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GovernmentExecutive.com - Covering The Business Of The Federal Government
Wisconsin: Eighth District
Rep. Mark Green (R)
Last Updated June 22, 2005


Rep. Mark Green (R)
Rep. Mark Green (R)
Elected 1998, 4th term
Born: June 1, 1960, Boston, MA
Home: Hobart
Education: U. of WI-Eau Claire, B.A. 1983, J.D. 1987
Religion: Catholic
Marital Status: married (Sue)
Elected
 Office:
WI Assembly, 1992-98.
Professional Career: Teacher, Kenya, 1987-88; Practicing atty., 1988-98.
DC Office 1314 LHOB20515, 202-225-5665; Fax: 202-225-5729; Web site: www.house.gov/markgreen
State Offices Appleton, 920-380-0061; Green Bay, 920-437-1954.
Additional Info
Committees · Ratings · Key Votes · Election Results
District Demographics
More On Wisconsin
At A Glance · State Profile
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Search the CongressDaily, Hotline, House Race Hotline, National Journal and Technology Daily archives using the form above:
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In 1673, the French explorer and priest Father Marquette sailed from the open waters of Lake Michigan into what is now Green Bay. He had hoped to find the Northwest Passage to the Pacific. He actually found the Fox River, which leads to Lake Winnebago and, after a not-too-difficult portage, the Wisconsin River, which flows into the Mississippi. Green Bay and the Fox River Valley remained mostly wilderness and Indian country for more than 150 years. But once settled by Europeans, they became, as Father Marquette would have liked, one of the most heavily Catholic parts of the United States, though Indians still remain a presence; there was a long dispute over Chippewa Indian spearfishing rights and Green Bay's best hotel is now next to the Oneida Indian casino. This has been a thriving area economically, with traditional paper mills joined by high-skill manufacturing in Green Bay and Appleton in the Fox River Valley; a creative local business found a way to make the small packets that are filled with sugar and sugar substitutes, and took the business away from a South Korean firm. Green Bay is known nationally as the home of pro football's Green Bay Packers, owned by 110,000 shareholding Wisconsinites and never likely to move (under the team's charter, if the Packers are ever sold, the proceeds would go to the local Sullivan-Wallen American Legion Post 11 "for the purposes of erecting a proper soldier's memorial"). In September 2004 John Kerry became the butt of jokes when he came to Green Bay and referred to Lambeau Field, home of the Packers, as "Lambert Field", perhaps confusing it with the airport in St. Louis. Appleton has produced a number of famous Americans--Senator Joseph McCarthy, novelist Edna Ferber and escape artist Harry Houdini--and has a growing Hispanic population.

The 8th Congressional District of Wisconsin includes Green Bay and the Fox River Valley south to Appleton. It also includes sprawling north woods and dairy counties inland, plus the Door County peninsula that juts out into Lake Michigan, a favorite summer vacation spot for Chicago and Milwaukee families. Politically, this has often been malleable country. Democrats can win here: John F. Kennedy, with enthusiasm from local Catholics, carried the Fox River Valley in the primary and general election in 1960, and Bill Clinton carried it in 1996. But the 8th District these days more often votes Republican; George W. Bush won 52% of the vote in 2000 and 55% in 2004.

The congressman from the 8th District is Mark Green, a Republican first elected in 1998, the only Republican to beat a Democratic incumbent that year. Green grew up in the Green Bay area; his father was from South Africa and his mother from Britain. In high school and college he was a champion swimmer; after graduating from the University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire and UW Law School in Madison, he and his wife spent a year in Kenya, working in a WorldTeach program. He practiced law and in 1992, at 32, was elected to the Wisconsin Assembly, where he became Republican Caucus chairman. In 1998 he challenged freshman Democratic Congressman Jay Johnson, a former TV news anchor. Green brought a conceptual framework to his campaign. He listed 55 issues on which he would vote differently from Johnson, one for each day between the primary and general election; they ranged from taxes and spending to abortion and defense. It was a solidly conservative platform, in opposition to Johnson's moderate-to-liberal voting record. Green called for "restoration of American values," an end to partial-birth abortions, scrapping the tax code, increasing local control of education and tougher crime laws. He carefully avoided any reference to the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal or to impeachment, saying that he had called for Clinton's resignation only to get the issue out of the way. The two candidates spent about the same amount of money, and Green won 55%-45%.

