Mequon, WI — Mike Thurow, lifelong Mequon resident, union fire captain, and father of four public school children, announced today that he is running as an Independent in Wisconsin’s 6th Congressional District. Thurow is running because career politicians in both parties have failed working families, and Washington needs a representative who actually understands the lives of the people they serve — not one who answers to party bosses or corporate donors.
Thurow has spent his career answering the call — leading fire crews, protecting neighbors, and standing up for fellow workers as a union fire captain. At home, he and his wife are raising four children in the district, giving him firsthand experience with the pressures families face: rising costs, stretched paychecks, and underfunded schools. As a lifelong Mequon native, Thurow knows Wisconsin’s 6th deserves representation that prioritizes working families, not party agendas. He is not accepting corporate PAC money and will remain independent, free to work with anyone serious about solving real problems.
“Across Wisconsin, families are struggling just to get by. Wages are too low, costs are too high. It’s a five-alarm fire, but the people we send to Washington are sitting around and watching it burn — Democrats and Republicans bought and sold by corporations and billionaires, fancy fundraisers with CEOs talking about nothing,” said Mike Thurow, Independent candidate for WI-6 and union fire captain. “The government should work for working people, and I believe we can get back to that. That’s why I’m running for Congress, and I’m ready to be an independent voice who will hold those in power accountable.”
Thurow’s campaign is grounded in concrete priorities:
- Dignity of Work: Strengthening labor protections and unions, defending pensions, expanding apprenticeships and vocational training, and cracking down on companies that illegally take advantage of their workers.
- Main Street, Not Wall Street: Enforcing Buy American rules, supporting small manufacturers, breaking up monopolies, and creating pathways connecting skilled local workers to employers.
- Affordable Health Care: Holding pharmaceutical companies accountable, allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices, capping prescription costs, and expanding coverage for families.
- Community Safety: Fully funding fire, EMS, and emergency services; modernizing equipment and training; supporting mental health resources, including PTSD programs; and ensuring federal and state safety funds reach communities on time.
- Making Life Affordable: Tackling corporate price-gouging, expanding the supply of affordable housing, reducing energy costs, and providing tax relief to middle-class families.
- Government Accountability: Ending insider profiteering, banning congressional stock & crypto trading, instituting term limits, and requiring transparency so elected officials serve the people, not special interests.
Thurow is running to bring a working-class, independent perspective to Congress, ensuring families who show up, work hard, and raise the next generation have a representative who fights for them. Learn more at thurowforcongress.com.
