Marketplace Today Blog

By Steve Schultze
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Former U.S. Rep. Mark Neumann will make official Wednesday his Republican bid for governor in 2010, touting his private sector experience as the necessary antidote to high state taxes and spending.

Neumann's candidacy assures there will be a Republican primary against Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker, who announced his GOP bid for governor in late April. Appleton businessman Mark Todd also has announced plans to run as a Republican.

Doyle, the Democratic incumbent, has not formally announced a re-election bid but is expected to seek a third term next year.

"This race is going to come down to: Do you want someone from the private sector or to elect someone with the political credentials of both Scott Walker and Jim Doyle?" Neumann said. "Both Scott Walker and Jim Doyle have been in the political world all of their careers."

Neither has significant private sector experience, Neumann said. Walker worked as a fundraiser for the Red Cross for about three years before winning a Wauwatosa seat in the state Assembly. He's served as county executive since 2002.

Doyle was state attorney general, Dane County district attorney and in private legal practice before winning the governorship in 2002.

Neumann, 55, served two terms in the U.S. House, from 1995 to 1999, representing the Janesville area. He gave up the House seat to run for the Senate, a race he narrowly lost to Democratic U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold.

Neumann has since moved to Nashotah and returned to several home-building ventures. Neumann said he would let his son take over his duties with the businesses so he could devote his time to campaigning through next November.

Neumann said he wasn't criticizing Walker, only pointing out their different backgrounds. While he and Walker might have some similar views, their perspectives differ because Neumann has run businesses and Walker hasn't, Neumann said.

Neumann, like Walker, faults Doyle for too much spending.

Doyle should have frozen state spending last year, which would have enabled him to avoid the massive $6.5 billion shortfall that had to be fixed, said Neumann. The 2009–11 budget Doyle signed Monday raises state taxes and fees by $2.1 billion.

Neumann said his main platform will be working to make Wisconsin globally competitive. He said he'll roll out detailed platform positions later, but a major theme would be controlling state spending by limiting annual growth to 1 percent less than the rate of inflation. As revenues grow, state taxes could be cut, he said.

He believes all state taxes are too high, but his emphasis is on lowering the overall state tax burden as a means of attracting more business expansions, Neumann said.

Neumann championed a balanced federal budget while serving in the House and has made his various runs for office as a staunch opponent of abortion.

He is co-chairman of Hope Christian Schools, which operate three voucher schools in Milwaukee — private religious schools that get state funding. Neumann has said he'd like to see charter or choice schools throughout Wisconsin and not limited to just Milwaukee.

Walker has been criss-crossing the state for months, lining up Republican support and raising money, something Neumann said he would work hard to overcome. Walker announced this week that his campaign chairman is Michael Grebe, a Republican National Committee member and influential party leader.