Marc Julian Bradley (born February 11, 1981) is an
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
politician and businessman. A
Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
Wisconsin State Senate
The Wisconsin Senate is the upper house of the Wisconsin State Legislature. Together with the larger Wisconsin State Assembly they constitute the legislative branch of the state of Wisconsin. The powers of the Wisconsin Senate are modeled after t ...
. The 28th district comprises southwestern suburbs of
Milwaukee
Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...
and the city of Milwaukee, including
Franklin
Franklin may refer to:
People
* Franklin (given name)
* Franklin (surname)
* Franklin (class), a member of a historical English social class
Places Australia
* Franklin, Tasmania, a township
* Division of Franklin, federal electoral d ...
Hales Corners
Hales Corners is a village in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 7,692 at the 2010 census. History
The land in the area that would eventually encompass the Village was first claimed as French, then British, and even ...
, as well as the towns and villages of southeastern
Waukesha County
Waukesha County () is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 406,978, making it the third-most populous county in Wisconsin. Its county seat and largest city is Waukesha.
Waukesha Co ...
, part of the town of
East Troy
East Troy is a village in Walworth County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 4,687 at the 2020 census. The village is located southwest of the Town of East Troy. A small portion extends into the adjacent Town of Troy.
Geography
Eas ...
, and the
village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...
and
town
A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world.
Origin and use
The word "town" shares an ori ...
of Waterford. He is the first black Republican to serve in the Wisconsin Senate and only the second black Republican to serve in the
Wisconsin Legislature
The Wisconsin Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The Legislature is a bicameral body composed of the upper house, Wisconsin State Senate, and the lower Wisconsin State Assembly, both of which have had Republican ...
.
Early life and career
Julian Bradley was born in
Baltimore
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
,
Maryland
Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...
, and moved with his mother to
La Crosse, Wisconsin
La Crosse is a city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of La Crosse County. Positioned alongside the Mississippi River, La Crosse is the largest city on Wisconsin's western border. La Crosse's population as of the 2020 census w ...
, in 1992, when he was 11 years old. He was interested in politics from an early age. Upon graduating from
La Crosse Central High School
La Crosse Central High School is a public high school in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Administered by the School District of La Crosse, it is located on the south side of the city. The school was established in 1907.
History
La Crosse Central is the o ...
in 1999, with his mother in failing health and finding himself unable to afford college, he leaned on his other childhood passion—for
professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...
—and enrolled in "wrestling school" in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
, intending to earn money to support his family. He made his professional wrestling debut August 28, 1999, under the
pseudonym
A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...
Kris Krude.
After several years living in Philadelphia he entered
Temple University
Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public state-related research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist minister Russell Conwell and his congregation Grace Baptist Church of Philadelphia then called Ba ...
, but only remained in school for one year. In 2007 he left professional wrestling behind and returned to Wisconsin to complete his
bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...
at the
University of Wisconsin–La Crosse
The University of Wisconsin–La Crosse (UWL or UW Lax) is a public university in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Established in 1909, it is part of the University of Wisconsin System and offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees. With 9,600 ...
. While attending UW–La Crosse, he began working as an area repair supervisor for telecommunications company
CenturyLink
Lumen Technologies, Inc. (formerly CenturyLink) is an American
telecommunications company headquartered in Monroe, Louisiana, that offers communications, network services, security, cloud solutions, voice, and managed services. The company is ...
. He graduated with a degree in political science and economics in 2014 and worked his way up to manager at CenturyLink by 2017. In 2019 he was hired as a manager at
Northwestern Mutual
Northwestern Mutual is an American financial services mutual organization based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The financial security company provides consultation on wealth and asset income protection, education planning, retirement planning, investme ...
In 2002, after a conversation with his mother over the subject of
abortion
Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pregn ...
, Bradley came to the conclusion that he was a Republican. His campaign website and press releases acknowledged this as a pivotal moment in his life.
He made his first attempt at elected office in
2010
File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
when he ran for
Wisconsin State Assembly
The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin.
Representatives are elected for two-year terms, ...
in the 95th assembly district, but was defeated in the Republican
primary
Primary or primaries may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels
* Primary (band), from Australia
* Primary (musician), hip hop musician and record producer from South Korea
* Primary Music, Israeli record label
Works
* ...
