Wisconsin's 21st Senate district
| Wisconsin's 21st State Senate district | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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2024 map defined in 2023 Wisc. Act 94 2022 map defined in Johnson v. Wisconsin Elections Commission 2011 map was defined in 2011 Wisc. Act 43 composed of Assembly districts 61, 62, and 63 | |||||
| Senator |
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| Demographics | 74% White 9.76% Black 10.86% Hispanic 3.71% Asian 1.91% Native American 0.11% Hawaiian/Pacific Islander | ||||
| Population (2020) • Voting age | 179,184 139,923 | ||||
| Website | Official website | ||||
| Notes | Southeast Wisconsin | ||||
The 21st Senate district of Wisconsin is one of 33 districts in the Wisconsin Senate.[1] Located in southeastern Wisconsin, the district comprises northeast Racine County and southwest Milwaukee County. It includes the city of Franklin, the northern half of the city of Racine, the western half of the city of Greenfield, and part of southwest Milwaukee, as well as the villages of Greendale, Hales Corners, Caledonia, Wind Point, and North Bay.[2]
Current elected officials
[edit]Van H. Wanggaard is the senator representing the 21st district. He was elected to his first term in the 2010 general election, but was removed from office in a recall election in 2012. He subsequently was returned to office in the 2014 general election, and is now in his second four-year term.[3]
Each Wisconsin State Senate district is composed of three Wisconsin State Assembly districts. The 21st Senate district comprises the 61st, 62nd, and 63rd Assembly districts. The current representatives of those districts are:[4]
- Assembly District 61: Amanda Nedweski (R–Pleasant Prairie)
- Assembly District 62: Robert Wittke (R–Wind Point)
- Assembly District 63: Robin Vos (R–Rochester)
The district, in its current boundaries, crosses three congressional districts. Most of the district is contained within Wisconsin's 1st congressional district, which is represented by U.S. Representative Bryan Steil. The portion of the district in Greenfield falls within Wisconsin's 5th congressional district, represented by Scott L. Fitzgerald. The portion of the district in the city of Milwaukee falls within Wisconsin's 4th congressional district, represented by Gwen Moore.[5]
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Greendale village hall -
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Wingspread building in Wind Point -
Aerial view of Racine lakefront with Wind Point in background -
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Root River valley in Franklin -
Franklin City Hall -
Recalls
[edit]The 21st Senate district is unique in Wisconsin recall history. In 1996, it became the first district in which a Wisconsin state legislator was successfully removed from office via recall election, when Kimberly Plache defeated George Petak. With the recall of Van H. Wanggaard in 2012, it became the only Wisconsin district where there have been more than one successful recall elections.[6]
Boundaries
[edit]As with all state senate and assembly seats, the boundaries of the 21st have moved over time during decennial redistricting. Senators of previous eras have represented different geographic areas.
The district was created after the 1850 census and reapportionment and was drawn for Winnebago County, in central Wisconsin. The inaugural holder was Coles Bashford in the 6th session of the Wisconsin Legislature, 1853.
In the 19th century, the district included at various times Marathon, Oconto, Shawano and Waupaca counties, and was located within the now-defunct 9th Congressional District
For most of the 20th century, the district covered the city of Racine and Racine County, in southeastern Wisconsin, within the boundaries of the 1st Congressional District.
In redistricting after the 2010 census, the city of Racine was mostly removed and rural and suburban portions of Kenosha County were added to the district, turning the 21st into a safe Republican seat.[7]
The 2024 redistricting again dramatically reshaped the district, removing all of Kenosha County and most of Racine County. The district instead moved back into the city of Racine, comprising the city's north side and stretching north into southwest Milwaukee County. Under the new map, it is projected to be one of the most competitive districts in the state Senate.
Past senators
[edit]The 21st senate district has had several notable officeholders, including American Civil War General John Azor Kellogg and Wisconsin Governors Coles Bashford and Walter Samuel Goodland.
