Steve Kagen

Kagen won reelection, defeating Gard with 54% of the vote, becoming only the third Democrat to win a second term in this district in 92 years (it was known as the 9th district before 1933).

Steven Leslie Kagen (born December 12, 1949) is an American politician and physician who was the U.S. representative for Wisconsin's 8th congressional district from 2007 to 2011.

He is a member of the Democratic Party.

Kagen was born on December 12, 1949, in Appleton, Wisconsin.

After graduating from Appleton East High School, Kagen attended the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he earned a degree in molecular biology, with honors.

Kagen then entered medical school, and later trained at both Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois, and the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee.

He is board certified in internal medicine; allergy, asthma and immunology; and diagnostic laboratory immunology.

Kagen's father, Marv, also a doctor, was an unsuccessful Democratic Congressional candidate in 1966.

The younger Kagen performed volunteer work for his father's campaign and cited his father's campaign as a major factor in his interest in politics.

Kagen founded four medical clinics in Appleton, Green Bay, Fond du Lac, and Oshkosh.

Before his election, he also served as an assistant clinical professor at the Medical College of Wisconsin.

He served for seven years as the allergy consultant to CNN.

Kagen supported and voted for the 911 Commission Recommendations Act, the Minimum Wage increase, the SCHIP Children's Health Bill, the "Pay As You Go" Bill, campaign and lobbying reforms, oversight of FISA warrants and terror surveillance.

He is a cosponsor of the Pharmaceutical Market Access and Drug Safety Act (H.R.380).

This legislation would allow the importation of drugs from Canada for personal use and from an importer registered by the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.

The predominant legislative issue Kagen stressed during his 2006 campaign was an initiative he called "No Patient Left Behind."

This proposal provides for open disclosure of all health care-related prices, unitary pricing where every citizen pays the same amount for the same product or service, a single insurance risk pool to leverage down insurance and prescription drug prices, set deductibles at 3% of a household's federal taxable income, and provide coverage to all children and working adults.

Kagen declined to participate in the Congressional health care plan until all Americans had access to affordable health care.

In a post on the Daily Kos, Kagen said, "I did not run for this office to get health care benefits."

On September 12, 2006, Kagen, a first time candidate, won the Democratic Party nomination for Wisconsin's 8th District.

The seat had been left open by the four-term incumbent Republican, Mark Green, who unsuccessfully ran for Governor of Wisconsin.

On November 7, Kagen narrowly defeated Wisconsin Assembly Speaker John Gard of Peshtigo in the most expensive Congressional race in Wisconsin history, a race dominated by attack ads, mainly created by third-party 527 issue ad groups, outside the control of the candidate or parties.

Some of the issues where Kagen and Gard disagreed were President George W. Bush's direction in the Iraq War, stem-cell research, and tax policy.

Kagen's campaign advertised that Wisconsin doctors voted him one of the "best doctors in America".

He promised to fight to ensure that every American could get affordable health care.

Before Kagen's congressional campaign, his allergy clinic sponsored pollen count and allergy reports on several local television stations which aired after their weather reports during the last few years.

Kagen won the 2006 election 51-49% against Gard and again defeated Gard in Brown County, home to Green Bay, in 2008.

Kagen narrowly lost Gard's home county of Marinette.

Kagen is the third Democrat to represent the 8th District since World War II.

Kagen is also a cosponsor of the Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act of 2007 (H.R. 4) and voted in favor of its passage in the U.S. House of Representatives in January 2007.

The U.S. Senate has yet to consider this measure.

Kagen has voted for all military appropriations bills, and authored a bill, the Rural Veterans Mental Health Improvement Act (H.R. 4231), which would expand mental health coverage for veterans.

On May 15, 2008, legislation sponsored by Kagen titled "To amend the Sherman Act to make oil-producing and exporting cartels illegal and for other purposes" (H.R.6074) was introduced before the House.

On May 19, 2008, the House overwhelmingly decided in a 324–84 vote to approve this legislation, which allows the Justice Department to sue any foreign state that limits the production/distribution of oil or engages in price fixing.

Kagen faced a rematch against Gard in 2008.

CQ Politics forecasted the race as 'Leans Democratic'.

Kagen was defeated by Republican nominee Reid Ribble on November 2, 2010.

He was defeated in his bid for re-election in 2010 by Reid Ribble, who succeeded him on January 3, 2011.

The district is located in the northeastern part of the state and includes Green Bay and Appleton.

According to notes taken during a series of union endorsement interviews in January 2012 that were obtained by a local news reporter, Kagen strongly considered a run for the Democratic nomination to face Gov. Scott Walker in a recall election.