Chris Lee KapengaJesse Garza

''Wisconsin Journal Sentinel'' (August 27, 2010). is an American politician and, since 2015, a member of the

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 ...

. A member of the

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...

, he is elected from the 33rd senatorial district. He became the president of the state Senate in 2021.

Early life, education, and early career

Kapenga has a bachelor's degree in accounting from

Calvin College Calvin University, formerly Calvin College, is a private Christian university in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Founded in 1876, Calvin University is an educational institution of the Christian Reformed Church and stands in the Reformed (Calvinist) ...

. Kapenga is an accountant. He owned a business, Integrated Time Systems,Rich Kirchen
Wisconsin state Rep. Kapenga invests in optometrist network
''Milwaukee Business Journal'' (April 18, 2014)). that provides timekeeping systems (software and hardware) to businesses. He sold the business in 2019 to Ascentis Corp. In 2014, Kapenga invested in Eye Care of Wisconsin, an

optometrist Optometry is a specialized health care profession that involves examining the eyes and related structures for defects or abnormalities. Optometrists are health care professionals who typically provide comprehensive primary eye care. In the Uni ...

network; his wife ran the business's operation and Kapenga became its

registered agent In United States business law, a registered agent (also known as a resident agent, statutory agent, or agent for service of process) is a business or individual designated to receive service of process (SOP) when a business entity is a part ...

Political career

State Assembly

Kapenga first ran for office in 2010, when he sought election to 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, ...

as a Republican candidate for the 33rd Assembly District in

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 ...

; an

open seat The Barcelona Open (currently sponsored by Banc Sabadell) is an annual tennis tournament for male professional players. The event has been held in Barcelona, Spain every year from 1953 (except for its cancellation in 2020), and is played on clay ...

in which Republican

Scott Newcomer Scott Newcomer (August 12, 1965) is a Wisconsin legislator and politician. Born in Waukesha, Wisconsin, Newcomer graduated from Waukesha South High School in 1983 and received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Wisconsin–M ...

decided not to run for reelection. The district is heavily Republican. He won the Republican

primary election Primary elections, or direct primary are a voting process by which voters can indicate their preference for their party's candidate, or a candidate in general, in an upcoming general election, local election, or by-election. Depending on the ...

with just under 40% of the vote, defeating three other candidates. He ran unopposed in the 2010 general election. As a state representative, Kapenga where he was a major advocate of enactment of a

right-to-work law In the context of labor law in the United States, the term "right-to-work laws" refers to state laws that prohibit union security agreements between employers and labor unions which require employees who are not union members to contribute to ...

and repeal of the Wisconsin

prevailing wage In United States government contracting, a prevailing wage is defined as the hourly wage, usual benefits and overtime, paid to the majority of workers, laborers, and mechanics within a particular area. This is usually the union wage. Prevailing ...

law, which sets a minimum pay for contractors hired to construct public works.Chris Kapenga defeats Sherryll Shaddock in Senate race
''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel '' (July 21, 2015).Andrew Hahn

''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel'' (June 23, 2015). In 2012, Kapenga ran for a seat in the

. Because there was no Democratic challenger, the November election was between two Republican candidates:

Paul Farrow Paul Farrow (born July 17, 1964) is a Wisconsin politician and businessman. The son of former Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor Margaret Farrow, he currently serves as the County Executive of Waukesha County, Wisconsin. Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, ...

and Kapenga. Farrow won, defeating Kapenga, with Farrow receiving 31,927 votes (52.32%) and Kapenda receiving 29,027 votes (47.57%).Amended Percentage Results-11.6.12 President and All Offices
Wisconsin Elections Commission, pp. 32 and 46. Kapenga simultaneously won reelection to his state Assembly seat with 76.28% of the vote, defeating Democratic nominee Thomas D. Hibbard. In 2015, when Kapenga left the Assembly, his seat was filled by Republican

Cindi Duchow Cindi Duchow (born August 21, 1959) is an American retail manager, buyer and politician, currently serving in the Wisconsin State Assembly. Born in Waukesha, Wisconsin, Duchow received her bachelor's degree from University of Wisconsin–Madiso ...

State Senate

In 2014, Kapenga again ran for a seat in the State Senate, but again lost in the Republican

. He won the seat in a July 2015

special election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-larges ...

, defeating Democratic nominee Sherryll Shaddock, after winning the Republican nomination the preceding month against two other candidates. He ran unopposed for re-election in 2018. In the Senate, Kapenga has been a longtime supporter of legislation to allow

Tesla, Inc. Tesla, Inc. ( or ) is an American multinational automotive and clean energy company headquartered in Austin, Texas. Tesla designs and manufactures electric vehicles (electric cars and trucks), battery energy storage from home to grid- ...

to open dealerships in Wisconsin to sell its vehicles, repealing a provision of Wisconsin state law that bars automakers from controlling or directly operating dealerships. Kapenga owns a business, Integrity Motorsports LLC, that sells Tesla parts and Tesla salvage vehicles. In 2019, the Tesla provision was added to a state budget bill, winning Kapenga's vote. (Kapenga has previously introduced legislation to change the law to allow Tesla to open dealerships in two previous legislative sessions, but the proposals did not pass. Kapenga described himself as a hobbyist and said that he would not personally profit from the change in the law. In a 2015 Senate debate, Kapenga supported changes to state campaign finance laws to allow more money in elections, twice saying, "The more money in politics, the better." Also in 2015, Kapenda tweeted that he agreed that a Muslim should not be president, before later deleting the post after he was asked about it by the press. In 2016, Kapenga (along with state Representative

Robert Brooks Robert Darren Brooks (born June 23, 1970) is a former American football wide receiver who attended University of South Carolina and played for the Green Bay Packers (1992–1998) and the Denver Broncos. Biography Early life Brooks sta ...

