Glenn Grothman
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Glenn Grothman | |
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Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Wisconsin's 6th district | |
Assumed office January 3, 2015 | |
Preceded by | Tom Petri |
Member of the Wisconsin Senate from the 20th district | |
In office 2005–2015 | |
Preceded by | Mary Panzer |
Succeeded by | Duey Stroebel |
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the 58th district | |
In office 1993–2005 | |
Preceded by | Mary Panzer[1] |
Succeeded by | Patricia Strachota |
Personal details | |
Born | Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S. | July 3, 1955
Political party | Republican |
Education | University of Wisconsin–Madison (BA, JD) |
Glenn S. Grothman /ˈɡroʊθmən/ (born July 3, 1955) from Glenbeulah, Wisconsin[2] is the Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Wisconsin's 6th congressional district. Grothman served in the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing the 58th Assembly District from 1993 until 2005, served as the vice chair of the Assembly's Republican caucus from 1999 to 2004, and as a member of the Wisconsin Senate from the 20th district from 2005–15, and Assistant Majority Leader of the Wisconsin Senate from 2011-15.
Early life and education
Grothman graduated from Homestead High School in Mequon in 1973. In 1978, he graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a bachelor of business administration degree.[3] He received his J.D. degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 1983, was admitted to the bar, and became an attorney with a firm in West Bend.
Wisconsin legislature
Grothman was elected to the 58th Assembly District in a special election held in December 1993. From 1999 to 2004, he was the Assembly Majority Caucus Vice Chairperson. In 2004, he challenged State Senate Majority Leader Mary Panzer in the Republican primary. He ran well to Panzer's right.[4] He won the nomination in a rout, taking 79 percent of the vote to Panzer's 21 percent.[5]
He was unopposed in the general election for this heavily Republican district.[6] The district included the city of West Bend, other parts of Washington County, and parts of Fond du Lac, Dodge, Sheboygan, and Ozaukee counties. From 2007-08, he was the Senate Minority Caucus Chairperson. He has been the assistant Republican leader since 2009, serving as assistant minority leader from 2009–10, and as assistant majority leader since 2011.[3] Grothman is a member of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC).
2011 Wisconsin budget protests
Grothman was a vocal proponent of SB11, a controversial bill proposed by Governor Scott Walker in early 2011. He has said he supports the so-called budget repair bill because it is fiscally responsible. In a recent press interview, he said that he did not "find it impressive" that over 70,000 protesters marched on the capitol.[7]
During the protests, Grothman was cornered by almost 200 pro-union protesters yelling "Shame! Shame!" outside the state capitol building. Grothman said he was not concerned about violence at the time, adding that, "They're loud, they'll give you the finger, and they yell at you, but I really think deep down inside they're just mostly college kids having fun, just like they're having fun sleeping with their girlfriends on air mattresses. That's the guts of that crowd." He also described the protesters as "a different breed of person" and "a bunch of slobs taking up the building."[8][9]
During this time, Grothman also advocated the hiring of more business-friendly individuals to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. In doing so, he went out of his way to single out one of the University of Wisconsin campuses as a target: "Maybe you (should) look to hire those people who know what the real world is like, rather than a recent graduate from UW-Stevens Point who doesn't know what the real world is like." This was only days before appearing at UW–Stevens Point with the Joint Finance Committee for a day of hearings on Scott Walker's budget bill.[10]
Grothman was subject to a recall effort in the spring of 2011, but the effort failed, collecting only 75% of the required signatures.[11] During the recall, Grothman supporters gathered hundreds of signatures for a giant "Thank You" card for Grothman.[citation needed]
U.S. House of Representatives
2014 election
On April 3, 2014, Grothman announced he would run in that year's Republican primary for Wisconsin's 6th congressional district against 17-term incumbent Tom Petri. He positioned himself well to Petri's right; in his campaign announcement he called Petri a "decent, genial person" who lacked the "sense of urgency" to put more curbs on "a federal government that seems to be out of control."[12] Grothman did not have to give up his state senate seat to run for Congress; Wisconsin state senators serve staggered four-year terms, and he would not have been up for reelection until 2016. Petri announced shortly after Grothman entered the race that he wouldn't run for reelection. Grothman remained in the race.
