Mary Burke
Former Trek Bicycle executive Mary Burke officially announces her candidacy for Wisconsin governor as a Democrat in 2014. “Helping to turn my family’s business into a global company has been a big part of my life. Now I’d like to help make our great state of Wisconsin even better as your governor.”
In a three-minute video on YouTube, the Democrat emphasizes her business background and Wisconsin roots. The current Madison school board member and former secretary of the Department of Commerce under Governor Jim Doyle says, “We’ve got to make some real changes.”
“Just like Washington, our state Capitol as become so focused on politics and winning the next political fight, it’s pulling our state apart and the economy down, but it doesn’t have to be that way.”
In the video, Burke says Wisconsin ranks 45th among 50 states for projected job growth. “We can do better than that,” saying it’s time for a change. The Democrats had expressed concern over a potentially expensive primary, but a clear path for Burke’s nomination remains to be seen. Senate Democrat Kathleen Vinehout of Alma plans to decide early next year whether she’ll try again for the governor’s job.
Mary Burke is the daughter of Richard Burke, who founded Trek Bicycle in 1976 in Waterloo.