A list of all previous senators from this district:
| Senator | Party | Notes | Session | Years | District definition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District created by 1852 Wisc. Act 499. | 1852 |     Winnebago County | |||
| Coles Bashford | Whig | Won 1852 election. Resigned 1855, elected Governor of Wisconsin. |
6th | 1853 | |
| 7th | 1854 | ||||
| Rep. | 8th | 1855 | |||
| John Fitzgerald | Dem. | Won 1855 special election. | 9th | 1856 | |
| Edwin Wheeler | Rep. | 10th | 1857 | ||
| 11th | 1858 | ||||
| Ganem W. Washburn | Rep. | 12th | 1859 | ||
| 13th | 1860 | ||||
| Horace O. Crane | Rep. | Resigned June 1861. | 14th | 1861 | |
| Samuel M. Hay | Rep. | Won 1861 special election. | 15th | 1862 | |
| Joseph B. Hamilton | Rep. | 16th | 1863 | ||
| 17th | 1864 | ||||
| George S. Barnum | Natl. Union | 18th | 1865 | ||
| 19th | 1866 | ||||
| George Gary | Natl. Union | Resigned Oct. 1867. | 20th | 1867 | |
| William G. Ritch | Rep. | Won 1867 special election. | 21st | 1868 | |
| Ira W. Fisher | Rep. | 22nd | 1869 | ||
| 23rd | 1870 | ||||
| James H. Foster | Rep. | Redistricted to 19th district. | 24th | 1871 | |
| Myron Reed | Dem. | 25th | 1872 | 
| |
| Myron H. McCord | Rep. | 26th | 1873 | ||
| 27th | 1874 | ||||
| Willis C. Silverthorn | Dem. | 28th | 1875 | ||
| 29th | 1876 | ||||
| Henry Mumbrue | Lib. Rep. | 30th | 1877 |  | |
| 31st | 1878 | ||||
| John Azor Kellogg | Rep. | 32nd | 1879 | ||
| 33rd | 1880 | ||||
| Charles F. Crosby | Rep. | 34th | 1881 | ||
| 35th | 1882 | ||||
| John Ringle | Dem. | 36th | 1883–1884 |  | |
| 37th | 1885–1886 | ||||
| John E. Leahy | Rep. | 38th | 1887–1888 | ||
| 39th | 1889–1890 |  | |||
| Joseph H. Woodnorth | Dem. | 40th | 1891–1892 | ||
| 41st | 1893–1894 |  | |||
| John Phillips | Rep. | 42nd | 1895–1896 | ||
| 43rd | 1897–1898 |   Portage and Waupaca counties | |||
| William H. Hatton | Rep. | 44th | 1899–1900 | ||
| 45th | 1901–1902 | ||||
| 46th | 1903–1904 | ||||
| 47th | 1905–1906 | ||||
| Edward E. Browne | Rep. | 48th | 1907–1908 | ||
| 49th | 1909–1910 | ||||
| 50th | 1911–1912 | ||||
| Edward F. Kileen | Rep. | 51st | 1913–1914 |  | |
| Frank H. Hanson | Rep. | 52nd | 1915–1916 | ||
| 53rd | 1917–1918 | ||||
| John A. Conant | Rep. | 54th | 1919–1920 | ||
| 55th | 1921–1922 | ||||
| Max W. Heck | Rep. | 56th | 1923–1924 |   Racine County | |
| 57th | 1925–1926 | ||||
| Walter S. Goodland | Rep. | Won 1926 election. Re-elected 1930. Elected Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin in 1934. |
58th | 1927–1928 | |
| 59th | 1929–1930 | ||||
| 60th | 1931–1932 | ||||
| 61st | 1933–1934 | ||||
| Joseph Clancy | Dem. | 62nd | 1935–1936 | ||
| 63rd | 1937–1938 | ||||
| Kenneth L. Greenquist | Prog. | 64th | 1939–1940 | ||
| 65th | 1941–1942 | ||||
| Edward F. Hilker | Rep. | 66th | 1943–1944 | ||
| 67th | 1945–1946 | ||||
| 68th | 1947–1948 | ||||
| 69th | 1949–1950 | ||||
| Gerald T. Flynn | Dem. | 70th | 1951–1952 | ||
| 71st | 1953–1954 | ||||
| Lynn E. Stalbaum | Dem. | Won 1954 election. Re-elected 1958, 1962. Resigned 1964 after election to U.S. House. |
72nd | 1955–1956 | |
| 73rd | 1957–1958 | ||||