) introduced legislation to allow Wisconsin landowners to excavate Native American

effigy mound An effigy mound is a raised pile of earth built in the shape of a stylized animal, symbol, religious figure, human, or other figure. The Effigy Moundbuilder culture is primarily associated with the years 550-1200 CE during the Late Woodland Peri ...

s on their property. Under the bill, the

Wisconsin Historical Society The Wisconsin Historical Society (officially the State Historical Society of Wisconsin) is simultaneously a state agency and a private membership organization whose purpose is to maintain, promote and spread knowledge relating to the history of N ...

would allow landowners to excavate to determine whether human remains were present on effigy mounds, and (if no such remains were found), landowners could use the land as they wished. The bill was strongly opposed by the

Ho-Chunk Nation The Ho-Chunk Nation (Ho-Chunk language: ) is a federally recognized tribe of the Ho-Chunk with traditional territory across five states in the United States: Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, and Missouri. The other federally recognized trib ...

and other tribes (who viewed excavation to determine the presence of remains as defeating the purpose of mound protection), and Assembly Speaker

Robin Vos Robin J. Vos (born July 5, 1968) is an American businessman and Republican politician and the 79th speaker of the Wisconsin State Assembly, serving in that role since 2013. He has been a member of the Assembly since 2005, representing most of t ...

blocked the bill from consideration. In 2017, Kapenga was one of two Senate Republicans to join Democrats in voting against a proposed state constitutional amendment to eliminate the position of

State Treasurer of Wisconsin The State Treasurer of Wisconsin is a constitutional officer in the executive branch of the government of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Thirty-six individuals have held the office of State Treasurer since statehood. The incumbent is Sarah Godlewski ...

. The measure passed the Senate on an 18–15 vote. In 2019, Kapenga considered running for a seat in 2020 in the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from

Wisconsin's 5th congressional district Wisconsin's 5th congressional district is a congressional district of the United States House of Representatives in Wisconsin, covering most of Milwaukee's northern and western suburbs. It presently covers all of Washington and Jefferson countie ...

(covering part of the southeastern portion of the state), to replace retiring Republican

Jim Sensenbrenner Frank James Sensenbrenner Jr. (; born June 14, 1943) is an American politician who represented in the United States House of Representatives from 1979 to 2021 (numbered as the 9th district until 2003). He is a member of the Republican Party. ...

, but he ultimately chose not to run. Like most Republican state legislators in Wisconsin, Kapenga opposes Democratic proposals, championed by Governor

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 ...

, to accept federal funds to expand Medicaid to cover more

uninsured Insurance is a means of protection from financial loss in which, in exchange for a fee, a party agrees to compensate another party in the event of a certain loss, damage, or injury. It is a form of risk management, primarily used to Hedge ( ...

Wisconsinites. In October 2020, during the

COVID-19 pandemic in Wisconsin The global COVID-19 pandemic struck the U.S. state of Wisconsin in early February 2020. Although Wisconsin has to date experienced 144 deaths per 100,000 residents, significantly fewer than the US national average of 196 deaths, COVID-19 was one ...

, Kapenga claimed, contrary to public health experts, that face masks were not effective in halting the spread of the coronavirus. Kapenga also said that he did not trust data showing a dire strain on Wisconsin hospital capacity. Kapenga also opposed a statewide order issued by Governor Evers requiring the wearing of face coverings in indoor public places, calling the order "illegal." In November 2020, he was named president of the Wisconsin State Senate for the 2021-22 legislative session. The same month, Kapenga spoke at a pro-

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 ...

rally at which ex-Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke called for the

Proud Boys The Proud Boys is an American far-right, neo-fascist, and exclusively male organization that promotes and engages in political violence in the United States.Far-right: * * Fascist: * * * * * Men only: * * * Political violence: * * * It has ...

, a violent

right-wing extremist Far-right politics, also referred to as the extreme right or right-wing extremism, are political beliefs and actions further to the right of the left–right political spectrum than the standard political right, particularly in terms of being ...

group, to establish a chapter in Wisconsin.At Trump rally, former sheriff calls for Proud Boys chapter in Wisconsin
WISN (November 16, 2020). The rally was shut down by the Milwaukee Health Department because it failed to adhere to COVID-19 public-health rules. In January 2021, amid Trump's failed effort to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election (in which Trump was defeated by Joe Biden), Kapenga, along with other Wisconsin Senate Republicans, blocked a resolution to affirm Biden's victory and condemn the U.S. Capitol attack, which resulted in the death of one person.

References

External links

* * *
Official website

Campaign website

33rd Senatorial District (2011–2021)
, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Kapenga, Chris 21st-century American politicians Calvin University alumni Living people Republican Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly People from Delafield, Wisconsin Presidents of the Wisconsin Senate Republican Party Wisconsin state senators School board members in Wisconsin Year of birth missing (living people)