- Hi, I'm Roger Polack,
and I'm a Democrat running for Congress
in Wisconsin's 1st District.
Our country is in the middle of a crisis.
The Coronavirus pandemic has claimed
the lives of more than 210,000 Americans,
and millions of working-class families are struggling
with unemployment in this 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.
On the other hand,
I have a background and set of experiences
that has prepared me to meet this moment.
I remember as a kid, seeing my mom late at night,
having just worked a double shift.
She'd be sat at the kitchen table,
crunching numbers on how to pay rent
and how to have money to pay for my dad's medical expenses.
Too many politicians don't know what it's like
being in a family that's living paycheck to paycheck.
So while many politicians
have no problem bailing out giant corporations,
they shut the door on helping
hardworking families make ends meet.
The status quo is working for the special interests
and those at the very top,
but it's not working for families
like the one I grew up in right here in Racine.
And so, 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 those special interests
who prioritize tax cuts for the wealthy,
who has no plan for health insurance,
supports cutting funding 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 half a million dollars
from corporate PACs.
Now I'm proud and humble to have served our country,
successfully attacking
some of our most pressing foreign policy issues,
serving under both Republican and Democratic presidents.
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 terrorist organizations after 9/11,
to countering corruption and insurgency
while deployed to Afghanistan,
to holding China's feet to the fire
on investment issues and national security,
and curtailing Iran's nuclear ambitions,
I worked with federal law enforcement officials
on investigations to keep our country safe.
Because of my humble beginnings,
I also know the importance of community
and the power of education to transform a life.
I know firsthand what it's like to grow up
in a poor family in this district.
I vividly remember standing in line with my mom as a young boy,
waiting for government cheese and powdered milk distributions
in downtown Racine.
My dad, who worked for J.I. Case on the line building tractors,
and then, starting his own roofing company,
struggled with severe mental health and addiction issues
throughout my youth,
which kept him out of work for long periods of time.
And I'm a public school kid and proud graduate
of University of Wisconsin- Madison.
And I took night classes
and worked to put myself through law school.
Like so many Americans,
I'm still paying off my college loans.
In Congress, nothing will be more important to me
than ensuring that my story is not a fluke,
that working families have the same opportunities
to reach their God-given potential,
regardless of the struggles their families may face,
just like I did.
So it should be no surprise
that my legislative priorities focus on principles
that help families thrive and succeed.
First off, we need a strong economic recovery
from the harm the virus has caused.
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 community can get back to work,
get back on track.
When the House voted on
the first Coronavirus relief package,
my opponent, Bryan Steil, voted against it.
Working people are hurting right now
so I believe it is important to work on continuing relief.
Second, we must ensure that every American
has access to quality affordable healthcare.
It is absolutely a human right.
I believe we accomplish this through building
on the Affordable Care Act with a high-quality public option.
My third priority is jobs.
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.
I will champion infrastructure investment
into Southeastern Wisconsin
that positions us for the future,
works to help our environment
and creates large numbers of family-supporting jobs.
I met my wife, Amanda,
over 20 years ago at Horlick High School.
We have two young children, Bennett and Fiona,
and we're frankly concerned
about the kind of world we're leaving for them.
I wanna be a part of ensuring
that we give the next generation a future full of opportunity,
and that starts with changing the special interests control
over this Congressional seat.
Running to serve the people of Southeastern Wisconsin,
has been a tremendous honor of mine,
and I want to ask for your vote on November 3rd.
Please vote for Roger Polack
and please visit rogerforwisconsin.com to learn more.
Thank you.