Mark Pocan WRN file photo
Mark Pocan received quite a present for his 48th birthday – the Democratic nomination for the Madison area’s U.S. House seat. The veteran state representative received 72 percent of the vote Tuesday, defeating fellow Assembly Democrat Kelda Helen Roys of Madison, who got 22 percent. Matt Silverman had four-percent, and Dennis Hall two-percent. Pocan will now face Republican Chad Lee of Mount Horeb in November for a House seat that’s been held for decades by Madison-area Democrats.
Tammy Baldwin has held the seat for almost 14 years, but she’s stepping down to run for the U.S. Senate. Former Governor Tommy Thompson captured the Republican nomination in that race. Pocan has experience in budgeting, as a former co-chair of the legislature’s finance committee. Pocan has said he wants to bring factory jobs back to America, and help as many people as possible get access to affordable health care.
There was only one other House primary in the state on Tuesday. Republican incumbent Tom Petri of Fond du Lac got 82-percent of the vote in defeating Tea Party challenger Lauren Stephens. Petri, who’s held the post for 34 years, now faces Democrat Joe Kallas of Princeton in November.