While Mark Rees may not be a household name to many, he is hoping to change that in the third Congressional District by the time the GOP primary comes around.
Rees is running for Congress in the district, which includes Tama and Grundy counties. Though some critics have labeled the Republican, an architect by trade, as a leftist moderate, Rees said he believes such labels are thrown about because he refuses to resort to name calling and wants to take a more bipartisan approach to government.
Rees promotes civility within government and while he said clever turns of phrase may get attention, he is focusing on something else to win voters - ideas.
"My campaign is about ideas and ideals," he said. "It's not about soundbytes and cliches."
And some of those ideas include looking at the national health care plan Congress recently passed. Rees said he would not have voted for it, but he also thinks Republicans who run on a platform of repeal are misguided.
Even if it could be done, Rees said it probably wasn't the best thing to do. There are good portions, he said, such as allowing adult offspring to stay on a parent's policy longer and including pre-existing conditions. He would also try to make sure the current bill was not expanded.
"I would resist funding any additional components not funded in the current legislation," Rees said. "There are a lot of things missing from the package. What's missing is tort reform and medical malpractice reform. It is missing interstate competition with baseline, national standards."
Regarding immigration, Rees said he would not support amnesty in any form, but would not actively search for illegal immigrants.
"We don't need to go on a hunt for illegal immigrants, but when we do come across them, which we do quite frequently, then I think they should be detained and deported," he said.
The congressional candidate also said he would support some type of virtual fence technology along the border, but felt that trying to patrol the entire border with National Guard troops or border patrol agents would be ineffective and expensive.
Rees also feels visas for highly-skilled workers should be suspended at least for a period of time until unemployment numbers come down.
This is the first time the Republican has run for any political office and is in a field with approximately a half dozen other candidates in the Third District. The Republican victor will move on to face Rep. Leonard Boswell, D-Des Moines, in the fall general election.
When asked about never running for political office, Rees said he never thought about trying for a different office before a congressional run.
"When I decide to do something, particularly something I'm passionate about, I usually dive into the deep end," he said.
The retired architect said he believes he is qualified for the job because of his ability to manage large projects and work well with others, including some high-profile, very demanding clients.
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Contact Ken Black at 641-753-6611 or kblack@timesrepublican.com