Dr. Steve Kagen is pulling away from Democratic challengers and is poised to take the WI-08 open seat
After seeing how much support Dr. Steve Kagen has gained throughout the district and in the blogging community, the time has come for someone to write a diary post about him and his campaign. Dr. Kagen is not only running in Wisconsin's 8th Congressional district, he is running away with it.
As the Democratic primary on September 12 draws near, the 8th congressional district race has started to clarify. In recent weeks and months, support, money and momentum have coalesced around Dr. Kagen's campaign. The latest poll shows Dr. Kagen with a sizeable lead over primary opponents Nancy Nusbaum and Jamie Wall. Kagen currently has more cash on hand than his two Democratic opponents combined. He has more than 1,000 individual contributors from inside the district and has drawn cheers from crowds at the numerous parades he's marched in. They like his independence and lack of previous political baggage. Traveling throughout the 8th district, I've seen Kagen yard signs and highway signs everywhere. It's clear to me that Dr. Kagen is winning the hearts, minds, and votes of the people in this district.
Dr. Kagen connects with voters because of his outsider status, much like recent Democratic victor Ned Lamont, and because of his fresh, informed ideas, particularly about healthcare. As a doctor, he advocates making smart changes to the way we pay for, receive, and regulate healthcare to make quality medical service universal. This country has the potential to offer the greatest healthcare in the world, and Dr. Kagen understands that we need to guarantee affordable access to this care for all Americans. Dr. Kagen thinks, and I tend to agree, that the best way to start doing this is by making the insurance companies and HMOs more liable and transparent in their pricing structures. Right now, insurance companies can charge us
whatever they want, and create as many risk pools as they want to gouge customers. Steve's ideas will not only make healthcare more affordable for individuals, but also for small businesses, corporations and the government.
As Dr. Kagen's victory in the Democratic primary seems more and more likely, we have to look ahead to the challenge that faces him and all 8th district Democrats in the general election: John Gard. John Gard is an establishment candidate, both in terms of Wisconsin Republicans and the National Party. He had George W. Bush in Green Bay to raise enormous sums of cash for him last week - something on the order of half a million dollars. If he is elected, he will be a rubberstamp lap dog of Bush and the administration. Gard is well known, but not well liked in the district, and Democrats and moderate Republicans need to realize what a beatable candidate he is. Steve Kagen has the personality, the ideas and the momentum to beat a right wing ideologue, even one as well connected and financed as Gard.
If, like me, you're sick of the way things are going in Washington, than you want to enact change on issues like Iraq, healthcare, national security, corruption in government, the economy and education. The race in the 8th district is crucial to achieving that change. The Republicans know how pivotal this seat is, and that our
chance to swing the Congress back to Democratic control begins in Green Bay and Marinette, Shawano and Waupaca. To achieve that goal we need to get Steve Kagen nominated and elected in the 8th district.
Below are some links to Kagen's website. Check them out and let me know what you think!
http://www.kagen4congress.com
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