Grothman's longtime home in West Bend was located in the 5th District, represented by fellow Republican Jim Sensenbrenner. However, his state senate district included much of the southeastern portion of the congressional district. In the summer of 2014, Grothman moved to Campellsport, a suburb of Fond du Lac, which is located in the 6th District.[13]
In the general election, Grothman defeated the Democratic nominee, Winnebago County Executive Mark Harris, with 57 percent of the vote.
2018 election
In 2018, Grothman won re-election against a challenge from Democratic nominee Dan Kohl earning 55.5% of votes.[14]
Committee assignments
- Committee on the Budget
- Committee on Education and the Workforce
- Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
- Joint Economic Committee
- Republican Study Committee[15]
Political positions
The Washington Post has described Grothman as "a shambling, strident conservative with a Trumpian tell-it-like-it-is streak who typically votes with the House GOP leadership".[16]
4-year-old kindergarten
Grothman believes the kindergarten program for 4-year-olds should be defunded by Governor Scott Walker, making a false claim that any academic benefits disappear by the fourth grade. In reality, the debate is far from settled and there is more evidence supporting pre-K programs' effectiveness than the opposite.[17]
Concealed carry
An advocate of Second Amendment rights, Grothman is a long-time supporter of concealed carry legislation, but does not advocate allowing concealed weapons in taverns. He believes concealed carry laws would deter criminal behavior, with permits being awarded to law-abiding citizens who pass a gun safety course.[18]
Grothman co-introduced 2011 SB 93, which was signed into law by Governor Scott Walker[19] This bill made Wisconsin the 49th state to legalize concealed carry.[20]
Equal pay
Speaking in support of Governor Scott Walker's decision to repeal the Wisconsin Equal Pay Act, Grothman stated that the alleged pay differential is explainable: "Once you break it down by married and unmarried, the differential disappears." [21] However, a study by the American Association of University Women in 2007 found that life choices and family circumstances explain only a portion of the difference in pay between genders. Grothman rejected that study, further claiming, "You could argue that money is more important for men. I think a guy in their first job, maybe because they expect to be a breadwinner someday, may be a little more money-conscious. To attribute everything to a so-called bias in the workplace is just not true."[21]
Homosexuality
He opposed a provision in a 2010 sex education law that prohibited teachers from promoting bias based on sexual orientation, saying that he did not believe the topic should be discussed at all in the public schools. According to the Capitol Times, Grothman's opposition was based on the belief that instructors who lead these talks would have what he called an "agenda" to persuade students to become gay.[22] He postulated that "Part of that agenda which is left unsaid is that some of those who throw it out as an option would like it if more kids became homosexuals."[22]
Grothman stated that he was concerned about what God might think of the United States after Secretary of State John Kerry announced plans to send scientists to Uganda "to help them understand homosexuality."[23]
He said Republicans, conservatives, and church leaders were not confronting the issue of homosexuality and were "losing the issue". He stated, "We had such a great country in the relatively recent past. Now America, supposed to be the light of the world, instead we're the light going in the opposite direction."[23][24]
Kwanzaa
Grothman said in a December 2012 press release that Kwanzaa is not a real holiday. He claimed, "Of course, almost no black people today care about Kwanzaa—just white left-wingers who try to shove this down black people's throats in an effort to divide Americans."[25][26]
He released a statement opposing a Kwanzaa holiday, stating that we should "treat Kwanzaa with the contempt it deserves before it becomes a permanent part of our culture."[27][28]
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
Grothman has argued that Martin Luther King, Jr. Day should not be a state employee holiday, calling the day off "an insult to all the other taxpayers around the state." He has expressed doubts that "state workers would be 'checking out DVDs or reading books' about King and would probably just be out shopping or watching television instead."[29]
Municipal water chlorination
He was a co-sponsor of Senate Bill 19 (2011), which removes the requirement of mandatory chlorination of groundwater in municipal water systems.[30][31] The bill was supported by the League of Wisconsin Municipalities.[32]
