Myszka will challenge Rep. Petrowski
Voters in the 86th Assembly District will have two Polish Catholic candidates to choose between in the upcoming November election.
One is Jerry Petrowski, 57, a town of Stettin Republican who has represented the district for the past decade.
The second is a Democratic challenger Nate Myszka, 30, Weston, who announced his candidacy on Monday.
Myszka, who has worked for local Congressman David Obey both in Washington, D.C., and at his Wausau home office, said his candidacy is about helping local families deal with the rising cost of living, especially health care.
“I will work tirelessly to help ease the increasing economic strain on central Wisconsin families and fight for affordable health care that’s always there so hard working families have the economic security and peace of mind they deserve,” he said.
Myszka, disagnosed with Type II diabetes at age six, carries a digital insulin pump and says he understands personally the kind of health issues that citizens have to deal with.
The Democrat said while the state Senate has come up with Healthy Wisconsin, a universal health insurance program, the Republican-controlled state assembly has done little to address the health care crisis in Wisconsin.
“The state assembly has not engaged the issue,” he said.
Myszka said he does not now endorse Healthy Wisconsin or any other health care plan, but he said he is committed to true health care reform.
“I will demonstrate the leadership we need to transform the way Madison does business and set aside partisanship to put the priorities of central Wisconsin first,” he said.
Myszka acknowledged that he now gets his health insurance through the federal government. He said everyone should have good health insurance.
“I think everyone should have the same health care of a state legislator,” he said.
The candidate said he is pro-choice (against abortion, but supportive of Roe V. Wade) and pro-gun (the Second Amendment is an individual, not just a group right). He has what he calls a “soft” political style.
Myszka thinks this area’s voters may wish to swing back to the Democratic column in this “year of change.”
‘The 86th district is very independent in its voting,” he said. “This is a group that voted for Russ Feingold and George W. Bush in the same year. This year, people I think are going to be more willing to look at someone different.”
Myszka is a Marathon High School graduate. He was elected to the Marathon Board of Education from 1996-99. After getting his start at UW-Marathon County, he earned a bachelor’s degree from UW-Madison.
Myszka is a member of the Everest Area Optimist Club, Friends of Rib Mountain, St. Mark’s Catholic Parish and Friends of the Mountain Bay Trail.