While congressional races in Wisconsin might be less contentious than the fights for other elected positions, students have issues of minimum wage and student loan financing to keep in mind when at the ballots Nov. 4.
In Madison, students have the choice to vote for either Democratic incumbent Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Madison, or his opponent, Republican Peter Theron.
“One of the problems we have right now is the cost of education has been skyrocketing for years, because of the availability for student loans,” Theron said. “They’re very easy to sign up for, but they can be hard to get the money to pay them off. Certainly it’s not uncommon for students to get a 4-year degree in the equivalent of a home mortgage.”
Theron said much of the cause for the increased cost of a higher education across the country is the higher salaries of administration and the additional amenities built to attract students.
He said he disagrees with the fact that in Wisconsin, University of Wisconsin’s chancellor makes more than twice the salary of Gov. Scott Walker.
Pocan said as a member of the Education and Workforce Committee, he works very closely with issues of higher education in the state to keep funding up for UW while maintaining affordability.
“I’ve tried hard to make sure we have enough revenue,” Pocan said. “Most of our funding comes at the federal level.”
Pocan said he has fought hard to keep access to programs at UW to maintain its prestigious status while trying to make the payment of student loans easier after graduation.
Theron said in regard to raising the minimum wage, that it would hurt the state more than help in growing the economy.
“The problem I have with raising minimum wages is that it is something that sounds very good, but the economics of it are terrible,” Theron said. “You’ll kill thousands of jobs in Wisconsin.”
Pocan said he is in favor of raising the state minimum wage, an issue he said is very relevant to students who often work part-time.
“We’ve been working hard to increase the minimum wage,” Pocan said. “It should be over $10.60 an hour.”
While campaigns for governor and attorney general have been increasing in tension as the election draws nearer, the fight for Congress has been “pretty genteel,” journalism professor Mike Wagner said.
UW lecturer in sociology Matthew Kearney said whether or not there is an incumbent candidate and how far leaning the districts are left or right determine how heated campaigns get.
Wagner said this is because the competition for the position is not very competitive, and added that Pocan is likely to win fairly comfortably.
Kearney also said this is a big reason for the mild campaign.
“Pocan is expected to win by a very large margin,” Kearney said. “I’m not sure I’ve seen a single sign for his opponent in Dane County.”
In Wisconsin’s 6th district, where there is not an incumbent candidate, voters might expect a more heated race. However, Wagner said the race between candidates Glenn Grothman and Mark Harris has not been contentious by open seat race standards.
