By Dylan Deprey
Peter Peckarsky
A candidate can say they’re going to ask the tough questions, but when the time comes, will they actually do it?
Peter Peckarsky said it seems like just yesterday when he asked Henry Kissinger, former U.S. Secretary of State, if he “Retained counsel in preparation for a defense against a possible perjury indictment?”
The question was in regards to discrepancies in Kissinger’s testimony regarding his knowledge on former President Richard Nixon’s covert group “The Plumbers” and the Watergate Scandal.
Just as that 1971 press conference ended in an uproar, Peckarsky hopes to shake up the U.S. Senate race in 2022.
Peckarsky said it’s time for change as Sen. Ron Johnson’s post is up in November 2022.
While the field is spread wide with 19 other candidates, 11 being Democratic, Peckarsky said his resume and dedication to the community overqualified him for the public servant position.
He was born and raised in Milwaukee, and graduated from Washington High School. He received his S.B degrees in electrical engineering and political science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and his law degree from Case Western Reserve University.
He has worked in the national security field as a consultant on strategic nuclear weapons forces and platforms to the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations. He also was an intelligence analysis to the Director of Naval Intelligence.
He said his legal work in intellectual property, antitrust, securities fraud, election law and other sectors would help with dissecting policies and flushing out any unnecessary pieces of legislation.
“To explain what’s going on in a complicated, high-tech case to a jury, you have to understand the technology and talk to the experts, then translate it for them to understand it,” Peckarsky said.
He also added that his experience in litigation and cross examination would be a perfect asset when questioning candidates for Federal positions during Senate committee hearings.
While he has a long list of campaign priorities, he said voting rights were a top one that needed to be addressed.
“Unless we protect our democracy, we don’t get anything done,” he said. “People need to agree to reinstate the freedom to vote act to make it certain that this is a government, by and for the people. Which means the people decide who gets to run this country on election day without any obstruction or hindrance.”
Peckarsky plans to push for universal health care for all. Nobody should have to put their financial situation in front of their health, he said, noting that talks of an ambulance trip to the ER can be a make-or-break situation for some people.
“If I could just snap my fingers, I’d make it happen, and that’s how it should happen,” he said.
Other issues he intends to tackle include providing affordable education across Wisconsin, and eradicating student debt.
“Student debt is a crisis. It’s something that has to be done, but in a way the people that did get secondary education and those that didn’t are treated fairly–because it’s the future of our country at stake,” he said.
He noted that protecting workers and farmer’s rights, along with providing the best care for our veterans were some items that he wanted to work on.
While the U.S. legislature can feel like a slow-moving gear, he said if he was voted in, he would always put the community’s best interest first.
“Things move a lot less quickly than we’d hope, but it’s about what I can do for my country. If I can get in there, I will try my hardest,” he said.
Wisconsin’s primary election will take place on Aug. 9, 2022, to determine which candidate will run in the state’s general election on Nov. 8, 2022.
For more information on Peter Peckarsky’s campaign visit: https://www.peckarskyforwisconsin.com/
For more information on the U.S. Senate election and other candidates visit: https://ballotpedia.org/United_States_Senate_election_in_Wisconsin,_2022