Neumann refuses ‘to get out’ of race

Mark Neumann, candidate for Wisconsin governor

JANESVILLE — Shunned by his own political party, Republican gubernatorial candidate Mark Neumann said he’s still standing strong as the anti-establishment answer to politics as usual.

With less than two weeks remaining before the primary election, Neumann returned to his “home court” Wednesday to speak with about 35 people at the Janesville Senior Center.

In the Sept. 14 primary, Neumann will face Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker, who captured the Republican Party endorsement in May with more than 91 percent of the vote. The primary’s winner will square off against Democratic Party nominee Tom Barrett.

“The Republicans selected their guy, and the Democrats selected theirs,” Neumann said. “There’s one other guy in the race, the one who refused to get out when they told me to.”

Neumann, a former Janesville math teacher and two-term Congressional representative, said Wisconsin voters have a unique opportunity to vote in a political outsider and vote out the political establishments that are destroying the state.

Wednesday’s forum in Janesville was Neumann’s 42nd around the state. If elected, he promised to create jobs, cut state taxes and spending, streamline regulations, make the state more business-friendly, prioritize education and fill Cabinet posts with people with real-world experience.

He often referred to his just-published book “Wisconsin Taxpayers First: A Bold Plan to Take Back Wisconsin,” which includes 12 chapters on conservative solutions to the state’s woes.

Neumann’s central theme, however, was economic development and job creation through a balanced state budget that cuts spending and taxes and puts more money in people’s pockets to either spend or save.

“It’s pretty simple,” he said, noting his 26 years in the home construction and real estate development business. “If you’re spending more money than you’re taking in, you’re not going to be around for very long.”