Nikolaus Peter "Nik" Rettinger III (born August 1990) is an American political staffer and

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 ...

politician from

Waukesha County, Wisconsin 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 C ...

. He is a member of the

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, ...

, representing Wisconsin's 83rd Assembly district since January 2023. He is also chairman of the Republican Party of

Wisconsin's 1st congressional district Wisconsin's 1st congressional district is a congressional district of the United States House of Representatives in southeastern Wisconsin, covering Kenosha County, Racine County, and most of Walworth County, as well as portions of Rock Count ...

and chairman of Wisconsin Young Republicans.

Biography

Nik Rettinger was born and raised in

, and graduated from

Waukesha South High School Waukesha South High School is one of three high schools located in Waukesha, Wisconsin. It was opened in 1957 as a southern campus to Waukesha High School, then in downtown Waukesha. The downtown campus is now Les Paul Middle School - Central Camp ...

in 2008. He was a boy scout and achieved the rank of

Eagle Scout Eagle Scout is the highest achievement or rank attainable in the Scouts BSA program of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). Since its inception in 1911, only four percent of Scouts have earned this rank after a lengthy review process. The Eagle S ...

in 2008. After graduating from high school, he attended the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee at Waukesha where he earned his associate's degree in 2011. He went on to the

University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee The University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee (UW–Milwaukee, UWM, or Milwaukee) is a public urban research university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It is the largest university in the Milwaukee metropolitan area and a member of the University of Wiscon ...

and earned 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 ...

in 2014 with a double major in history and political science and government. He was active in student government on both the Waukesha and Milwaukee campuses; he was president of student government in Waukesha in 2010.

Political career

Rettinger began his political activity in high school, starting a political club to get students involved in local campaigns. During his first semester at the University of Wisconsin–Waukesha, he interned 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 ...

for the 2008 election. After completing his bachelor's degree, he served an internship with

United States senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

Ron Johnson Ronald Harold Johnson (born April 8, 1955) is an American accountant, businessman, and politician serving as the senior United States senator from Wisconsin, a seat he has held since 2011. A Republican, Johnson was first elected to the U.S. S ...

. He was then hired as a staffer in the Wisconsin State Assembly, working as a legislative assistant for representative David Craig and then as a research assistant for representative

Jesse Kremer Jesse Kremer (born February 28, 1977) is a former American politician, pilot, emergency medical technician (EMT), and firefighter. From Kewaskum, Wisconsin, Kremer was born in Moline, Illinois on February 28, 1977. He served in the United States ...

. In 2019, he was hired as chief of staff for state senator André Jacque. In addition to his official duties, Rettinger has been active on the campaign and party organization side. He was elected first vice chair of the Republican Party of Waukesha County and chairman of the Republican Party of Wisconsin's 1st congressional district. He is also state chairman of the Wisconsin Young Republicans and a member of the board of the Young Republican National Federation. In January 2022, he co-founded Campaign Tutors, a private company which sells campaign tutorials for aspiring political candidates. His partners in the project are state representative Cody Horlacher and his wife. The 2022 redistricting, carried out by the Wisconsin Supreme Court in April 2022, moved the district lines such that incumbent 83rd Assembly district representative Chuck Wichgers was moved into the 82nd Assembly district, creating an open seat in the 83rd district. Four days after the Wisconsin Supreme Court decision, Rettinger announced his candidacy for the 83rd Assembly district, launching with Wichgers' endorsement, as well as endorsements from his business partner representative Cody Horlacher, his state senator Julian Bradley, and former Wisconsin governor Scott Walker. He faced a relatively competitive primary, but defeated

Waterford "Waterford remains the untaken city" , mapsize = 220px , pushpin_map = Ireland#Europe , pushpin_map_caption = Location within Ireland##Location within Europe , pushpin_relief = 1 , coordinates ...

village trustee Pat Goldammer with 58% of the vote. He went on to win 78% of the general election vote in the heavily Republican district. He will take office in January 2023.

Personal life and family

Nik Rettinger is married to school teacher Sidney Steinmann. They reside in the village of Mukwonago, Wisconsin.

Electoral history

Wisconsin Assembly (2022)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", Republican Primary, August 9, 2022 , colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 8, 2022

References

External links

Campaign website
*
Nik Rettinger
at Wisconsin Vote

at LegiStorm
Campaign Tutors
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rettinger, Nik 1990 births Living people Republican Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly People from Waukesha, Wisconsin People from Mukwonago, Wisconsin 21st-century American legislators University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee alumni Legislative staff