Timothy James Michels (born August 7, 1962)
is an American businessman who co-owns and co-manages
Michels Corporation, a family-owned and operated construction company.
A member of the
Republican Party, Michels was the party's unsuccessful nominee in the
2004 United States Senate election in Wisconsin and the
2022 Wisconsin gubernatorial election.
Early life and education
Born in
Lomira, Wisconsin
Lomira is a village in Dodge County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 2,430 at the 2010 census. The village is located within the Town of Lomira, at the crossroads of State Highways 49, 67 and 175, and Interstate 41.
History
The ...
, Michels graduated from Lomira High School in 1980. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from
St. Norbert College
St. Norbert College (SNC) is a private Norbertine liberal arts college in De Pere, Wisconsin. Founded in October 1898 by Abbot Bernard Pennings, a Norbertine priest and educator, the school was named after Saint Norbert of Xanten. In 1952, the c ...
in 1984, an
MBA
A Master of Business Administration (MBA; also Master's in Business Administration) is a postgraduate degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration such as accounti ...
from the
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...
in 1997, and an
MPA
MPA or mPa may refer to:
Academia
Academic degrees
* Master of Performing Arts
* Master of Professional Accountancy
* Master of Public Administration
* Master of Public Affairs
Schools
* Mesa Preparatory Academy
* Morgan Park Academy
* Mound ...
from the
Illinois Institute of Technology
Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Tracing its history to 1890, the present name was adopted upon the merger of the Armour Institute and Lewis Institute in 1940. The university has prog ...
the same year.
Career
Michels served in the
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
as an infantry officer for one year, earning the rank of
major
Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...
.
He is a member of the
American Legion
The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is a non-profit organization of U.S. war
War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militi ...
and
VFW
The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), formally the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, is an organization of US war veterans, who, as military service members fought in wars, campaigns, and expeditions on foreign land, waters, or ...
.
He co-owns the
Michels Corporation in
Brownsville, Wisconsin
Brownsville is a village in Dodge County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 581 at the 2010 census.
History
Brownsville was founded around 1878. The village was first known as Thetis Station and had a narrow gauge railroad connection ...
.
Policy positions
Abortion
Michels opposes abortion and supports the state’s law banning abortion except in cases of the life of the mother. When asked about abortion pills, Michels said that if elected, "they'll be illegal in Wisconsin." On contraception, Michels told the ''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel'', “I am against abortion, I am not against contraception.” In September 2022, Michels said that he would support a state level abortion ban that included exceptions for pregnancies resulting from rape or incest.
Education
Michels has proposed universal
school choice
School choice is a term for education options that allow students and families to select alternatives to public schools.
The most common in the United States, by both the number of programs and by the number of participating students are scho ...
, an expansion of the state's private school voucher program. Tony Evers vetoed a similar proposal that would have eliminated income caps for the voucher program. Michels has also been critical of the teaching of transgender topics in public K-12 schools and supports a greater emphasis on traditional educational topics.
Same-sex marriage
In his 2004 U.S. Senate campaign, Michels said he believed that marriage should be between a man and woman. In his 2022 gubernatorial campaign Michels said that his personal position had not changed.
Political campaigns
Wisconsin State Senate
In 1998, Michels made a bid for the state Senate, and received 30 percent of the vote in the Republican primary, losing to
incumbent
The incumbent is the current holder of an official, office or position, usually in relation to an election. In an election for president, the incumbent is the person holding or acting in the office of president before the election, whether seek ...
senator
Scott L. Fitzgerald
Scott Lawrence Fitzgerald (born November 16, 1963) is an American politician and former newspaper publisher. A Republican, he represents in the U.S. House of Representatives. The district includes many of Milwaukee's northern and western suburb ...
.
U.S. Senate
In 2004, Michels defeated automobile dealer Russ Darrow Jr., state Senator
Robert Welch, and attorney Robert Lorge in the Republican primary for the
U.S. Senate
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 ...
.
Michels and his Democratic Party opponent, incumbent U.S. Senator
Russ Feingold
Russell Dana Feingold ( ; born March 2, 1953) is an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States Senator from Wisconsin from 1993 to 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he was its nominee in the 2016 election for the same U.S ...
, sparred on such topics as Feingold's opposition to the
Patriot Act
The USA PATRIOT Act (commonly known as the Patriot Act) was a landmark Act of the United States Congress, signed into law by President George W. Bush. The formal name of the statute is the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropr ...
, taxes, health care, and Feingold's opposition to the
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
administration policies.
The military veteran Michels strongly supported the
Iraq War
{{Infobox military conflict
, conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish)
, partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...
.
Feingold pointed out Michel's political inexperience.
Michels lost the general election to Russ Feingold, 55% to 44%.
In 2005,
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...
conducted a study. They found that a quick look at a candidate’s photograph — a one-second exposure — created an initial impression that often lasted through the more deliberative process that helps a voter decide. The researchers showed study participants photos of Tim Michels and Russ Feingold, and were able to predict the outcome of the election based solely on facial appearances.
Wisconsin governor
On April 22, 2022, Michels filed paperwork with the
Wisconsin Elections Commission
The Wisconsin Elections Commission is a bipartisan regulatory agency of the State of Wisconsin established to administer and enforce election laws in the state. The Wisconsin Elections Commission was established by a 2015 act of the Wisconsin Leg ...
to begin his candidacy for
governor of Wisconsin
The governor of Wisconsin is the head of government of Wisconsin and the commander-in-chief of the state's army and air forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Wiscons ...
.
On July 11, 2022, Michels received the endorsement of former Governor Tommy Thompson, the state's longest-serving governor. Michels had also been endorsed by former President
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...
.
After announcing his campaign for Wisconsin governor, it was reported that Michels had spent the previous decade living part-time in Manhattan and Connecticut while maintaining primary residency in Wisconsin. During the campaign, his remarks on election integrity received criticism, and he said "Republicans will never lose another election in Wisconsin after I'm elected governor."
On November 8, 2022, Michels and his running mate
Roger Roth
Roger J. Roth Jr. (born February 5, 1978) is an American politician from Wisconsin. A Republican, he was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from 2007 to 2011, and a member of the Wisconsin State Senate since 2015. He was the Republican nom ...
lost the general election to
Democrats Tony Evers
Anthony Steven Evers (born November 5, 1951) is an American educator and politician serving as the 46th governor of Wisconsin since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as Wisconsin's Superintendent of Public Instruction from 200 ...
and
Sara Rodriguez
Sara Rodriguez (born July 25, 1975) is an American registered nurse, health care executive, and Democratic politician. She is the 46th and incumbent lieutenant governor of Wisconsin, having been elected on a ticket with Governor Tony Evers in ...
.
Personal life
Michels and his wife Barbara have three children. In addition to their residence in Wisconsin, Michels and his wife have also lived in
Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
and
Connecticut
Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...
part-time since 2013. In 2020, Michels and his wife purchased a
mansion
A mansion is a large dwelling house. The word itself derives through Old French from the Latin word ''mansio'' "dwelling", an abstract noun derived from the verb ''manere'' "to dwell". The English word '' manse'' originally defined a property l ...
in
Greenwich
Greenwich ( , ,) is a town in south-east London, England, within the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is situated east-southeast of Charing Cross.
Greenwich is notable for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich ...
for $17 million.
In March 2022, Tim and Barbara Michels donated $15 million for rare cancers research to the
Medical College of Wisconsin
The Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) is a private medical school, pharmacy school, and graduate school of sciences headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The school was established in 1893 and is the largest research center in eastern Wisconsin ...
. The gift was the largest ever to the MCW Cancer Center. The couple previously donated $3 million to the Weill Cornell Pediatric Brain and Spine Center, establishing the Michels Family Professorship endowment in Pediatric Neurological Surgery.
Electoral history
References
External links
Campaign website*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Michels, Tim
1962 births
20th-century American businesspeople
21st-century American politicians
Businesspeople from Wisconsin
Candidates in the 2004 United States elections
Candidates in the 2022 United States elections
Illinois Institute of Technology alumni
Living people
Military personnel from Wisconsin
Politicians from Green Bay, Wisconsin
United States Army officers
University of Chicago alumni
Wisconsin Republicans