Mark Kleine is going from the world of business to politics with his Thursday announcement that he’ll run for the U.S. House of Representatives in the 17th District. He says he doesn’t consider himself a “politician” but a “business leader” and thinks that business experience will help him to “affect change” in Washington. While he’s running as a Republican part of the early platform he’s laid out is to get rid of some of the partisan bickering that dominates Washington so much these days.
“Politicians talk a lot.” expresses Kleine. “They talk about the issues, the talk about tax reform, they talk about infrastructure, they talk about creating jobs, but I’ve done it so that’s what I want for the people of the district. When they see me and listen to me I can talk about my experiences.”
He criticizes Congresswoman Bustos for not spending enough time in the district. Bustos did tour the district much of last week stopping at locations like Lewistown, Fulton and Galesburg and has made at least four trips to town this year. He also criticizes her for being on the Democratic’s Heartland Engagement Committee, because it distracts her from meeting the needs of district constituents.
