Mark Wichern
Elections and appointments
Personal
Contact
Mark Wichern was a 2016 Republican candidate who sought election to the U.S. House to represent the 1st Congressional District of Florida.[1] Wichern was defeated by Matt Gaetz in the Republican primary on August 30, 2016.[2]
Wichern was a 2014 non-affiliated candidate who sought election to the U.S. House to represent the 1st Congressional District of Florida.[3] Mark Wichern lost the general election on November 4, 2014.
Biography
Wichern grew up in Ohio and graduated from Hamilton High in 1986. He moved to Florida to attend college and pursue a professional baseball career. He earned his associate degree in administration, marketing and accounting from St. Petersburg College in 1988.[4]
Professionally, Wichern is an owner of a water damage remediation business. He is the founder of Restoration Coach and All Clear Restoration. He is also an instructor and consultant in the field.[5]
Elections
2016
- See also: Florida's 1st Congressional District election, 2016
Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated this race as safely Republican. Incumbent Jeff Miller did not seek re-election in 2016. Matt Gaetz (R) defeated Steven Specht (D) in the general election on November 8, 2016. Gaetz defeated Brian Frazier, James Zumwalt, Rebekah Johansen Bydlak, Cris Dosev, Mark Wichern, and Greg Evers in the Republican primary on August 30, 2016.[6][2]
U.S. House, Florida District 1 General Election, 2016
| Party |
Candidate |
Vote % |
Votes |
| |
Republican |
 Matt Gaetz |
69.1% |
255,107 |
| |
Democratic |
Steven Specht |
30.9% |
114,079 |
| Total Votes |
369,186 |
| Source: Florida Division of Elections |
U.S. House, Florida District 1 Republican Primary, 2016
| Candidate |
Vote % |
Votes |
|
Matt Gaetz |
36.1% |
35,689 |
| Greg Evers |
21.8% |
21,540 |
| Cris Dosev |
20.9% |
20,610 |
| Rebekah Bydlak |
7.8% |
7,689 |
| James Zumwalt |
7.8% |
7,660 |
| Brian Frazier |
3.9% |
3,817 |
| Mark Wichern |
1.8% |
1,798 |
| Total Votes |
98,803 |
Source: Florida Division of Elections
|
2014
- See also: Florida's 1st Congressional District elections, 2014
Wichern ran in the 2014 election for the U.S. House to represent Florida's 1st District.[3] Wichern ran as a non-affiliated candidate. He was defeated by incumbent Jeff Miller (R) in the general election on November 4, 2014.[7]
U.S. House, Florida District 1 General Election, 2014
| Party |
Candidate |
Vote % |
Votes |
| |
Republican |
Jeff Miller Incumbent |
70.1% |
165,086 |
| |
Democratic |
James Bryan |
23.4% |
54,976 |
| |
Independent |
Mark Wichern |
6.5% |
15,281 |
| Total Votes |
235,343 |
| Source: Florida Division of Elections |
2016
The following issues were listed on Wichern's campaign website. For a full list of campaign themes, click here.
| “
|
- 1. We need a leader that understands what precisely has happened to our country and the foresight to do to what is necessary to get our economy and country back. I feel that with my 10 years of research in Austrian Economics, World and US History I have a major advantage over any of the other candidates. With the exception of military experience (James, Chris and Brian), I have more knowledge than all of the candidates combined.
- 2. We must start a massive re-education program based upon truth and reinstate the moral values for which our country was founded. We must understand nullification, our true history and our monetary system. I have already invested over $100,000 into a television studio to begin educational programs to re-inform the public.
- 3. Vet all Constitutional Sheriffs throughout the country. Most people are not aware that the sheriff’s office has the power in his county to jail any federal agent trying to enforce any Unconstitutional Federal law. I am not just talking about the 2nd Amendment. We need to protect our farming and fishing. There is a strong move being made by the Federal Government via the EPA to steal our water ways and farming land using the Blue Ways, Green Ways and the Endangered Species act.
- 4. Immediately begin to purchase most if not all of our food from local farmers and fisherman. It may be slightly more expensive, but it is healthier and it will help protect us all in the long run. We need to help our local farmers and fisherman grow their farms without subsidies from the Federal Government to a size that will feed all in District 1 if needed. The Federal Government is confiscating many farmlands though out the USA. We need to protect ours.
- 5. Set up a small business development program to help entrepreneurs start small businesses and succeed here locally. We can begin developing year round careers, instead of low paying seasonal jobs. I already have a system that has been proven to work and I intend to use my programs to get this process going. The goal is to create a self- sustaining local economic system that can withstand an economic national disaster and to fund our local sheriff’s office and a militia if ever needed.
[8]
|
”
|
| —Mark Wichern's campaign website, http://wichernforcongress.com/marks-plan-restore-republic/
|
2014
Wichern's campaign website listed the following issues:[9]
| “
|
- Secure Our Borders: " First, Mark will work to close unnecessary U.S. military bases overseas and reopen bases in the U.S., especially those along the southern border. This action will add security at home, as well as economic boosts to the regions where bases are reopened."
- Fight for Our Veterans as They have Fought for Us: " The Veterans’ Administration, under the leadership of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs and Chairman Jeff Miller, has killed more than 1,000 veterans through systematic neglect. If employees and overseers of a private hospital were to do what has been done in the VA, the perpetrators would be arrested and tried for negligent homicide. Yet no one, aside from former VA Secretary Eric Shinseki, has even lost his or her job over this disgrace, much less been charged with murder."
- End The Federal Reserve Bank: "Mark will fight in Congress to abolish the Federal Reserve, which is a privately owned bank. The Federal Reserve creates our currency from nothing and loans it to the federal government by purchasing government securities, such as bonds, notes and bills. The Federal Reserve holds these bonds and the government must buy them back at interest. To cover the interest payments, the government must sell more securities to the Federal Reserve, thus creating more debt. Therefore, so long as the Federal Reserve exists, the U.S. government will allows be in a perpetually growing debt to the private banking sector."
- Balanced Budget: "To balance the budget, we have to fix the money. The budget can never be truly balanced when all money is borrowed from the Federal Reserve at interest. Andrew Jackson was our last president to lead a debt-free nation. He did so by eliminating the central bank. When he did that, it kick-started the nation into the largest economic growth in World History."
- War: " First of all, only Congress can declare war. Congress has not declared war since 1942. What we have called war in Iraq, Afghanistan, Vietnam and Korea were actually unconstitutional executive orders for military policing of foreign countries."
[8]
|
”
|
| —Mark Wichern's campaign website, http://www.wichernforcongress.com/issues/
|
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Mark + Wichern + Florida + Congress"
See also
External links
- ↑ The Pulse, "North Escambia native Bydlak enters congressional race," April 12, 2016
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Politico, " Florida House Races Results," August 30, 2016
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Florida Election Division, "Candidate Listing for 2014 General Election," accessed May 5, 2014
- ↑ Wichern for Congress, "Get to know Mark," accessed August 10, 2014
- ↑ Information submitted through Ballotpedia's biographical submission form on August 7, 2014
- ↑ Florida Department of State, "Candidate Listing for 2016 General Election," accessed June 25, 2016
- ↑ The Huffington Post, "Election 2014," November 4, 2014
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Campaign website, "Issues," accessed October 23, 2014
Senators
Representatives
Republican Party (22)
Democratic Party (8)
