Mark Neumann
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Mark William Neumann (born February 27, 1954) is an American businessman and politician. He represented for two terms, from 1995 to 1999. In 2010, Neumann lost a bid to become the Republican nominee for
Governor of Wisconsin The governor of Wisconsin is the head of government of Wisconsin and the commander-in-chief of the state's army and air forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Wiscons ...
. Neumann was a candidate for U.S. Senate in Wisconsin to succeed
Herb Kohl Herbert H. Kohl (born February 7, 1935) is an American businessman and politician. Alongside his brother and father, the Kohl family created the Kohl's department stores chain, of which Kohl went on to be president and CEO. Kohl also served as a ...
who was retiring. He came in third place during the 2012 Republican primary election on August 14, 2012.


Early life, education, and early career

Neumann was born in
East Troy, Wisconsin East Troy is a village in Walworth County, Wisconsin, Walworth County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 4,687 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. The village is located southwest of the East Troy (town), Wisconsin, Town of ...
, one of five siblings. His parents were Stella and Kurt Neumann. His father was an electrical engineer for
General Motors The General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest automaker in the United States and ...
and his mother was an executive assistant. Neumann graduated from East Troy High School in 1972. After high school, he briefly attended
General Motors Institute Kettering University is a private university in Flint, Michigan. It offers Bachelor of Science, bachelor of science and master's degree, master’s degrees in Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, STEM (science, technology, engineeri ...
(now
Kettering University Kettering University is a private university in Flint, Michigan. It offers Bachelor of Science, bachelor of science and master's degree, master’s degrees in Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, STEM (science, technology, engineeri ...
). In 1973, Neumann married Sue Link, his high school sweetheart, whom he met in
Sunday school A Sunday school is an educational institution, usually (but not always) Christian in character. Other religions including Buddhism, Islam, and Judaism have also organised Sunday schools in their temples and mosques, particularly in the West. Su ...
in the 4th grade. That same year, Neumann enrolled at the
University of Wisconsin-Whitewater A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...
, where he graduated with honors in 1975, earning a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics. After graduating from Whitewater, Neumann moved to
River Falls, Wisconsin River Falls is a city in Pierce County, Wisconsin, Pierce and St. Croix County, Wisconsin, St. Croix counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is adjacent to the River Falls (town), Wisconsin, Town of River Falls in Pierce County and the Kinnic ...
, where he taught mathematics at
River Falls High School River Falls High School is a public high school in River Falls, Wisconsin. Extracurricular activities Marching band The RFHS marching band has won its class in marching band competition 21 times since 1985. It won the AAA division state titles ...
while attending the
University of Wisconsin-River Falls A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...
, earning a Masters of Science in Supervision and Instructional Leadership. Neumann did additional post-graduate work at the
University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...
. After college, Neumann relocated to
Milton, Wisconsin Milton is a city in Rock County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 5,716 at the 2020 census. History The city was formed as a result of the 1967 merger of the villages of Milton and Milton Junction. In November of that year, ballot ...
, where he began his career teaching Mathematics at Milton High School and
Milton College Milton College was a private college located in Milton, Wisconsin. Founded in 1844 as the Milton Academy, it closed in 1982. Its campus is now part of the Milton Historic District. History The college was founded as the Milton Academy (high scho ...
, before the campus closed in 1982. Neumann is a member of the
Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod The Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS), also referred to simply as the Wisconsin Synod, is an American Confessional Lutheran denomination of Christianity. Characterized as theologically conservative, it was founded in 1850 in Milwaukee ...
. He started his first company in 1986 in his basement, building homes in the Milton and
Janesville, WI Janesville is a city in Rock County, Wisconsin, United States. It is the county seat and largest city in the county. It is a principal municipality of the Janesville, Wisconsin, Metropolitan Statistical Area and is included in the Madison–Jan ...
areas. By 1991, Neumann's company was listed as one of the fastest-growing companies in the U.S. by ''
Inc. Magazine ''Inc.'' is an American business magazine founded in 1979 and based in New York City. The magazine publishes six issues per year, along with surrounding online and social media content. The magazine also produces several live and virtual events y ...
''.


