Pocan to Reject Corporate PAC Dollars

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Representative Mark Pocan (WI-02) today announced that he is no longer accepting donations from corporate political action committees to fund his re-election campaign. Pocan joins 36 newly elected House Democrats and 5 returning House Democrats in rejecting corporate PAC funding. Nearly ten percent of the House of Representatives now no longer accepts these donations.

“I’m incredibly inspired by the 36 newly elected House Democrats who are committed to changing the way Washington works and as a result, have decided to join them in their efforts. With nearly ten percent of the House of Representatives now rejecting corporate money, we can show that Washington should work for average Americans, not big corporate special interests,” said Pocan. “While I have always made decisions based on the best interest of Wisconsin’s 2nd Congressional District, I believe that elected representatives must be transparent in demonstrating that they are working on behalf of the people, not corporations.”

“Mark Pocan has spent his career standing up to special interests on behalf Wisconsin families, and he’s fought for reforms to unrig the system so that people have a greater voice in their government,” said Tiffany Muller, president of End Citizens United. “Now, he’s showing even more leadership by refusing to take corporate PAC money, further demonstrating to his constituents that he will always put them first. End Citizens United applauds Representative Pocan, and we are proud to stand with him to put the power of our democracy in the hands of the people.”

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Pocan Calls on Steil to Demand Ryan Super PAC Take Down Divisive Ad

MADISON, WI – U.S. Representative Mark Pocan (WI-02) today called on Bryan Steil to demand Paul Ryan’s Super PAC take down its latest ad. The ad features Randy Bryce’s brother and has opened a family feud on the matter, with Bryce’s mother calling for Ryan’s super PAC to take the ad off the air.

“Wisconsinites deserve leaders who will do the right thing, and by refusing to call for Paul Ryan’s super PAC to take this shameful ad off the air, Bryan Steil is engaging in the same slimy tactics that Ryan has engaged in for years. Steil’s silence on the matter shows that he’s more loyal to Ryan and his billionaire donors, than he is to the people of Wisconsin’s 1st Congressional District,” said Pocan. “While this ad is exactly the Washington-style politics that people in Wisconsin hate, at least voters now know that Brian Steil is just another swamp creature trying to make his way back to Washington. Don’t buy Steil’s claim that he wants to replace Washington-style politics with Wisconsin-style solutions. He’s not Bryan Steil, he’s Washington-style.”

Rep. Mark Pocan: Dem gubernatorial candidates must focus on Walker, not each other

Over the next month, Democratic candidates for governor will make their closing arguments to Wisconsin voters, working to set themselves apart from the rest of the field and earn a spot on the general election ballot. With eight candidates still vying for the nomination, voters have strong choices to defeat Gov. Scott Walker in November. However, if we want to be successful, Democrats must focus on Gov. Walker’s failures and show Wisconsin voters their vision for the state, rather than attacking each other. That’s why I was so glad to see the Democratic candidates all agreeing to clean campaigning.

Gov. Walker is an extremely vulnerable incumbent who has failed to live up to his most basic promises, including an unfilled pledge from 2010 that he would create 250,000 jobs by the end of his first term. The governor himself recognizes his vulnerabilities, which is likely one of the reasons why he sold out Wisconsin to Foxconn, signing into law $4.5 billion in tax breaks and giveaways that will take the state 25 years to recover — and that’s just the conservative estimate.

Gov. Walker has put a foreign corporation — one with a long record of worker and environmental abuses — before the state of Wisconsin. While our roads crumble and education system falters, the governor is focused on a nearly decade-old broken promise while lobbying for the praise of President Trump. And his disastrous leadership continues with his efforts to hollow out K-12 education funding. The perfect storm of Gov. Walker’s failures and the coming Democratic wave give us our best shot in years at winning the governorship, and for exactly this reason, Democrats must focus on the road ahead, not attacking each other.

I’m encouraged by the Democratic candidates agreeing to run clean campaigns. In a recent Wisconsin State Journal article, many of the candidates immediately agreed to a clean campaign pledge. Mahlon Mitchell and Tony Evers made a commitment to running clean campaigns by refusing to go negative. Josh Pade and Kelda Roys both signed on as well, agreeing to stay positive and focus on their visions for the state. Kathleen Vinehout and Mike McCabe both said they would keep their longstanding commitments of not going negative. And Matt Flynn said that he would not do any personal attacks, while Paul Soglin noted his history of running clean campaigns.

As someone who has run many campaigns, I understand the lure to go negative, the pressure from consultants and pollsters, and the desire to settle scores when you feel as though you’ve been wronged. However, Gov. Walker has set Wisconsin on the wrong path forward and we can’t change our state’s trajectory if we spend resources and time attacking each other.

Regardless which of Democratic candidate becomes the nominee, we will have a stronger candidate than Republicans going into the general election and we must ensure that individual is not weighed down by bruises and cuts from the primary election. We have our best shot of winning in November if every candidate focuses on Gov. Walker, while showing voters the positive vision their campaigns offer. The stakes are too high for cheap shots, personal attacks, and misguided campaign tactics. I commend the eight gubernatorial candidates for their strong statements on clean campaigning.

Read the original article here.

Congressman Mark Pocan to hold an Adopt-a-District Town Hall in Janesville with Candidate Randy Bryce at 1pm Saturday

MADISON – Congressman Mark Pocan & candidate Randy Bryce will hold a public town hall forum Saturday, April 7th at 1pm at the UAW Building. The event is being held in conjunction with students with March For Our Lives. The event is listed on www.TownHallProject.com and is open to the media and the public.

While Speaker Paul Ryan continues to refuse to hold public town hall forums in his own district, Congressman Mark Pocan (WI-02) has held a series of town halls in Mr. Ryan’s district. Pocan is pleased that Ryan’s opponent, Randy Bryce, will join him at this town hall.

  • WHAT: Adopt-a-District Town Hall Forum with Congressman Mark Pocan & Candidate Randy Bryce
  • WHEN: Saturday, April 7th @ 1pm
  • WHERE: United Auto Workers Building, 1795 Lafayette Street, Janesville, WI 53546

RSVP’s are encouraged via Facebook but not required: register here

Congressman Mark Pocan to hold Town Hall Thursday

MADISON – Congressman Mark Pocan will hold a town hall forum this week to
discuss the hot topics of the day and preview the upcoming 2018 elections. This is
an opportunity for people to discuss both public policy and campaign strategy
with their Congressman, as we get ready for next year’s state and federal
elections.

  • WHAT: Town Hall Forum with Congressman Mark Pocan
  • WHEN: August 24th from 5:30pm – 6:30pm
  • WHERE: South Central Federation of Labor, 2nd floor (1602 S. Park St., Madison, WI, 53715)

RSVP’s are encouraged via Facebook but not required: https://www.facebook.com/events/343472902758890/?active_tab=about

This event is free and open to both the public and the media.