By Ray Barrington
News-Chronicle
An Ashwaubenon woman has announced plans to become the second Democrat to run for Congress in the 8th District
Tracey Vandeveer, 42, announced her run Monday. Vandeveer has not run for office before but has been a volunteer on several campaigns.
She said she would be a "citizen legislator" and is running against special interests, citing specifically votes by incumbent Rep. Mark Green, R-Green Bay, on the Medicare prescription drug bill.
"Mark Green has accepted money from Pfizer, Eli Lilly, GlaxoSmithKline - all the big drug companies. Is it any surprise, then, that he helped push the Medicare prescription drug bill through Congress?" she asked. "And that is only one example of Mr. Green's divided loyalties."
She said she would not take money from "corporate PACs, corporate lobbyists or corporate special interests."
Vandeveer said she was inspired by Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, D-N.Y., who went into politics when her husband was killed by a gunman on a train and is now in her fourth term in the House of Representatives.
Vandeveer also cited Rep. Tammy Baldwin, D-Madison, as an inspiration.
"We believe in the same things and believe in representing the people," she said. "Who better to represent the people here than a person who has lived here all of her life?"
An Ashwaubenon native, Vandeveer is not working because of multiple sclerosis that forced her to leave a job at Georgia-Pacific. She previously worked at Humana for nearly eight years. Vandeveer has a partner of 19 years, Peggy, and a daughter.
She is the second person to announce her candidacy in the Democratic race. Dottie LeClair, chairman of the Outagamie County Democratic Party, announced earlier this month she would run.
And with a self-limit on funding, Vandeveer knows she's going to have to work hard to beat LeClair.
"I'll have to run on a shoestring budget and do what I can to get the word out," she said.
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