Retired pediatrician joins Democratic primary field in 3rd Congressional District

Jan. 21—LA CROSSE — Retired pediatric critical care physician Mark Neumann of La Crosse announced Thursday he will join the crowded Democratic field seeking the open congressional seat representing western Wisconsin.

So far, five Democrats have announced plans to run for the seat occupied for the past 25 years by retiring Democratic U.S. Rep. Ron Kind, who announced in August he is not seeking reelection in 2022.

Neumann, 67, who lost to Kind in the district's Democratic primary in 2020, said he wants to push a more progressive agenda than he's heard advocated by the other candidates in the race.

The centerpiece of Neumann's to-do list is a single-payer, publicly funded national health care system. Such a Medicare for All program would give the government the negotiating power to finally control runaway prices for prescription drugs, Neumann said.

His approach, he said, is guided by a desire to collaborate with others to do what's best for everyone, not just for himself.

"I've always been a 'we' person, someone who approaches problems from the perspective of how are they going to be solved to benefit the whole community," said Neumann, a member of the La Crosse City Council and no relation to the former Republican congressman and U.S. Senate and gubernatorial candidate of the same name from Wisconsin.

The individualism and narcissism that is peaking at this point in time accentuates the divisiveness that marks today's society — and politics, he said.

"I like to say I have an allergy to 'us against them'-ism," Neumann said. "We can't be a self-governing people if we can't see that what's good for all of us is good for each of us."

Other priorities Neumann listed are:

—Environment: The U.S. must move beyond reliance on fossil fuels to address climate change, Neumann said, calling for more emphasis on renewable energy sources and a major expansion of nuclear power — the only source he considers capable of meeting the rising demand for energy.

—Security: He called for improving policing practices so that everyone feels they are being treated fairly, exercising more restraint in threatening the use of military force against other countries and cooperating more with international security organizations such as the United Nations.

—Justice: The nation needs to show respect for human dignity through preserving voting rights, correcting systemic racism and reforming the criminal justice system, Neumann said.

He also called for publicly funded campaigns to get away from what he labeled "corporate politicians" — those who cater to the big-money interests that fund their campaigns.

Neumann, who as a Franciscan brother served as a medical missionary for six years in the former Zaire (now Republic of the Congo) in the 1980s and '90s, served as a pediatrician for 35 years.

He joins a Democratic field that includes Eau Claire business owner and nonprofit founder Rebecca Cooke, state Sen. Brad Pfaff of Onalaska, former CIA officer and U.S. Army Capt. Deb McGrath of Menomonie and political newcomer Brett Knudsen of Holmen. The candidate filing deadline is June 1.

On the Republican side, Derrick Van Orden, a former Navy SEAL who lives in Prairie du Chien, is the lone Republican running for the seat, considered one of the most competitive in the country. Kind defeated Van Orden in 2020 by just under 3 percentage points.

The partisan primary will be Aug. 9, followed by the general election on Nov. 8.