Katrina Shankland (born August 4, 1987) 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 ...

community organizer and Democratic politician. She is 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, ...

, representing the 71st Assembly district—based in

Stevens Point Stevens Point is the county seat of Portage County, Wisconsin, United States. The city was incorporated in 1858. Its 2020 population of 25,666 makes it the largest city in the county. Stevens Point forms the core of the United States Census Bur ...

and central Portage County.

Biography

Originally from

Wittenberg, Wisconsin Wittenberg is a village in Shawano County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,081 at the 2010 census. The village is located within the Town of Wittenberg. History In 1886, the Wittenberg Indian School was established by the Norweg ...

, Shankland graduated from Wittenberg-Birnamwood High School in 2005. She went on to attend

University of Wisconsin–Marathon County 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 States, t ...

and

Marquette University Marquette University () is a Private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit research university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Established by the Society of Jesus as Marquette College on August 28, 1881, it was founded by John Henni, John Martin ...

, before earning 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 six ...

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

and

Latin American studies Latin American studies (LAS) is an academic and research field associated with the study of Latin America. The interdisciplinary study is a subfield of area studies, and can be composed of numerous disciplines such as economics, sociology, history ...

from

University of Wisconsin-Madison 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 States, the ...

in 2009. She continued her education after joining the Assembly, and earned her

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

in 2019 from

University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point 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 States, th ...

. While working on her bachelor's degree, she was employed with Learning Enterprises International, a non-profit focused on promoting teaching through international programs. After graduating from college, she was employed for several years as a coordinator for the Midwest Renewable Energy Association. She also became involved as a community organizer for the

Democratic Party of Wisconsin The Democratic Party of Wisconsin is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is currently headed by chair Ben Wikler. Important issues for the state party include support for workers and unions, strong public educa ...

and was active for the campaign of Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett in the 2012 Wisconsin gubernatorial recall election. In the midst of the recall election, Shankland entered the 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 * ...

race for

in the 71st Assembly district. The 71st district was being vacated by State Representative

Louis Molepske Louis John Molepske, Jr., (born January 6, 1974) is an American attorney, judge, and Democratic politician. He is a Wisconsin circuit court judge in Portage County, Wisconsin, since 2022. He previously served nine years as district attorney, ...

, who was leaving the Assembly to run for

district attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a l ...

instead. The open seat in the Democratic-friendly 71st district ultimately attracted nine candidates. Shankland narrowly prevailed with 27% of the vote in the crowded August primary, with a winning margin of only 44 votes. In the general election, she faced fellow first-time candidate

Patrick Testin Patrick Testin (born June 9, 1988) is an American Republican politician. He is the current President pro tempore of the Wisconsin State Senate (since 2021) and has served in the Senate since 2017. He represents the 24th Senate district, which i ...

, carrying 60% of the vote and taking the seat for the 2013–2014 term. She was subsequently reelected without opposition in 2014, 2016, and 2018, and defeated a challenger in 2020 to win a fifth term.

Electoral history

Wisconsin Assembly

References

External links

* *
Representative Katrina Shankland
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 ...

71st Assembly District map (2011–2021)

Midwest Renewable Energy Association

Learning Enterprises
Living people People from Stevens Point, Wisconsin University of Wisconsin–Madison College of Letters and Science alumni Women state legislators in Wisconsin 1987 births 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians People from Wittenberg, Wisconsin People from Wausau, Wisconsin Democratic Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly {{Wisconsin-WIAssembly-Democratic-stub