Second District candidate Mark Lofgren touts work ethic, fiscally-responsible point of view

MUSCATINE - Muscatine has always been home for Mark Lofgren. It's been a place where he has worked, and later served, for most of his professional life.

'Muscatine has been very good to me,” Lofgren said.

Now Lofgren, a Republican who represents Iowa House District 91, is seeking the opportunity to represent Muscatine as well as the 2nd Congressional District, which includes much of southeastern Iowa.

Lofgren is in a three-way race for the Republican nomination with Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Ottumwa and Matthew Waldren of Eddyville. The winner of the June 3 primary will face the Democratic incumbent, Rep. Dave Loebsack, in the November general election.

Lofgren said he wanted to try to bring the fiscally-responsible point of view championed in the Republican-dominated Iowa House to Washington, D.C. Lofgren spent 10 years in the real estate industry and about 20 years in the investment industry before entering electoral politics in 2011.

He also touts his work ethic in the Legislature, noting that he only missed three votes this year and chose to remain on his assigned legislative committees.

'A lot of the other people who are running for office, some of them are only staying on one or two committees ... I'm proud of the fact that I'm working hard out there,” Lofgren said.

Lofgren recalled that when he first arrived in Des Moines, the state was spending $1.17 for every dollar taken in through revenues, and that the House has worked to reduce that ratio in the time he has worked there.

If elected to Congress, Lofgren said he would like to work on efforts to reduce regulations on small businesses, which he said has made it difficult for them to get off the ground or hire more workers. To help provide more training for such workers, Lofgren supports expanding community college programs. He would also like to help improve opportunities for students to receive financial aid, such as extending Pell Grants to cover summer school sessions.

Lofgren is not a fan of the federal Affordable Care Act. He said he would prefer to see some other reforms to the health care system, such as allowing residents to purchase insurance across state lines and reforming malpractice law.

Another quality he said he would bring to Congress is something that he thinks is needed in Washington - the ability to work with members of the opposition party. He noted that he first announced his candidacy for Congress on June 26, 2013 - right in the middle of the federal government shutdown crisis. He said the different parties in Iowa, by contrast, managed to work together to get legislation through both houses.

'I feel like I work well with other people,” he said.

Mark Lofgren

'Age

: 52

'Occupation

: Recently sold his company, Lofgren Investments, based in Muscatine.

'Previous elected experience

: Has represented Iowa House District 91 in the Iowa House of Representatives since 2011.

'Hometown

: Muscatine