Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Madison, has been in the Legislature for almost 14 years and is the Democrat running for Congress in the Second Congressional District. A small business owner himself, his biggest issues include growing the economy, ensuring affordable health care and strengthening education.

The Badger Herald: Give some reasons why a student should vote for you.

Mark Pocan: I’ve been representing students for the last 14 years, and I think I’ve been a strong advocate not only for higher education, but also for things like financial aid to make sure any student who is qualified has the ability to go to college and isn’t denied because they don’t have the personal future to be able to do that. I also think we have to grow the economy from the middle out and the bottom up. That means helping small businesses get access to capital, bringing manufacturing jobs back to the U.S. and investing in research and development. And I think on social issues, I’m much more aligned to where students are. I’ve got a proven track record fighting on behalf of students, and I think I’d be able to do the same thing at the federal level.

BH: A big issue for students is having affordable health care. How would you ensure that happens?

MP: I want to make sure we keep the Affordable Care Act in place because that’s going to allow people until 26 [years-old] to still be on their parents’ policy. If you’re still in school or that first transitional job and you may not have access yet to health insurance, you still will. That’s a really important component of the Affordable Care Act, and we need to make sure that it keeps being the law in the country.

BH: You both agree we need to tackle the national debt. Why is your plan better?

MP: Every responsible economist says you can’t get out of the deficit we have either by just having revenue increases or just cutting, so you need a balanced approach. That’s something that when we had a deficit here in Wisconsin due to the federal economy, and I was the co-chair of the Joint Finance Committee, we did just that. We had to balance between cuts and revenues and make sure the cuts weren’t the devastating sort of cuts that would really cripple us when it came to education or health care. It’s just choosing wisely but coming in with a balanced approach to make sure we deal with the issue.

BH: Can you talk about how your background has shaped your beliefs?

MP: Both of my parents had small businesses, and for [more than] half of my life I’ve owned a small business, so I come from that background. I realize sometimes when people pass laws, there are unintended consequences so I am very appreciative of that.

Secondly, I’ve served in the Legislature for 14 years and served with all different types of majorities. I have a lot of real practical experience of getting things done and passing major legislation and done things like co-chaired the Joint Finance Committee. I’ve got a really strong track record of results in the Legislature combined with a strong private sector experience. I think that makes me uniquely qualified to be able to hit Congress running and really deliver for the district.