Mark Scheffler

Mark Scheffler earned a high school diploma from Newman High School and a bachelor's degree from Lawrence University in 1991. His career experience includes working as a financial advisor.[1]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Mark is a Different Kind of Democrat with deep roots in rural Wisconsin. He grew up surrounded by dairy farm families in rural Marathon County and leads on economic issues, social sustainability, and environmental stewardship.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Mark supports modernizing the tax code by eliminating the income tax and replacing it with a #TinyTax (tax on ALL transactions in the U.S. economy). This tiny tax would reduce taxes on working families and small businesses by up to 80% while shifting the tax burden to large corporations, mega-millionaires and billionaires. At a rate of only 40 cents per $100 in transactions, the Tiny Tax would generate up to $12 trillion annually to fully fund every program senselessly cut by Elon Musk and DOGE. It would balance our budget, fully fund universal primary healthcare coverage for every American from birth through Medicare age, and cut our national debt in half over the next 20 years.Mark is committed to restoring our constitutionally-mandated separation of powers by expressing his loyalty to the Constitution and to the House of Representatives by serving as an Independent while in office. He is committed to neutralizing partisan gerrymandering through his "Fair Share Democracy" program which eliminates the effect of partisan redistricting nationwide. He is also committed to enshrining the right to privacy, including reproductive freedom, the right to keep and bear arms, the right to express one's self as a citizen alone may wish, the right to travel without being surveilled, and the right to read/write/think anything you may choose.Mark supports next-generation agriculture, including creating a massive market in renewable biofuels for electricity generation and renewable gas production. He believes that farmers and outdoor sports enthusiasts are among our best stewards of our land, water and air and Mark will work with representatives on both sides of the aisle to support and strengthen rural America.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Mark is passionate about creating a prosperity economy that works for the next generation (not just the next quarter), he will fight to restore accountability of our elected officials by neutralizing partisan gerrymandering, and he will work tirelessly to build rebridges between conservatives and progressives that have been burned down in the past.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Center for Freethought Equity

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Mark is a lifelong Wisconsin resident, and has been a Fox Cities homeowner for more than 25 years. In 2002, he founded Appleton Group (a wealth management fiduciary) creating more than $100 million of investment growth for everyday families in our State, generating more than $10 million in employee salaries, rent to local developers, and vendor contracts and producing more than $4 million in enterprise capital for investors. He’s been a member of the Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce for nearly 20 years. Mark has a global perspective, having climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro, performed at the Spoletto Music Festival in Italy, shared the United Center stage in Chicago with Luciano Pavarotti, he speaks German and is an avid sheepshead player. Mark is passionate about winter sports, including skate skiing, biathlon and snow-kiting. He trains and competes with Bay Nordic Biathlon in Green Bay, and in the summer is an avid sailor, biker, and roller skier. Mark is a proud progressive, a successful business leader, an avid outdoorsman, and a Different Kind of Democrat.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Mark has a bold plan to end partisan gerrymandering, protecting both Democratic and Republican voters. He supports a weighted voting system in the Wisconsin Senate and Assembly, ensuring that either party’s share of the state-wide vote perfectly equals their share of power.Mark’s plan to support cleaner large-scale dairy production while helping small to mid-sized farmers transition to more sustainable agriculture is a breath of fresh air for everyone. It would engage the power of the Wisconsin economy to create the world’s largest agricultural bioproduct market which would make Wisconsin carbon neutral in 15 years.We collect taxes today the same way we did in 1913, and it’s time for bold grassroots reform. Mark supports the Automated Payments Transfer Tax (APT Tax) which would replace all income and capital gains tax with a tiny fee whenever money changes hands (as low as 25¢ per $100). It would ensure that everyone pays their fair share based on their personal economic impact, and would make April 15th just another wonderful day in our State.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

My main focus in public policy is making a sustainable future that we all can believe in. This means a sustainable society, economy, and environment.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

In my first job out of college, I taught at an urban public junior high school in Kenosha from 1992-1995, an experience that was life-changing, eye-opening, and foundational.