In the House, Green's voting record has leaned conservative but he has been more moderate on economic issues. He enacted a modified version of his two-strikes law, for mandatory life sentences for second-time child sex offenders. In 2003, Congress enacted as part of the "Amber alert" bill his proposal to expedite DNA testing with "rape kit" samples to eliminate the backlog of DNA evidence collected in sexual assault cases. Concerned about foreigners who overstay their visas, he sponsored a law to require states to have driver's licenses expire when the applicant's visa does, or earlier; in 2004, he opposed the intelligence reorganization because Senate opposition forced deletion of a similar provision. He would eliminate the capital gains tax on sales of farms to family members. In 2003, he was among the first House members to file legislation threatening huge tariffs on Chinese imports if China did not agree to float its currency. He complained to the Venezuela embassy about the high gasoline prices. With Marty Meehan, he proposed a bill to require that Internet sales of tobacco products comply with long-standing regulations of traditional retail sales, including state taxes; the Judiciary Committee approved the bill, but opposition from Indian tribes and delivery companies blocked House action.

Green has not been seriously challenged for reelection. In January 2005, he filed to run for governor in 2006 and transferred $1.3 million from his federal campaign treasury to a state fund. He appeared headed for a contest in the September primary with Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker. Possible Republican candidates in the 8th District include Assembly Speaker John Gard, state Representatives Frank Lasee, Terri McCormick and Steve Wieckert. Possible Democratic candidates include state Senator Dave Hansen, Green Bay business consultant Jamie Wall and former Green Bay Mayor Paul Jadin.

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Committees

  • International Relations (16th of 27 R): Africa, Global Human Rights & International Operations; Oversight & Investigations.
  • Judiciary (14th of 23 R): Commercial & Administrative Law; Crime, Terrorism & Homeland Security; The Constitution.

Group Ratings (More Info)
ADA ACLU AFS LCV ITIC NTU COC ACU NTLC CHC
2004 20 0 13 18 70 71 86 88 84 92 --
2003 10 -- 0 35 -- 71 87 88 -- -- --

National Journal Ratings (More Info)
2003 LIB -- 2003 CONS            2004 LIB -- 2004 CONS
Economic 41% -- 57%            38% -- 61%
Social 24% -- 71%            20% -- 77%
Foreign 31% -- 65%            34% -- 63%
For National Journal's complete 2004 Vote Ratings, as well as previous ratings dating back to 1995, please click here.

Key Votes Of The 108th Congress (More Info)

1. Drilling in ANWR Y
2. Approve Bush Tax Cuts Y
3. Medicare/Rx Bill Y
4. Bar Overtime Pay Regs. N
5. DC School Vouchers Y
6. Ban Human Cloning Y

      

 7. Restrict Gun Liability Y
 8. Ban Partial-Birth Abortion Y
 9. Ban Same-Sex Marriage Y
10. Fund Iraq War Y
11. Bar Cuba Embargo Funds N
12. Intelligence Reorg. Y

Election Results (More Info)
Candidate Total Votes Percent Expenditures
2004 general Mark Green (R) 248,070 70% $433,513
Dottie Le Clair (D) 105,513 30% $11,160
2004 primary Mark Green (R) unopposed
2002 general Mark Green (R) 152,745 73% $428,296
Andrew Becker (D) 50,284 24%
Other 7,418 4%

Prior winning percentages: 2000 (75%); 1998 (55%)

2004 Presidential Vote
Bush (R) 202,238 (55%)
Kerry (D) 162,793 (44%)

2000 Presidential Vote
Bush (R) 165,819 (52%)
Gore (D) 138,056 (43%)

For 1992 and 1996 presidential results in the Eighth District, please see the Almanac 2000 online. Please note that these older returns reflect district lines as they existed prior to 2002 redistricting.

District Demographics (More Info)
  • Cook Partisan Voting Index: R + 4
  • District Size: 10,118 square miles
  • Population in 2000: 670,480; 56.0% urban; 44.0% rural
  • Median Household Income: $43,274; 6.8% are below the poverty line
  • Occupation: 31.3% blue collar; 53.9% white collar; 14.8% gray collar; 13.9% military veterans
  • Race/Ethnic Origin: 92.2% White, 0.6% Black, 1.4% Asian, 2.6% Amer. Indian, 0.0% Hawaiian, 0.9% Two+ races, 0.0% Other, 2.2% Hispanic origin
  • Ancestry: 30.8% German, 6.9% Irish, 6.5% Polish
  • Click here for statewide demographic data.

Teusday, September 6, 2005 [an error occurred while processing this directive]


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