Rob Stafsholt
Rob Stafsholt | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Wisconsin Senate from the 10th district | |
| Assumed office January 4, 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Patty Schachtner |
| Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the 29th district | |
| In office January 3, 2017 – January 4, 2021 | |
| Preceded by | John Murtha |
| Succeeded by | Clint Moses |
| Personal details | |
| Born | St. Croix County, Wisconsin |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse |
Colleen McNamara (div. 2007) |
| Children | 1 |
| Residence | New Richmond, Wisconsin |
| Occupation | businessman, farmer |
| Website | |
Robert R. Stafsholt is an American politician. A Republican, he has been a member of the Wisconsin State Senate for the 10th senate district since 2021. He was previously a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the 29th assembly district for two terms.
Early life, education, and career before politics
Stafsholt graduated from New Richmond High School in 1994.[1] He attended the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire and University of Wisconsin–River Falls.[2][3]
Stafsholt comes from a farming family, and managed the family farm; he previously ran his family's food manufacturing business, worked as a mortgage loan originator, and owned several rental units.[1]
Political career
In 2016, after incumbent Wisconsin State Assembly Representative John Murtha declared that he would not seek re-election to a sixth term, Stafsholt filed to run for the 29th district seat. Stafsholt won the Republican primary, and defeated Democrat Scottie Ard in the 2016 general election. He was re-elected in 2018.[4][5][6] In 2020, Stafsholt ran for Wisconsin State Senate from the 10th Senate district, defeating Cherlie Link of Somerset in the Republican primary[7] and incumbent Democratic state senator Patty Schachtner in the general election.[8]
In the state Assembly, Stafsholt sponsored legislation to eliminate state protections for wetlands and air quality[9] and to prohibit state and local government from using the power of eminent domain to create or extend bike trails, recreational trails, and sidewalks.[10] Stafsholt authored legislation in 2019 that eliminated Wisconsin's minimum hunting age.[11] During his 2020 campaign for state Senate, Stafsholt criticized public-health orders issued by Governor Tony Evers to prevent the spread of COVID-19 during the pandemic, calling the orders "unlawful government overreach."[12]
He is a member of the American Farm Bureau Federation, the National Rifle Association, the U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance, and Safari Club International; he is a former member of the Wisconsin Bear Hunters' Association and the Wisconsin Association of Mortgage Brokers.[13]
Electoral history
Wisconsin Assembly (2016, 2018)
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican Primary, August 9, 2016 | |||||
| Republican | Rob Stafsholt | 1,352 | 73.44% | ||
| Republican | Vince Trudell | 485 | 26.34% | ||
| Scattering | 4 | 0.22% | |||
| Plurality | 867 | 47.09% | |||
| Total votes | 1,841 | 100.0% | |||
| General Election, November 8, 2016 | |||||
| Republican | Rob Stafsholt | 16,774 | 61.10% | −37.39% | |
| Democratic | Scottie E. Ard | 10,661 | 38.83% | ||
| Scattering | 19 | 0.07% | |||
| Plurality | 6,113 | 22.27% | -74.72% | ||
| Total votes | 27.454 | 100.0% | +80.83% | ||
| Republican hold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Election, November 6, 2018 | |||||
| Republican | Rob Stafsholt (incumbent) | 12,523 | 54.70% | −6.40% | |
| Democratic | John Rocco Calabrese | 9,750 | 42.58% | +3.75% | |
| Libertarian | Brian Corriea | 620 | 2.71% | ||
| Scattering | 3 | 0.01% | |||
| Plurality | 2,773 | 12.11% | -10.16% | ||
| Total votes | 22,896 | 100.0% | -16.60% | ||
| Republican hold | |||||
Wisconsin Senate (2020)
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican Primary, August 11, 2020 | |||||
| Republican | Rob Stafsholt | 12,603 | 64.85% | ||
| Republican | Cherie Link | 6,828 | 35.13% | ||
| Scattering | 4 | 0.02% | |||
| Plurality | 5,775 | 29.71% | |||
| Total votes | 19,435 | 100.0% | |||
| General Election, November 3, 2020 | |||||
| Republican | Rob Stafsholt | 61,914 | 59.91% | +15.74% | |
| Democratic | Patty Schachtner (incumbent) | 41,410 | 40.07% | −14.53% | |
| Scattering | 29 | 0.03% | |||
| Plurality | 20,504 | 19.84% | +9.41% | ||
| Total votes | 103,353 | 100.0% | +360.70% | ||
| Republican gain from Democratic | Swing | 30.27% | |||
References
- ^ a b Jason Schulte, Three declare for Murtha's seat, RiverTowns (March 17, 2016).
- ^ Rebecca C. Mariscal, Hear from the Wisconsin District 10 candidates, RiverTowns (October 13, 2020).
- ^ "Representative Rob Stafsholt". docs.legis.wisconsin.gov.
- ^ Schulte, Jason (2016-03-17). "Three declare for Murtha's seat". New Richmond News. Retrieved 2019-03-31.
- ^ "WisconsinVote.org.-Rob Stafsholt".
- ^ "Our Campaigns - Candidate - Rob Stafsholt". www.ourcampaigns.com.
- ^ Shawn Johnson, Wisconsin Primary Races Shape State Senate, Set Stage For November, Wisconsin Public Radio (August 11, 2020).
- ^ Lindquist, Eric (November 4, 2020). "Stafsholt rolls to victory over Schachtner in 10th Senate District". Eau Claire Leader-Telegram. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
- ^ Steven Verburg, Wisconsin Republicans launch new rollback of air, water protections, Wisconsin State Journal (October 3, 2017).
- ^ Todd Richmonds, Evers budget restores eminent domain for bike trails, Associated Press (April 7, 2019).
- ^ Sandy Cullen, Assembly eliminates Wisconsin's minimum hunting age, Wisconsin State Journal (November 3, 2017).
- ^ Bailey Rieger-Borer, 10th Senate District Candidates Debate COVID-19 Response, Education Spending, Wisconsin Oublic Radio (October 28, 2020).
- ^ Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. "State Legislature". State of Wisconsin Blue Book 2017-2018 (PDF) (Report). State of Wisconsin. p. 52. Retrieved 2019-03-31.
- ^ Canvass Results for 2016 Partisan Primary - 8/9/2016 (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Government Accountability Board. September 30, 2016. p. 32. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
- ^ Canvass Results for 2016 General Election - 11/8/2016 (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. December 22, 2016. p. 15. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
- ^ Canvass Results for 2018 General Election (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. Retrieved 2019-03-31.
- ^ Canvass Results for 2020 Partisan Primary - 8/11/2020 (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. August 26, 2020. p. 6. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
- ^ Canvass Results for 2020 General Election - 11/3/2020 (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. November 18, 2020. pp. 4–5. Retrieved December 9, 2020.}