| 74th | 1959–1960 | ||||
| 75th | 1961–1962 | ||||
| 76th | 1963–1964 | ||||
| Henry Dorman | Dem. | Won 1965 special election. Re-elected 1966, 1970, 1974. Defeated in 1978 primary. |
77th | 1965–1966 |  Southeast Racine County
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| 78th | 1967–1968 | ||||
| 79th | 1969–1970 | ||||
| 80th | 1971–1972 | ||||
| 81st | 1973–1974 |  Eastern Racine County
| |||
| 82nd | 1975–1976 | ||||
| 83rd | 1977–1978 | ||||
| Joseph A. Strohl | Dem. | Won 1978 election. Re-elected 1982, 1986. Majority Leader 1987-1990. Defeated in 1990 election. |
84th | 1979–1980 | |
| 85th | 1981–1982 | ||||
| 86th | 1983–1984 | Central and Eastern Racine County
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| 87th | 1985–1986 | ||||
| 88th | 1987–1988 | ||||
| 89th | 1989–1990 | ||||
| George Petak | Republican | Won 1990 election. Re-elected 1994. Defeated in 1996 recall election. |
90th | 1991–1992 | |
| 91st | 1993–1994 | Southern and Eastern Racine County
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| 92nd | 1995–1996 | ||||
| Kimberly Plache | Dem. | Won 1996 recall election. Re-elected 1998. Defeated in 2002 election. | |||
| 93rd | 1997–1998 | ||||
| 94th | 1999–2000 | ||||
| 95th | 2001–2002 | ||||
| Cathy Stepp | Rep. | Won 2002 election. Did not seek re-election. |
96th | 2003–2004 | Central and Eastern Racine County
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| 97th | 2005–2006 | ||||
| John Lehman | Dem. | Won 2006 election. Defeated in 2010 election. |
98th | 2007–2008 |
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| 99th | 2009–2010 | ||||
| Van H. Wanggaard | Rep. | Won 2010 election. Defeated in 2012 recall election. |
100th | 2011–2012 | |
| John Lehman | Dem. | Won 2012 recall election. Did not seek re-election. | |||
| 101st | 2013–2014 | Central and Western Racine County
Central and Western Kenosha County
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| Van H. Wanggaard | Rep. | Won 2014 election. Re-elected 2018, 2022. |
102nd | 2015–2016 | |
| 103rd | 2017–2018 | Central and Western Racine County
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| 104th | 2019–2020 | ||||
| 105th | 2021–2022 | ||||
| 106th | 2023–2024 |  most of Racine County, part of Walworth County | |||
References
[edit]- ^ "Senate District 21". Wisconsin Legislature. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
- ^ "Wisconsin Legislative Districts - Senate District 21 Boundaries". Wisconsin Legislature. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
- ^ "Senator Van H. Wanggaard". Wisconsin Legislature. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
- ^ Wisconsin Blue Book, 2011-12 edition, page 60. ISBN 978-0-9752820-1-4.
- ^ "State of Wisconsin Congressional Districts" (PDF). Wisconsin Legislature. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
- ^ Craig Gilbert (May 20, 2012). "Racine's 21st Senate District no stranger to recalls". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
- ^ Berman, Ari (January 24, 2018). "How the GOP Rigs Elections". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 16, 2019.