Candidate Profile: Roger Polack For U.S. House 1

CALEDONIA, WI—The 2020 election is heating up in Wisconsin and there are plenty of races with candidates eager to serve in elected office. Eyes are primarily focused on the presidential election, but voters will also decide the outcome of state representative and senate seats.

Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles as election day draws near.

Roger Polack, a Racine (Village of Caledonia) resident is running for U.S. House of Representatives District 1.

Age: 37
Party affiliation: Democratic Party
Family: Amanda (wife), Bennet (son, 3), Fiona (daughter, 1)
Occupation:-- Full-time candidate for Congress since January 2020
-- Covington & Burling LLP (March 2017-December 2019)
-- U.S. Department of the Treasury (August 2007-March 2017)

-- Concepts & Strategies for the U.S. Strategic Command, (July 2006 - July 2007)
-- Independent Contractor working with UW-Madison, VA Hospital, and Mental Health Center of Dane County (February - December 2005)

Previous elected experience: N/A
Family members in government: N/A
Campaign website: rogerforwisconsin.com

The single most pressing issue facing our state is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

Our country is in the middle of a crisis. The coronavirus pandemic has claimed the lives of more than 1,410 Wisconsinites and more than 210,000 Americans. Millions of working-class families are struggling with unemployment and an unstable economy. Where is the leadership? We’re told that in moments of crisis, leaders rise, but where do we see that. President Trump and his enablers in Congress, like my opponent Bryan Steil, have been too busy pointing the finger than to seize their positions of leadership to steer us through this crisis.

We need leaders who take the virus seriously, which I do. We need leaders who will prioritize the needs of individuals struggling to make ends meet during this crisis, which I will. I would vote to pass the HEROES Act and get another round of relief to those most affected, including small businesses. I WOULD NOT call stimulus to unemployed individuals “unfair” as Bryan Steil has done. I would not vote against bills like the Family First Coronavirus Response Act, like Bryan Steil has done.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

My priorities lie with the people of Southeastern Wisconsin over large corporations. I am not taking a dime of corporate contributions for my campaign because I will prioritize the people of Wisconsin.

Bryan Steil’s campaign is fueled by corporate contributions and so it’s not surprising that he consistently votes on behalf of pharmaceutical companies, insurance companies, big oil, and big tobacco. For example, he voted against the following bills, all of which were heavily lobbied against by these industries: Lower Drug Costs Now Act, Protecting Americans with Pre-existing Conditions Act, Protecting American Lungs and Reversing the Youth Tobacco Epidemic Act of 2019, the Outsourcing Accountability Act, and Great American Outdoors Act. Steil sides time and again with corporations over the needs of Wisconsinites.

My priorities are so focused on families and individuals because I grew up in a low-income family in Racine and I know what it’s like to struggle to make ends meet. I know what it’s like to wait in line for food assistance as a young boy. I know what it’s like to be thankful for Pell Grants and to rely on federal loans to get through school.

Bryan Steil on the other hand grew up in a wealthy, politically-connected family and that explains why he turns his back on working families.

Unlike Bryan Steil, service to our country has been a huge part of my life. I served multiple tours as a civilian intelligence officer in Afghanistan, spending 20 months on the ground first as an analyst for, and then Deputy Director of, the Afghanistan Threat Finance Cell.

I am the only candidate in this race with experience directly working with law enforcement officers on investigations. I sat face to face with Taliban detainees, helped plan law enforcement and military operations, and managed the intelligence priorities of 40 civilian and military staff.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

I have tremendous experience working with the Federal Government. For a decade I worked in a variety of critical national security roles, ensuring our government was safe. In this capacity, I worked across the federal government, with the military, State Department, Department of Justice, United States Trade Representative, and with Congress.

I have designed, drafted, and implemented federal regulations, re-written bills that came across my desk from Members of Congress, and worked across the Federal Government and Congress to implement one of President Obama’s signature foreign policy achievements: the Iran Nuclear Deal.

I served in both the George W. Bush and Obama Administrations. The problems we face are too challenging to go it alone as one party. We need real solutions and people who have a history of working with Democrats and Republicans to get things done if we are going to improve our healthcare system and strengthen our economy. I have the experience in Federal Government beginning Day 1 to make a difference.

What steps should state government take to bolster economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic for local businesses?

We need a strong economic recovery from the harm the virus has caused. The state government should continue to provide grants and loans to small businesses hurting from the pandemic. The “We’re All In” program is a great example of this. It is a $75 million program that provides $2,500 cash grants to 30,000 small businesses.

But we need the Federal Government to step up. Whereas my opponent Bryan Steil calls helping families and small businesses that are struggling “unfair” I believe we need to use the full power of the U.S. government to make sure people can make ends meet and small businesses in our communities get back on track. Small businesses are hurting right now, so I believe it is important to work on continuing relief.

How will you address the calls for racial justice and police reform?

We need greater engagement with communities of color. That starts with listening: hearing what is important to them and the kind of person they are looking for in their next member of Congress.
We need the George Floyd Justice In Policing Act enacted into law. It holds officers more accountable for misconduct, restricts the use of chokeholds, and creates a national use-of-force database. We also need to ensure that police departments have what they need in terms of training and body cameras.

In addition to improving our criminal justice system, a consistent point that I’ve heard from black community leaders I’ve spoken with in Southeastern Wisconsin is the need to reduce the wealth gap black America experiences. One way to do this is to enact policies that result in greater homeownership and small business ownership for African-Americans. I will be a champion for these issues in Congress.

List other issues that define your campaign platform:

We must ensure that every American has access to quality affordable health care. It is absolutely a human right. I believe we accomplish this through building on the Affordable Care Act with a high-quality public option. We also need to bring down the cost of prescription drug prices. Unlike Bryan Steil, I would not have voted for the bill that allows the U.S. Government to negotiate with pharmaceutical companies to bring down the cost of prescription drug prices.

We need to bring back more family-supporting jobs into this district. If given the opportunity, Southeastern Wisconsinites can compete with anyone, anywhere, and we have a strong track record of doing just that.

As I said, my dad worked at J.I. Case, on the line, building tractors. Case used to employ 4,000 people in the district; it’s down to 10 percent of that number today, roughly 400. I will champion infrastructure investment into Southeast Wisconsin that positions us for the future, works to help our environment, and creates large numbers of family-supporting jobs. So we need to set up Southeast Wisconsinites for success, unlike Bryan Steil has done in his first term and his predecessor before him.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I believe now more than ever, every American needs to step up and serve however they can. For me, that means personally working to kick the special interests out of our congressional seat – and defeat a politician funded by special interests who prioritizes tax cuts for the wealthy, has no plan on healthcare, supports funding cuts to public education, does not take this virus seriously, and constantly makes it harder for middle class Americans to get ahead. In office, Steil has taken over $500,000 dollars from corporations, including $200,000 from banks and insurance companies that he has direct oversight over.

The majority of my professional career has been devoted to public service, serving as a civilian intelligence official confronting some of the hardest problems the United States has faced—from bankrupting international terrorist organizations after 9/11, to countering corruption and insurgency in Afghanistan, to holding China’s feet to the fire on investment and national security issues, and curtailing Iran’s nuclear ambitions. I worked with federal law enforcement officials on investigations to keep our country safe.