Raw milk
Grothman is a vocal supporter of decriminalizing raw milk sales.[33][34]
Single parenthood
In February 2012, Grothman introduced Senate Bill 507, which would amend Wisconsin statutes to emphasize non-marital parenthood as a contributing factor to child abuse and neglect.[35] Politifact investigated his claim that kids living with a parent and parent's partner are "20 times" more likely to be sexually abused, and rated it True.[36]
He also sponsored State Bill 202, which would have repealed the Equal Pay Enforcement Act, saying that the "Left and the social welfare establishment want children born out of wedlock because they are far more likely to be dependent on the government."[37]
Smoking
Grothman opposed a bill that would increase funding for anti-smoking programs from $10 to $30 million[citation needed]. He believes that anti-smoking campaigns do not work, and are no longer necessary, writing, "Everybody knows you're not supposed to smoke!"[38] He also voted against the ban on smoking in bars, restaurants and other small business that became effective in July 2010.[39][40][41] After the bill was passed, he introduced new legislation to allow lodging establishments (e.g. hotels) to designate certain rooms as smoking rooms, although this bill was never passed into law.[42]. He also co-sponsored a bill to exempt electronic cigarettes from the smoking ban.[43]
Welfare reform
In June 2013, Grothman advocated for reforming welfare in Wisconsin. He advocated requiring nondisabled single adults to either work twenty hours per week, or attend twenty hours of job training per week to continue receiving FoodShare benefits.[44]
Public image
In October 2016, Grothman was featured in the "People Who Somehow Got Elected" segment on HBO's program Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. The segment made reference to Grothman's controversial comments about women and race during his time as an elected official.[45]
Awards and recognition
- Pro Life Wisconsin, Legislator of the Year, 2010, 1995
- Wisconsin Right to Life, Pro-Life Hero Award, 1996
- Wisconsin Right to Life, Sanctity of Life Award 2004
- Wisconsin Guild of Midwives, Legislator of the Year 2006
- Milwaukee County Republican Party Assembly, Tax Cutter of the Year, 2002
- Eagle Forum, Leadership Award 2007
- Independent Business Association, Legislator of the Year 2000
- National Federation of Independent Businesses, Guardian of Small Business Award 1999–2000, 2005–06
- Wisconsin Builders Association, Friend of Housing Award 2001–07
- Wisconsin Builders Association, Legislator of the Year 2005
- Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, Working for Wisconsin Award 1998–2006
- Wisconsin Grocers Association, Friend of Grocers Award 1997–2004;
- Wisconsin Farm Bureau, Friend of Agriculture Award 1995–2007
- Wisconsin Dairy Business Association, Milk Bottle Award 2006, 2004
- Wisconsin Counties Association, Outstanding Legislator Award 1997–98
Personal life
Grothman lives in Glenbeulah, Wisconsin.[46]
Electoral history
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Glenn Grothman | 75,424 | 99.15% | ||
Scattering | 649 | .85% |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Glenn Grothman | 69,942 | 80.26% | ||
Independent | Clyde Winter | 17,113 | 19.64% | ||
Scattering | 91 | .10% |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Glenn Grothman | 66,882 | 68.63% | ||
Democratic | Tanya Lohr | 30,504 | 31.30% | ||
Scattering | 74 | .10% |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Glenn Grothman | 23,247 | 36.16 | |
Republican | Joe Leibham | 23,028 | 35.82 | |
Republican | Duey Stroebel | 15,873 | 24.69 | |
Republican | Tom Denow | 2,117 | 3.29 | |
No party | Scattering | 30 | 0.05 | |
Total votes | 64,295 | 100 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Glenn Grothman | 169,767 | 56.77 | |
Democratic | Mark Harris | 122,212 | 40.87 | |
Write-In | Gus Fahrendorf | 6,865 | 2.30 | |
No party | Scattering | 189 | 0.06 | |
Total votes | 299,033 | 100 | ||
Republican hold |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Glenn Grothman | 204,707 | 57.15 | |
Democratic | Sarah Lloyd | 133,072 | 37.26 | |
Independent | Gus Fahrendorf | 19,716 | 5.52 | |
No party | Scattering | 248 | 0.07 | |
Total votes | 357,183 | 100 | ||
Republican hold |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Glenn Grothman | 180,311 | 55.47 | |
Democratic | Dan Kohl | 144,536 | 44.46 | |
No party | Scattering | 218 | 0.07 | |
Total votes | 325,065 | 100 | ||
Republican hold |
References
- ^ "The Daily Tribune from Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin on December 8, 1993 · Page 24". Newspapers.com.
