-focused campaign. His concerns over unfunded government liability are well-founded. However, he identifies repealing the Affordable Care Act as his top priority; while problems persist with the implementation of Obamacare, we're hard pressed to accept it's the foremost issue on area residents' minds. And his professorial approach seems unlikely to yield results in Washington.
Pocan, for his part, readily acknowledges our current political process is broken, and the legislative process is thwarted by Congressional gridlock. The process is far more partisan than what he encountered during his tenure in the state Assembly before taking over former Rep. Tammy Baldwin's seat two years ago.
Still, that experience put him in good stead for the challenges he faced in Washington over the past two years. And while it's undoubtedly frustrating to see sound bills fall victim to political infighting, Pocan says he's used the past two years to build relationships - and along the way, has learned the value of timing in garnering support for important legislation.
Two years ago, we endorsed him as the best candidate for the 2nd Congressional District in no small part because of this long-view of politics. But we also issued the caveat that those of us living and working outside Madison need and deserve adequate representation. He says he took our words to heart, and has made an effort to travel his entire district, meeting with constituents. We've noticed his efforts and commend him for reaching out to constituents throughout his district.
Pocan continues to grow as a legislator and has shown himself worthy of continued support.
His Republican challenger, Peter Theron, seems to be running a very limited and narrowly-focused campaign. His concerns over unfunded government liability are well-founded. However, he identifies repealing the Affordable Care Act as his top priority; while problems persist with the implementation of Obamacare, we're hard pressed to accept it's the foremost issue on area residents' minds. And his professorial approach seems unlikely to yield results in Washington.
Pocan, for his part, readily acknowledges our current political process is broken, and the legislative process is thwarted by Congressional gridlock. The process is far more partisan than what he encountered during his tenure in the state Assembly before taking over former Rep. Tammy Baldwin's seat two years ago.
Still, that experience put him in good stead for the challenges he faced in Washington over the past two years. And while it's undoubtedly frustrating to see sound bills fall victim to political infighting, Pocan says he's used the past two years to build relationships - and along the way, has learned the value of timing in garnering support for important legislation.
Two years ago, we endorsed him as the best candidate for the 2nd Congressional District in no small part because of this long-view of politics. But we also issued the caveat that those of us living and working outside Madison need and deserve adequate representation. He says he took our words to heart, and has made an effort to travel his entire district, meeting with constituents. We've noticed his efforts and commend him for reaching out to constituents throughout his district.
Pocan continues to grow as a legislator and has shown himself worthy of continued support.