. Despite his primary defeat, he continued working as an organizer and volunteer with the
Republican Party of Wisconsin
The Republican Party of Wisconsin is a right-wing political party in Wisconsin and is the Wisconsin affiliate of the United States Republican Party (GOP). The state party chair is Paul Farrow. The state party is divided into 72 county parties f ...
through the general election and became acquainted with Bill Feehan. Feehan planned to seek election as chairman of the La Crosse County Republican Party in 2011 and asked Bradley to join his ticket as vice chair. Bradley agreed and they were elected together. Less than a year later, Feehan stepped down to run for State Senate and Bradley was chosen as his successor. Bradley was chairman of the La Crosse County Republican Party from 2011 through 2014, when he stepped down to make another attempt at elected office. In 2013, he was elected vice chair of the state Republican Party for the 3rd congressional district and was ''
ex officio
An ''ex officio'' member is a member of a body (notably a board, committee, council) who is part of it by virtue of holding another office. The term '' ex officio'' is Latin, meaning literally 'from the office', and the sense intended is 'by right ...
'' a member of the state party's executive committee. Also in 2013, he was named
Charlie Sykes
Charles Jay Sykes (born November 11, 1954) is an American political commentator who is currently editor-in-chief of the website The Bulwark (website), ''The Bulwark''. From 1993 to 2016, Sykes hosted a Conservatism in the United States, conserva ...
's ''Right Wisconsin'' grassroots activist of the year.
In
2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
he made another run for elected office when he launched a challenge against 32-year incumbent Wisconsin Secretary of State
Doug La Follette
Douglas J. La Follette (born June 6, 1940) is an American academic, environmental scientist, and politician. A Democrat, he is the current Secretary of State of Wisconsin, and the longest-serving statewide elected official (excluding U.S. senato ...
. This time he prevailed in the Republican primary, but he fell 86,000 votes short of Doug La Follette in the general election in a year when Republicans won every other statewide office.
Following his move to Franklin in 2019, Bradley resumed his political activities and, in 2020, he announced he would be a candidate to replace State Senator
Dave Craig
David Craig (born March 16, 1979) is an American Republican Party (United States), Republican Party politician and former state legislator. He served four years in the Wisconsin State Senate and six years in the Wisconsin State Assembly.
, who was not seeking re-election. Four other candidates ultimately also joined the Republican primary contest for the safely-Republican senate seat, but Bradley distinguished himself with strong endorsements from established Republicans in the state party, including two of the three assemblymembers whose districts were contained within the boundaries of the 28th senate district— Ken Skowronski and
Chuck Wichgers
Chuck Wichgers (born July 4, 1965) is an American businessman and Republican politician from Waukesha County, Wisconsin.Scott Walker. Bradley prevailed with 40% of the vote in the crowded five-person Republican primary. He went on to defeat Democrat Adam Murphy in the
general election
A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...
, taking nearly 60% of the vote.
Controversies
In July 2020, while running in the Republican primary for Wisconsin State Senate, the conservative opinion newspaper ''RightWisconsin'' alleged that Bradley and his campaign lied when he said that the online publication refused to publish an op-ed that he had submitted. Rather, the newspaper stated, they had suggested corrections to the Bradley op-ed, as they do with every op-ed that they publish. The original Bradley article made claims and assertions such as:
"It's no coincidence that
Planned Parenthood
The Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. (PPFA), or simply Planned Parenthood, is a nonprofit organization that provides reproductive health care in the United States and globally. It is a tax-exempt corporation under Internal Reve ...
surgical clinics continue to be located primarily in overwhelmingly black neighborhoods."
"Sincere
black lives matter
Black Lives Matter (abbreviated BLM) is a decentralized political and social movement that seeks to highlight racism, discrimination, and racial inequality experienced by black people. Its primary concerns are incidents of police bruta ...
allies should eliminate the Sanger shrine to racism embodied in every Planned Parenthood today."
When ''RightWisconsin'' offered corrections and substitutions for these largely speculative and unfounded claims and assertions, the Bradley campaign rejected the newspaper's suggestions, later falsely claiming that ''RightWisconsin'' rejected the op-ed outright.
Personal life and family
Julian Bradley is the youngest of three children. He lives in
Franklin, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin
Franklin is a city in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. It is a suburb of Milwaukee with a population of 36,816 as of the 2020 census.
History
On December 20, 1839, the south portion of the Town of Kinnikinick was split off to for ...
.
Electoral history
Wisconsin Assembly (2010)
, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", Republican Primary, September 14, 2010
Wisconsin Secretary of State (2014)
, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", Republican Primary, August 12, 2014
, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 4, 2014
Wisconsin Senate (2020)
, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", Republican Primary, August 11, 2020
, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 3, 2020