- ^ Congressman Glenn Grothman - About | Facebook Retrieved 2018-09-25.
- ^ a b "Glenn Grothman, Bio". Wisconsin State Legislature. Retrieved March 3, 2011.
- ^ Masse, Ryan (2004-09-17). "Grothman makes rare defeat". Badgerherald.com. Retrieved 2016-12-10.
- ^ "Wayback Machine". August 10, 2011. Archived from the original on August 10, 2011.
- ^ a b "Fall General Election – 11/02/2004; State Senate, District No. 20". Wisconsin State Elections Board. December 1, 2004. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 10, 2011. Retrieved April 19, 2011.
- ^ "State Senate Stalemate Continues Sen. Grothman: Protests Not Impressive". Channel 3000 WISC Madison. WISC Madison. 2011-02-21. Archived from the original on 2011-02-23. Retrieved 2011-03-03.
- ^ Condon, Stephanie (2011-03-02). "GOP Wisconsin lawmaker chased down by protesters". Political Hotsheet. CBS News. Retrieved 2011-03-03.
- ^ "Protesters Confront Wisconsin State Senator". NBC News Video, The Last Word. 2011-03-02. Retrieved 2011-03-14.
- ^ "Grothman urges DNR to hire older workers" JSOnline – All Politics Blog, April 4, 2011; retrieved April 11, 2011.
- ^ Bill Schanen IV, "Aggressive effort to recall Grothman falls short", Ozaukee Press, May 4, 2011.
- ^ Terkel, Amanda. Glenn Grothman, Ultra-Conservative Wisconsin Lawmaker, Will Run For Congress. Huffington Post, April 3, 2014.
- ^ Nomination Paper Tracking Report for 2014 election from Wisconsin Government Accountability Board
- ^ "Rep. Glenn Grothman wins Wisconsin's 6th Congressional District seat". washingtonpost.com. 2018-11-19. Retrieved 2018-11-20.
- ^ "Member List". Republican Study Committee. Retrieved 21 December 2017.
- ^ DeBonis, Mike (2018-01-26). "Forget Senate negotiators — House conservatives could have the last word on immigration". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2018-01-27.
- ^ "Wisconsin state Sen. Glenn Grothman says recent research shows that the benefits of 4-year-old kindergarten don't last (False)". PolitiFact Wisconsin. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 2011-01-16. Retrieved 2011-03-03.
- ^ Grothman, Glenn. "A Good Idea" (PDF). grothman.org. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
- ^ "2011 SB 93". Legislative Reference Bureau. Retrieved April 4, 2014.
- ^ Gardner, Brent (June 24, 2011). "Wisconsin to Become 49th State to Allow Right-to-Carry". NRA News. Retrieved April 4, 2014.
- ^ a b Goldberg, Michelle. "Wisconsin's Repeal of Equal Pay Rights Adds to Battles for Women". The Daily Beast. Retrieved April 4, 2014.
- ^ a b Shawn Doherty (2010-02-11). "Vital Signs: Grothman suggests "don't ask don't tell" for state schools". The Capital Times. Retrieved 2010-04-28.
- ^ a b Elbow, Steven (April 30, 2014). "Glenn Grothman blasts U.S. moves against draconian Ugandan homosexuality law". The Cap Times. Retrieved August 26, 2014.
- ^ Lachman, Samantha (April 29, 1014). "Glenn Grothman: John Kerry Upset God By Trying To Stop Ugandan Anti-LGBT Bill". Huffington Post. Retrieved August 26, 2014.
- ^ Grothman, Glenn. "Press Release" (PDF). Wheeler Report. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-01-24. Retrieved August 11, 2014.
- ^ McCoy, Adam W. (2012-12-31). "State Sen. Glenn Grothman Declares War on Kwanzaa". Patch Media. Retrieved 2019-07-29.
