Debra Ann "Deb" Kolste (''

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

'' Babl; born June 20, 1953) 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 ...

business owner and politician. A Democrat, she was 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, e ...

from 2013 to 2021, representing the Janesville-based 44th assembly district.

Early life and career

Debra Kolste was born in the small city of

O'Neill, Nebraska O'Neill is a city in Holt County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 3,705 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Holt County. History O'Neill was platted in 1874. It was named for one of its founders, John O'Neill. O'Neill was ...

. She was co-

valedictorian Valedictorian is an academic title for the highest-performing student of a graduating class of an academic institution. The valedictorian is commonly determined by a numerical formula, generally an academic institution's grade point average (GPA) ...

on her graduation from Kimball County High School. She went on to study at the

University of Nebraska A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United State ...

and received her

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 si ...

medical technology Health technology is defined by the World Health Organization as the "application of organized knowledge and skills in the form of devices, medicines, vaccines, procedures, and systems developed to solve a health problem and improve quality of liv ...

in 1975. She and her husband, Rex, a

medical doctor A physician (American English), medical practitioner (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, mai ...

, moved to

Colby, Kansas Colby is a city in and the county seat of Thomas County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 5,570. History In 1882, a post office was established near the center of Thomas County. Area homesteaders l ...

, where they started a medical clinic. In 1984, they purchased a

grain A grain is a small, hard, dry fruit ( caryopsis) – with or without an attached hull layer – harvested for human or animal consumption. A grain crop is a grain-producing plant. The two main types of commercial grain crops are cereals and legum ...

farm in Colby, which Kolste still owns and operates. In 1994, they sold their clinic in Colby and moved to

Janesville, Wisconsin Janesville is a city in Rock County, Wisconsin, United States. It is the county seat and largest city in the county. It is a principal municipality of the Janesville, Wisconsin, Metropolitan Statistical Area and is included in the Madison–Jan ...

, where they both were employed by Mercy Health. Since then, Kolste has been employed as a

medical technologist A medical laboratory scientist (MLS) or clinical laboratory scientist (CLS) or medical technologist (MT) performs diagnostic testing of blood and body fluids in clinical laboratories. The scope of a medical laboratory scientist's work begins wit ...

in the Mercy Health system. In Janesville, Kolste quickly became involved in local school affairs as her children matriculated through the Janesville public schools. She joined the

parent–teacher association A parent–teacher association/organization (PTA/PTO), parent-teacher-friend association (PTFA), or parent–teacher–student association (PTSA) is a formal organization composed of parents, teachers and staff that is intended to facilitate parent ...

and, in 2000, she was elected to the local School Board. She served three three-year terms on the board, leaving office in 2009; she was president of the board for the 2007–2008 session.

Political career

In 2012, Kolste announced she would be a candidate for

in the Janesville-based 44th assembly district. She hoped to challenge

incumbent The incumbent is the current holder of an 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 seeking re-ele ...

first-term Republican state representative Joe Knilans in the general election. First, however, she had to surmount the crowded Democratic

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 ...

field, which included city councilmember Sam Liebert, school board member Kevin Murray, and former city councilmember Yuri Rashkin. In the August primary, she prevailed with 42% of the vote. The general election dealt with the issues of a mining bill, which may have had an impact on the Janesville economy, and the state's implementation of the federal

Affordable Care Act The Affordable Care Act (ACA), formally known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and colloquially known as Obamacare, is a landmark U.S. federal statute enacted by the 111th United States Congress and signed into law by Pres ...

. Kolste went on to win a substantial victory over Knilans in the general election, with 61% of the vote. Kolste won reelection in 2014 and was unopposed in 2016 and 2018. In February 2020, Kolste announced she would retire from the Assembly at the end of the 2019–2020 term. Kolste endorsed her friend, Sue Conley, to replace her in the Assembly, and Conley was elected later that year. Tragically, Kolste's husband, Rex, died unexpectedly two months after she announced her retirement.

Personal life and family

Debra Ann Babl took the name Kolste when she married Dr. Rex J. Kolste, who she met while they were both undergraduate students at the

. Dr. Kolste, at age 66, died of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...

in April 2020. Rex had suffered his first heart attack at age 50, in 2004, after which they began recreational biking and practiced

yoga Yoga (; sa, योग, lit=yoke' or 'union ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India and aim to control (yoke) and still the mind, recognizing a detached witness-consciou ...

. From her marriage with Dr. Kolste, Deb has three adult children, Drew, Ali, and Tori, and three grandchildren. She resides in

Electoral history

Wisconsin Assembly (2012)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", Democratic Primary, August 14, 2012 , colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 6, 2012

Wisconsin Assembly (2014)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 4, 2014

References

External links

* *
Official website

Representative Debra Kolste
at

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 Repub ...

Assembly campaign website (Archived - November 4, 2018)

44th Assembly District map (2011–2021)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kolste, Debra 1953 births Living people People from O'Neill, Nebraska Politicians from Janesville, Wisconsin University of Nebraska alumni Businesspeople from Wisconsin School board members in Wisconsin Women state legislators in Wisconsin 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians Democratic Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly