Randal B. "Randy" Hopper is a former
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 ...
member of the
Wisconsin 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 ...
, representing the 18th District from 2009 until losing his seat to Jessica King in a 2011 recall election. The 18th District includes the cities of
Fond du Lac,
Oshkosh, and
Waupun.
Early life, education and career
Born in
Taylorville, Illinois
Taylorville is a city in and the county seat of Christian County, Illinois, United States. The population was 10,506 at the 2020 census, making it the county's largest city.
History
Taylorville was founded on May 24, 1839, and was named after J ...
, Hopper graduated from
The Hill School
The Hill School (commonly known as The Hill) is a coeducational preparatory boarding school located on a campus in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, about northwest of Philadelphia. The Hill is part of the Ten Schools Admissions Organization (TSAO). ...
. He then received his bachelor's degree from
Denison University
Denison University is a private liberal arts college in Granville, Ohio. One of the earliest colleges established in the former Northwest Territory, Denison University was founded in 1831. The college was first called the Granville Literary and ...
in 1989 and an MBA from
Kellogg School of Management at
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world.
Charte ...
in 2002.
Hopper is the co-owner of Mountain Dog Media, a
radio station
Radio broadcasting is transmission of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based radi ...
and
broadcasting
Broadcasting is the distribution of audio or video content to a dispersed audience via any electronic mass communications medium, but typically one using the electromagnetic spectrum ( radio waves), in a one-to-many model. Broadcasting beg ...
company that owns two Fond du Lac radio stations,
KFIZ (1450) and
WFON (107.1). In addition, Mountain Dog owns
WCLB
WCLB (950 AM broadcasting, AM) is a radio station in Sheboygan, Wisconsin which airs a Rhythmic contemporary, Rhythmic Top 40 format. WCLB is owned by Mountain Dog Media, a company owned by former Wisconsin Senate, State Senator Randy Hopper, wit ...
(950) in
Sheboygan, which runs mainly
automated
Automation describes a wide range of technologies that reduce human intervention in processes, namely by predetermining decision criteria, subprocess relationships, and related actions, as well as embodying those predeterminations in machines ...
programming from
Fox Sports Radio. WCLB is run from MDM's Fond du Lac offices, and no staff is maintained in
Sheboygan. He also operated
New Holstein's
WMBE (1530) in the same arrangement as WCLB, but with advertising meant for a
Fox Cities
The Fox Cities of Northeastern Wisconsin are the cities, towns and villages along the Fox River as it flows from Lake Winnebago northward into Green Bay.
The Fox Cities communities, as defined by its Chamber of Commerce and Convention and Vis ...
audience. The station was sold to another party in late 2011, who terminated MDM's operating agreement and took the station silent to move it closer to Appleton as WLWB.
Wisconsin Senate
Hopper showed strong support for Governor Walker's 2011 budget, which removed certain collective bargaining provisions for state and local government employees and made significant cuts to state budget and many programs. Hopper stated that the business climate would improve as a result of these Republican policies.
Hopper sat on the following committees 2011-2012:
* Economic Development, Veterans and Military Affairs (Chair)
* Energy, Biotechnology, Consumer Protection
* Finance
* Joint Committee on Finance
* Joint Survey Committee on Tax Exemptions (Co-chair)
Patronage alleged
Court records indicate Hopper filed a petition for divorce in August 2010.
In a letter to
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 ...
television station
WTMJ, Hopper's estranged wife, Alysia, wrote: "It is correct that my husband, Randy Hopper, started an affair in January 2010 with a then-25-year-old Republican aide. This affair has caused great emotional pain for my children and me. Randy moved out, without attempting marital counseling, as of May 2010 and now lives mostly in Madison."
Hopper's alleged mistress, Valerie Cass, was reportedly hired on February 7, 2011, by the State of Wisconsin Department of Regulation and Licensing as a limited-term communications specialist. Her salary was $5.35 per hour higher ($11,000 on an annualized basis) than that of her predecessor, explained by increased duties, professional experience, and relevant credentials. The limited-term position ended in August 2011. Hopper denied he had had any role in the hiring.
2011 recall
Hopper was subject to an active recall effort. On March 2, 2011, the "Committee to Recall Hopper" officially registered with the
Wisconsin Government Accountability Board The Wisconsin Government Accountability Board (G.A.B.) was a regulatory agency for the State of Wisconsin which administered and enforced Wisconsin law pertaining to campaign finance, elections, ethics and lobbying. The agency was re-organized, ov ...
. 15,269 valid signatures of electors residing within the 18th district had to be collected by May 2, 2011, to generate a recall election. His estranged wife reportedly signed his recall petition.
A March 9, 2011, poll by
Survey USA showed that voters in Hopper's district would vote for recall by 11 points. A March 10–13, 2011, poll by
PPP (sponsored by
Daily Kos
Daily Kos ( ) is a group blog and internet forum focused on the U.S. Democratic Party and liberal American politics. The site includes glossaries and other content. It is sometimes considered an example of " netroots" activism.
Daily Kos was ...
) showed that voters in Hopper's district disapprove of his job performance 47-38 and support recall by 11 points. When asked if they would vote for Hopper or a generic Democratic candidate, Hopper trailed by 5% with 44% saying they would vote for Hopper again and 49% saying they would vote for the Democratic candidate. He was seen as particularly vulnerable to recall, considering that his victory in the 2008 election came only after a mandatory recount; the margin of victory was 163 votes.
On March 29, 2011, it was reported by the ''
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel'' that the recall organizers appeared to have enough signatures to force a recall election. On April 7, 2011, organizers filed 23,946 signatures to recall Senator Hopper with the Government Accountability Board in Madison.
On April 13, 2011, Oshkosh Deputy Mayor Jessica King, who lost to Hopper by 163 votes in 2008, announced she would run against Hopper in a potential recall election.
In late May 2011, the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board verified petitions against Hopper, and scheduled the recall election for July 12, 2011. King defeated Hopper in the recall election with 51.13% of the vote, 28,188 to 26,937.
2011 arrest
In October 2011, Hopper was arrested on a charge of drunk driving. In December, he pleaded not guilty and his jury trial started March 22, 2012. During the trial, Hopper's attorney, Dennis Melowski, argued that county employees, including the arresting officer, "were out to get him".
On March 23, 2012, a jury found Hopper not guilty.
Taxes
According to reporting by the
Fond du Lac Reporter
''The Reporter'' is a daily newspaper based in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin owned by Gannett. It serves primarily Fond du Lac and northern Dodge County in East Central Wisconsin.
The ''Reporter'' traces its founding to August 22, 1870 when the ''Fond ...
, Hopper paid state income tax once in the period between 1997 and 2008. The three businesses he owned had paid no net income tax during the same period.
Electoral history
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hopper, Randy
People from Taylorville, Illinois
Politicians from Fond du Lac, Wisconsin
Businesspeople from Wisconsin
Wisconsin state senators
Recalled state legislators of the United States
The Hill School alumni
Denison University alumni
Kellogg School of Management alumni
1966 births
Living people
21st-century American politicians