U.S. House of Representatives


Elections

;1992 Neumann decided to run for the
House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...
as a
Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
in 1992. He faced Congressman
Les Aspin Leslie Aspin Jr. (July 21, 1938 – May 21, 1995) was an American Democratic Party politician who served as the U.S. representative for Wisconsin's 1st congressional district from 1971 to 1993 and as the 18th United States Secretary of Defens ...
and lost 58% to 41%, while spending $700,000. , colspan="6" style="text-align:center; background:#e9e9e9;", Primary Election , colspan="6" style="text-align:center; background:#e9e9e9;", General Election ;1993 special election Shortly after defeating Neumann, Aspin was appointed
U.S. Secretary of Defense The United States secretary of defense (SecDef) is the head of the United States Department of Defense, the executive department of the U.S. Armed Forces, and is a high ranking member of the federal cabinet. DoDD 5100.1: Enclosure 2: a The se ...
by President
Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...
in 1993. Just months after being defeated by over 17%, Neumann entered the special election to fill the seat vacated by Aspin. Neumann lost narrowly to his opponent,
Peter Barca Peter William Barca (born August 7, 1955) is an American Democratic politician and the current Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Revenue in the administration of Governor Tony Evers. Barca is a lifelong resident of the Kenosha area. ...
by only 675 votes; 49.3% to Barca's 49.9%. , colspan="6" style="text-align:center; background:#e9e9e9;", Primary Election , colspan="6" style="text-align:center; background:#e9e9e9;", General Election ;1994 After losing in both 1992 and 1993, Neumann once again entered the race for Wisconsin’s First Congressional District. After losing to Peter Barca by 675 votes in the previous year, Neumann defeated Barca by 1,120 votes, becoming the first Republican to hold that seat since 1971. Neumann's victory was one of 52 Republican pick-up seats during the
Republican Revolution The "Republican Revolution", "Revolution of '94", or "Gingrich Revolution" are political slogans that refer to the Republican Party (GOP) success in the 1994 U.S. mid-term elections, which resulted in a net gain of 54 seats in the House of ...
. , colspan="6" style="text-align:center; background:#e9e9e9;", General Election ;1996 Neumann won re-election by 4,260 votes in a close 1996 race against Lydia Spottswood. , colspan="6" style="text-align:center; background:#e9e9e9;", General Election


Tenure

Neumann was sworn into the
104th United States Congress The 104th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from January 3, 199 ...
on January 3, 1995, when the Republican Party gained control of both houses for the first time since the 1950s. Neumann was assigned to the Appropriations committee, being the only freshman appointed to the committee that year. While on the committee, Neumann wrote his own version of the budget, which would produce a
balanced budget A balanced budget (particularly that of a government) is a budget in which revenues are equal to expenditures. Thus, neither a budget deficit nor a budget surplus exists (the accounts "balance"). More generally, it is a budget that has no budge ...
by 1999. Neumann voted present in the election for
Speaker of the House The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England. Usage The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hungerf ...
in 1997, instead of voting for
Newt Gingrich Newton Leroy Gingrich (; né McPherson; born June 17, 1943) is an American politician and author who served as the 50th speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1995 to 1999. A member of the Republican Party, he was the U ...
. In September 1995, Neumann introduced an amendment requiring congressional approval of troop deployment to
Bosnia Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and He ...
which failed to pass. Then, on September 29, he voted to defeat the $243 billion military appropriation, along with other freshman Members, because it did not contain his amendment.Carney, Timothy (2011-04-03
GOP anti-appropriators break up the spending party
, ''
Washington Examiner The ''Washington Examiner'' is an American conservative news outlet which consists principally of an online/digital website with a weekly magazine, based in Washington, D.C. It is owned by MediaDC, a subsidiary of Clarity Media Group, which is ow ...
''
As punishment for his vote,
Bob Livingston Robert Linlithgow Livingston Jr. (born April 30, 1943) is an American lobbyist and politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Louisiana from 1977 to 1999. A Republican, he was chosen as Newt Gingrich's successor as Speaker of the U.S. H ...
removed him from the committee. This was brief, and Neumann was eventually reassigned to the committee. Neumann has been critical of LGBT rights in the past. In 1996, he commented to the New York Times that "if I was elected God for a day, homosexuality wouldn't be permitted, but nobody's electing me God".


