Terri McCormick of Greenville enters Republican race for 8th Congressional District seat

Former state Rep. Terri McCormick, R-Greenville, formally announced Tuesday she would join a host of Republican hopefuls in the 2010 8th Congressional District race.

McCormick, who is in her early 50s, ran unsuccessfully against former state Rep. John Gard in the 2006 GOP primary. She says she is a more patient, thoughtful candidate this time around.

U.S. Rep. Steve Kagen, D-Appleton, has represented the district since 2006. He won his second term in November and has not yet officially declared his intention to run for re-election in 2010.

Speaking before a handful of supporters at the Rock Garden Supper Club/Club 1951 in Howard, McCormick outlined her priorities in Congress: job growth, regulation reform, national debt reduction, health care reform and term limits on federal officeholders.

“The mess we’re in is generally because of a lack of leadership,” McCormick said.

Referring to the government’s involvement in using bailouts for economic recovery as “perpetual meddling in the free market,” McCormick said limiting government spending and encouraging private sector growth are key. Job recovery and growth are her No. 1 priority, she said.

She criticized current health care proposals in Congress, including the 10-year, $1.2 trillion measure passed by the House of Representatives and proposals in the Senate, saying they did not adequately address the cost of health care.

“It looks like a power struggle over who controls the insurance agencies,” McCormick said, adding that she would like to see open, competitive pricing for medical procedures.

A similar transparency provision is what Kagen told the Green Bay Press-Gazette editorial board he wanted to see in the House bill.

McCormick represented the 56th Assembly District north and west of Appleton, but left the Legislature after three terms, a self-imposed term limit. If she wins the House seat, she said she would limit herself to four terms in Congress.

Since leaving the Assembly, she has been a consultant and worked on a recently released book that draws on her experience in campaigning and the Legislature.

“I’m standing here in response to the phone calls and e-mails I’ve gotten,” McCormick said. “This election is not any different than my first state Assembly race.”

Other announced Republicans in the race are Howard physician Marc Trager, Kaukauna roofing contractor Reid Ribble, Door County Board member Marc Savard, Brown County Board member Andy Williams, and Kerry Thomas of Sayner in Vilas County.

News release originally posted in Green Bay Press Gazette

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