Republican gubernatorial candidate Mark Neumann hosted an innovative town hall-style meeting over the Internet Wednesday night.

Neumann, a former congressman from Nashotah, formally announced his candidacy for the 2010 gubernatorial race through a live video chat room, where viewers could post their comments and questions for Neumann to discuss. Neumann said this is the first time a project like this has been undertaken.

“This is actually a chat room where we are getting questions literally from all over the state of Wisconsin,” Neumann said. “What is so exciting about this technology is you don’t have to be right here with us this second to be involved.”

After proving to skeptical viewers the event was live and not scripted, Neumann answered questions relating to various topics, including his experience as a businessman in the private sector and his public service experience as a congressman.

According to Neumann, during his time in Congress 14 years ago, the country was in a similar predicament as Wisconsin is now. He said people were losing jobs and were concerned about their future.

Neumann said when he left Congress, the national budget was balanced, a substantial portion of the federal debt was paid off and taxes were cut.

“We understood that by cutting taxes and controlling spending in government, tens of thousands of jobs were created across our nation,” Neumann said.

Neumann added his experience in the private sector helped lead Congress to the business plan that helped balance the national budget. As a business owner, Neumann said it has been hard to maintain jobs in this economic climate, but there are ways to ameliorate the situation.

“We need to be creative, we need to be innovative, and we need to use technology to our advantage to streamline this government so we can still provide the absolutely necessary services to the people of our state in a way that costs less money,” Neumann said.

To attract more businesses and jobs to the state and make the state more competitive both nationally and globally, Neumann said he would cut taxes, eliminate certain business regulations and enhance the workforce by improving education.

In regards to green job creation, Neumann said many agree it is one of the greatest job growth areas in the U.S. over the next decade.

Neumann also said he is against the legalization of marijuana, which was a very popular question among the chat room participants.

Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker, also a Republican candidate for governor, said in a statement his campaign is focused on conversing with voters about concerns for the state, including economic recovery and other improvements.

Lt. Gov. Barbara Lawton is currently the only Democrat to say she is running for governor. According to Lawton campaign spokesperson Amy Pelishek, Lawton welcomes Neumann to the race and looks forward to a spirited campaign including the best ideas for the state’s future economic development.