Committee assignments

Congressman Neumann served on the following committees and subcommittees: *
Committee on Appropriations The United States House Committee on Appropriations is a committee of the United States House of Representatives that is responsible for passing appropriation bills along with its Senate counterpart. The bills passed by the Appropriations Commi ...
**
Veterans Administration The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a Cabinet-level executive branch department of the federal government charged with providing life-long healthcare services to eligible military veterans at the 170 VA medical centers and ...
** Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies * Committee on the Budget


1998 U.S. Senate election

In September 1997, Neumann announced his candidacy for the
United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...
against incumbent
Russ Feingold Russell Dana Feingold ( ; born March 2, 1953) is an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States Senator from Wisconsin from 1993 to 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he was its nominee in the 2016 election for the same U.S ...
. Both candidates had similar views on the budget surplus, although Neumann was for banning
partial-birth abortion Intact dilation and extraction (D&X, IDX, or intact D&E) is a surgical procedure that removes an intact fetus from the uterus. The procedure is used both after miscarriages and for abortions in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy. In U ...
while Feingold was against a ban. Both candidates limited themselves to $3.8 million in campaign spending ($1 for every citizen of Wisconsin), although outside groups spent more than $2 million on Neumann; Feingold refused to have outside groups spend on his behalf. Feingold defeated Neumann by a 3% margin in the election, 51% - 48%. Neumann had a 68,000-vote deficit in
Milwaukee County Milwaukee County is located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. At the 2020 census, the population was 939,489, down from 947,735 in 2010. It is both the most populous and most densely populated county in Wisconsin, and the 45th most populous coun ...
. , colspan="6" style="text-align:center; background:#e9e9e9;", General Election


Post-congressional career

Neumann stayed out of the 2004 Senate campaign, instead supporting former Lt. Governor
Margaret Farrow Margaret Ann Farrow (; November 28, 1934 – March 8, 2022) was an American Republican politician who was the 42nd lieutenant governor of Wisconsin (the first woman to hold the office) and also served in both houses of the state legislature. E ...
, who did not run. Despite speculation that Neumann might run against Senator Herb Kohl or Governor Jim Doyle, he did not choose to seek elective office during the 2006 election cycle. He had considered a run for Governor, but did not enter the race in deference to Scott Walker, who withdrew in favor of former Congressman Mark Green.


2010 gubernatorial election

Neumann told the ''Wisconsin State Journal'' on April 23, 2009 that he intended to run for governor in 2010, and on July 1, 2009, Neumann officially declared his candidacy. In 2010 Neumann stated his opposition to same-sex marriage, and claimed that he wanted to focus on jobs and economic development. Neumann was defeated 59% to 39% in the September 14, 2010 primary by opponent Scott Walker. Walker was ultimately elected Governor in the general election. , colspan="6" style="text-align:center; background:#e9e9e9;", Primary Election


2012 U.S. Senate election

In August 2011, Neumann announced his candidacy for the Senate seat of retiring senator Herb Kohl. On October 6, 2011, it was announced that he had raised $300,000 during the first month of the campaign. After receiving endorsements from conservative groups such as the
Club for Growth The Club for Growth is a 501(c)(4) conservative organization active in the United States, with an agenda focused on cutting taxes and other economic policy issues. Club for Growth's largest funders are the billionaires Jeff Yass and Richard U ...
and
Americans For Prosperity Americans for Prosperity (AFP), founded in 2004, is a libertarian conservative political advocacy group in the United States funded by Charles Koch and formerly his brother David. As the Koch brothers' primary political advocacy group, it is one ...
, Neumann split the
Tea Party A tea party is a social gathering event held in the afternoon. For centuries, many societies have cherished drinking tea with a company at noon. Tea parties are considered for formal business meetings, social celebrations or just as an afternoon ...
vote with millionaire businessman Eric Hovde. Neumann came in third place, taking 23% of the vote. , colspan="6" style="text-align:center; background:#e9e9e9;", Primary Election


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Neumann, Mark 1954 births Living people Kettering University alumni American Lutherans University of Wisconsin–Whitewater alumni University of Wisconsin–River Falls alumni University of Wisconsin–Madison College of Letters and Science alumni People from East Troy, Wisconsin Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Wisconsin People from Milton, Wisconsin