Devin LeMahieu (born August 8, 1972) is an American businessman 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. He is the current majority leader 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 ...

, since 2021, and has represented the 9th Senate district since 2015.

Early life, education and career

LeMathieu was born in

Sheboygan, Wisconsin Sheboygan () is a city in and the county seat of Sheboygan County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 49,929 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Sheboygan, Wisconsin Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has a populatio ...

and graduated from Sheboygan County Christian High School in 1991. LeMahieu received his bachelor's degree from

Dordt College Dordt University is a private evangelical Christian university in Sioux Center, Iowa. It was founded in 1955 and is affiliated with the Christian Reformed Church in North America. The university name is a reference to the Synod of Dordt (Dord ...

, in 1995, where he studied business administration and political science. He is the owner of ''The Lakeshore Weekly'' in

Oostburg, Wisconsin Oostburg is a village in Sheboygan County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 2,887 at the 2010 census. It is included in the Sheboygan, Wisconsin Metropolitan Statistical Area. History The Village of Oostburg was incorporated in 1909. ...

Early political career

LeMahieu served on the Sheboygan County Board of Supervisors as a member of the Human Resources and Finance Committees. His father, Dan LeMahieu, also served on the Sheboygan County Board (where he was the Chairman) and as a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly.

Wisconsin State Senate

On November 4, 2014, LeMahieu was elected to the

as a

. He succeeded

Joe Leibham Joseph K. Leibham (born June 6, 1969) is an American business executive and lobbyist who served as a Republican member of the Wisconsin Senate, representing the 9th District from 2002 to 2014. He previously served in the Wisconsin Assembly, repr ...

, who did not run for re-election. After

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 ...

was elected to the

United States 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 house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

, LeMahieu was selected by a majority of the Wisconsin Senate Republican Caucus to serve as the Senate's majority leader. He opposes the legalization of medical and recreational marijuana in Wisconsin. He argued Wisconsin would be a "rogue state" if it were to legalize medical marijuana and that there was no "actual science behind it." In April 2021, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, LeMahieu said he opposed the Wisconsin government setting COVID-19 rules in place. He said, "I trust in people to educate themselves and make their own decisions. I don’t think at this point the government needs to tell people how to respond to the pandemic since we’re a year into this." In October 2021, LeMahieu defended a heavily pro-Republican gerrymandered redistricting map for Wisconsin. In January 2022, LeMahieu said that the Republican-led legislature would not confirm any of Tony Evers's appointees for the rest of Evers's term in office.

Electoral history

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 4, 2014 , colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 6, 2018

References

External links

Senator Devin LeMahieu
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 Republican ...

Campaign website
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9th Senate District map (2011–2021)
, - 1972 births 21st-century American politicians County supervisors in Wisconsin Dordt University alumni Editors of Wisconsin newspapers Living people People from Oostburg, Wisconsin Politicians from Sheboygan, Wisconsin Republican Party Wisconsin state senators {{Wisconsin-WISenate-stub