Mark PocanMark Pocan

As a lifelong union member and co-founder of the Congressional Labor Caucus, Mark will fight to raise the federal minimum wage, strengthen the right to organize, protect worker pensions, and build an economy that prioritizes working families over corporate profits.

For more than a decade, Congressman Mark Pocan has been one of the strongest progressive voices in Washington — fighting for working people, standing up for economic and social justice, and delivering bold leadership in Congress. Since first being elected to Congress in 2012 after serving 14 years in the Wisconsin State Assembly, Mark has built a reputation as a principled progressive who never loses sight of who he works for.

Mark Pocan has a long record as an effective progressive leader. In 2013, Mark took his 14 years of experience in the Wisconsin State Assembly to Congress where he has continued to fight for progressive values. Mark’s political roots took hold in blue-collar Kenosha, Wisconsin where he got his start at age eight delivering campaign literature door- to-door for his father, a long-time city alderman.

Congressman Mark Pocan is a dedicated leader in cutting Pentagon bloat. “It’s time to ask how much is too much. With the Pentagon’s budget closing in on $1 trillion, the real cost of war is clear: underfunded programs here at home and a lower quality of life for everyday Americans, while defense contractors get richer and richer from their Pentagon contracts. After six failed audits, the lack of accountability is outrageous. It’s time Congress demanded accountability from the Pentagon. Now it’s time to prioritize the needs of our citizens over unchecked military expenditures.”

Rep. Mark Pocan made history in 2012 as the first openly LGBTQ person to ever succeed an LGBTQ person in federal elected office when he replaced Tammy Baldwin in the House, as she herself was making LGBTQ history by being elected to the Senate. Mark is the only openly LGBTQ person — and the first-ever — to serve on the very powerful House Appropriations Committee.