Wisconsin’s 8^th Congressional District—which encompasses the northeastern part of the state—is a pretty much the textbook definition of a swing district. It’s currently held by Republican Reid Ribble, a tea party favorite swept into office in 2010, a very red year.

Ribble now faces Democrat Jamie Wall, whose business background, local connections and progressive values make him a formidable candidate. Jamie Wall is an independent business consultant who helped to launch the New North, a local business association akin to the Milwaukee 7.

“I think the country deserves better than what we’re getting out of Washington,” Wall said. “We have real problems. The House is run by the tea party. There’s no ability to compromise and come together to get things done, even on issues that normally have been relatively uncomplicated and nonpartisan.”

So why give up his career to get involved in that mess?

“The country is a heck of a lot better than the government we’ve got,” Wall said. “And the only way you’re going to change government is by changing the people who are involved in it. My opponent has pretty much been a loyal foot soldier in the tea party and he sits on the House budget committee that Paul Ryan chairs, and votes for the budget that would take the Medicare program as we know it and eliminate guaranteed coverage and replace it with a coupon toward private health insurance that wouldn’t come close to covering the cost. That’s one of the things that stuck in my craw. These guys threw not only the national economy but the global economy off the cliff a year or so ago over the debt ceiling. We need to do better.”

Wall said that Obama “has done a good job under difficult circumstances” and his positions are squarely in the Democratic mainstream.

Wall said he’d examine federal spending closely. In fact, he’s already begun doing so. Each week on his campaign site he lists a “cut of the week,” or what he’d like to snip out of federal budget. This week’s it’s eliminating duplicate safety reviews of federal buildings.

He’ll be in Milwaukee on Thursday for a fundraiser featuring Tom Barrett. For more information, contact George at 920-370-2168 or george (at) jamiewall.com.