- ^ Representative Glenn Grothman. "What is Kwanzaa?" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-26. Retrieved 2011-03-04.
- ^ Isenstadt, Alex (2014-10-14). "Who to Watch in House Class of 2014". Politico. Retrieved 2019-07-29.
- ^ Mary Spicuzza (2011-01-18). "State senator says public employees should work on MLK Day". The Wisconsin State Journal. Retrieved 2011-03-03.
- ^ "Wisconsin Legislature Data". Wisconsin Legislature website. Retrieved 2011-03-03.
- ^ "2011-2012 Wisconsin Legislature Senate Bill 19". State of Wisconsin. Retrieved April 9, 2012.
- ^ Witynski, Curt. "Repealing Mandatory Disinfection" (PDF). League of Wisconsin Municipalities. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 7, 2014. Retrieved April 4, 2014.
- ^ "Why I Support Raw Milk" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 4 April 2014.
- ^ Kinzel, Mike (December 10, 2013). "Senator Grothman continues push for raw milk sales". WHBL. Retrieved April 4, 2014.
- ^ "SB507: Bill Text". Wisconsin Legislature. Retrieved March 6, 2012.
- ^ Kertscher, Tom (March 25, 2012). "GOP Wisconsin state senator says study shows kids living with parent and parent's partner "20 times" more likely to be sexually abused". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved April 4, 2014.
- ^ Alphonse, Lylah M. (March 2, 2012). "Wisconsin Bill Claims Single Moms Cause Child Abuse by Not Being Married". Yahoo! Shine.
- ^ Jackie Johnson (2007-09-06). "Grothman: More funding for anti-smoking efforts is absurd". Wisconsin Radio Network. Retrieved 2011-03-03.
- ^ "Assembly, Senate pass indoor smoking ban". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 2009-05-13. Retrieved 2011-03-03.
- ^ "2009 Wisconsin Act 12". Retrieved 21 March 2019.
- ^ "Wisconsin State Senate Journal for May 13, 2009". Retrieved 21 March 2019.
- ^ "2009 Senate Bill 225". Retrieved 21 March 2019.
- ^ "2011 Senate Bill 389". Legislative Reference Bureau. Retrieved 4 April 2014.
- ^ Grothman, Glenn. "Grothman Stands with Governor Walker on FoodShare Reform". Archived from the original on April 7, 2014. Retrieved April 4, 2014.
- ^ Elbow, Steven (October 24, 2016). "John Oliver takes aim at Glen Grothman". The Capital Times. Retrieved October 29, 2016.
- ^ Biography | U.S. Representative Glenn Grothman Retrieved 2018-10-29.
- ^ "Fall General Election – 11/04/2008; State Senate, District No. 20". Wisconsin State Elections Board. November 24, 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 20, 2011. Retrieved April 19, 2011.
- ^ "Fall General Election – 11/06/2012; State Senate, District No. 20" (PDF). Wisconsin State Elections Board. November 26, 2012. Retrieved April 3, 2014.
- ^ "Official Election Results" (PDF). G.A.B. Canvass Reporting System. Retrieved March 6, 2015.
- ^ "Wisconsin Statewide Results General Election - Official Results". Wisconsin Secretary of State. November 4, 2014. Retrieved March 6, 2015.
- ^ "Wisconsin Statewide Results General Election - Official Results". Wisconsin Secretary of State. November 8, 2016. Retrieved December 28, 2017.
- ^ "Wisconsin Statewide Results General Election - County by County Report" (PDF). Wisconsin Elections Commission. November 5, 2018. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Congressman Glenn Grothman official U.S. House site
- Glenn Grothman for Congress
- Glenn Grothman at Curlie
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
- Legislation sponsored at the Library of Congress
- Profile at Vote Smart
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- 1955 births
- 20th-century American politicians
- 21st-century American politicians
- Living people
- Members of the United States House of Representatives from Wisconsin
- Members of the Wisconsin State Assembly
- People from Campbellsport, Wisconsin
- People from Glenbeulah, Wisconsin
- People from West Bend, Wisconsin
- Politicians from Milwaukee
- Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives
- University of Wisconsin Law School alumni
- Wisconsin Republicans
- Wisconsin state senators