Chris Kapenga
Chris Kapenga | |
---|---|
President of the 33rd district | |
Assumed office August 6, 2015 | |
Preceded by | Paul Farrow |
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly | |
In office January 7, 2013 – August 6, 2015 | |
Preceded by | Don Pridemore |
Succeeded by | Cindi Duchow |
Constituency | 99th Assembly district |
In office January 3, 2011 – January 7, 2013 | |
Preceded by | Scott Newcomer |
Succeeded by | Stephen Nass |
Constituency | 33rd Assembly district |
Personal details | |
Born | Christopher Lee Kapenga |
Political party | Republican |
Residence | Delafield, Wisconsin |
Education | Calvin College (BS) |
Christopher Lee Kapenga[1][2] is an American Republican politician from Waukesha County, Wisconsin. He is the president of the Wisconsin Senate, since 2021, and has served in the State Senate since 2015, representing Wisconsin's 33rd Senate district. He previously served two and a half terms in the Wisconsin State Assembly.
Early life, education, and early career
Kapenga has a bachelor's degree in accounting from
Political career
State Assembly
Kapenga first ran for office in 2010, when he sought election to the
As a state representative, Kapenga was a major advocate of enactment of a right-to-work law and repeal of the Wisconsin prevailing wage law, which sets a minimum pay for contractors hired to construct public works.[8][9]
In 2012, Kapenga ran for a seat in the
State Senate
In 2014, Kapenga again ran for a seat in the State Senate, but again lost in the Republican
In the Senate, Kapenga has been a longtime supporter of legislation to allow Tesla, Inc. to open dealerships in Wisconsin to sell its vehicles, repealing a provision of Wisconsin state law that bars automakers from controlling or directly operating dealerships. Kapenga owns a business, Integrity Motorsports LLC, that sells Tesla parts and Tesla salvage vehicles. In 2019, the Tesla provision was added to a state budget bill, winning Kapenga's vote. (Kapenga has previously introduced legislation to change the law to allow Tesla to open dealerships in two previous legislative sessions, but the proposals did not pass. Kapenga described himself as a hobbyist and said that he would not personally profit from the change in the law.[14]
In a 2015 Senate debate, Kapenga supported changes to state campaign finance laws to allow more
In 2016, Kapenga (along with state Representative
In 2017, Kapenga was one of two Senate Republicans to join Democrats in voting against a proposed
In 2019, Kapenga considered running for a seat in 2020 in the
Like most Republican state legislators in Wisconsin, Kapenga opposes Democratic proposals, championed by Governor
In October 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic in Wisconsin, Kapenga claimed, contrary to public health experts, that face masks were not effective in halting the spread of the coronavirus. Kapenga also said that he did not trust data showing a dire strain on Wisconsin hospital capacity.[22] Kapenga also opposed a statewide order issued by Governor Evers requiring the wearing of face coverings in indoor public places, calling the order "illegal."[22]
In November 2020, he was named president of the Wisconsin State Senate for the 2021-22 legislative session.
In January 2021, amid Trump's
References
- ^ "Chris Kapenga State Senate". Archived from the original on 2021-01-08. Retrieved 2021-01-05.
- ^ a b c d e Jesse Garza, First-timers face off in 33rd Assembly District, Wisconsin Journal Sentinel (August 27, 2010).
- ^ Tesla budget provision targeted at senator who sells parts, Associated Press (June 25, 2019).
- ^ a b Rich Kirchen, Wisconsin state Rep. Kapenga invests in optometrist network, Milwaukee Business Journal (April 18, 2014)).
- ^ "State Sen. Kapenga sells Milwaukee HR technology business to Twin Cities corporation". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2022-04-12.
- ^ FINAL Sept. 14, 2010 Fall Partisan Primary Results Summary (includes recount) Archived 2021-01-15 at the Wayback Machine, Wisconsin Elections Commission, p. 35.
- ^ 2010 Fall General Election Results Summary, Wisconsin Elections Commission, p. 17.
- ^ a b c Chris Kapenga defeats Sherryll Shaddock in Senate race, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (July 21, 2015).
- ^ a b Andrew Hahn, Chris Kapenga wins special Senate primary in Waukesha County, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (June 23, 2015).
- ^ Candidate profiles: State Assembly District 33, Wisconsin State Journal (October 15, 2012).
- ^ a b Amended Percentage Results-11.6.12 President and All Offices, Wisconsin Elections Commission, pp. 32 and 46.
- ^ Don Behm, Duchow defeats write-in candidates for Assembly seat, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (September 30, 2015).
- ^ Summary Results-2018 Gen Election, Wisconsin Elections Commission, p. 10.
- ^
- Tesla budget provision targeted at senator who sells parts, Associated Press (June 25, 2019).
- Tesla provision in Wisconsin budget is aimed at one senator's vote, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (June 25, 2019).
- Todd Richmond, Wisconsin passes budget after Tesla proviso woos key senator, Associated Press (June 26, 2019).
- ^ Bill Luerders, Last call: A year of shattered assumptions deserves a round of Cheap Shots, Isthmus (December 23, 2015).
- ^ Patrick Marley, Chris Kapenga sides with Ben Carson on Muslim comments, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (September 23, 2015).
- ^ Mark Sommerhauser, Wisconsin Republicans step back from Donald Trump's Muslim comments, Wisconsin State Journal (December 9, 2015).
- ^ Jessie Opoien, Effigy mounds bill unlikely to receive Assembly vote, Vos says, The Capital Times (January 12, 2016).
- ^
- Sheila Harsdorf, Wisconsin Senate approves eliminating state treasurer, Associated Press (March 7, 2017).
- Alec Johnson, State Sen. Chris Kapenga explains why he voted against eliminating state treasurer position (March 13, 2017).
- ^ Neylon decides against a run for Sensenbrenner seat, Associated Press (October 9, 2019).
- ^
- The Latest: Democrats blast Medicaid report as biased, Associated Press (February 19, 2019)
- Jessie Opoien, Wisconsin Republicans tout conservative group's study in opposition to Medicaid expansion, Capital Times (February 19, 2019).
- ^ a b Fannon, Emilee (2020-10-11). "Republican Senator doubts masks are effective, questions hospitalization data". WKOW. Retrieved 2020-10-30.
- ^ "Sen. Kapenga: Named Senate President for 2021-22 Legislative Session". WisPolitics.com. 6 November 2020. Retrieved 2020-11-12.
- ^ a b At Trump rally, former sheriff calls for Proud Boys chapter in Wisconsin, WISN (November 16, 2020).
- ^ Beck, Molly. "Wisconsin Senate Republicans block resolution condemning U.S. Capitol assault and affirming Biden victory". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved 2021-01-13.