Patrick Testin (born June 9, 1988) 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 ...

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 President pro tempore 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 served in the Senate since 2017. He represents the 24th Senate district, which includes the cities of

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

Wisconsin Rapids Wisconsin Rapids is a city in and the county seat of Wood County, Wisconsin. The population was 18,877 at the 2020 census. The city also forms one of the core areas of the United States Census Bureau's Marshfield-Wisconsin Rapids Micropolit ...

in central Wisconsin.

Biography

Born in

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the county seat of Dane County and the capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census the population was 269,840, making it the second-largest city in Wisconsin by population, after Milwaukee, and the 80th-lar ...

, Testin graduated from

Marinette High School Marinette High School is a public high school serving grades 9 through 12 in the city of Marinette, Wisconsin. It is part of the School District of Marinette, and had an estimated enrollment of 623 for the 2014–15 school year. It is the only p ...

in 2006. He continued his education at the

University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point The University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point (UW–Stevens Point or UWSP) is a public university in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. Established in 1894, it is part of the University of Wisconsin System. UW-Stevens Point grants associate, baccalaureat ...

, where he earned his

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 ...

in political science in 2011. While in college, Testin became actively involved with the

Republican Party of Wisconsin The Republican Party of Wisconsin is a right-wing political party in Wisconsin and is the Wisconsin affiliate of the United States Republican Party (GOP). The state party chair is Paul Farrow. The state party is divided into 72 county parties f ...

and served as a deputy field director for the successful congressional campaign of

Sean Duffy Sean Patrick Duffy (born October 3, 1971) is an American politician, prosecutor, former sports commentator and reality television personality who is currently a co-host of ''The Bottom Line'' on Fox Business, as well as a contributor on Fox News. ...

. A few months later, he was hired as field director for Republican candidate Kim Simac in the

2011 Wisconsin Senate recall elections Recall elections for nine Wisconsin state senators were held during the summer of 2011; one was held on July 19, and six on August 9, with two more held on August 16. Voters attempted to put 16 state senators up for recall, eight Democrats and ...

. Over the next several years, after graduating from college, Testin was primarily employed as a store manager for a mattress retailer (2011–2014), and then as a sales representative for M Shiraz Wines of Wisconsin (since 2014). In 2012, following the implementation of the 2011 Republican redistricting plan, he made his first bid for elected office, running for

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, ...

in the open 71st Assembly district—based in Stevens Point,

Plover Plovers ( , ) are a widely distributed group of wading birds belonging to the subfamily Charadriinae. Description There are about 66 species in the subfamily, most of them called "plover" or "dotterel". The closely related lapwing subfa ...

, and neighboring parts of Portage County. He fell far short of fellow first-time candidate

Katrina Shankland Katrina Shankland (born August 4, 1987) is an American community organizer and Democratic politician. She is a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing the 71st Assembly district—based in Stevens Point and central Portage ...

, who carried 60% of the general election vote. In 2016, Testin was again a candidate for office, challenging 13-year incumbent State Senator

Julie Lassa Julie M. Lassa (born October 21, 1970) is a former Democratic Party member of the Wisconsin State Senate, who represented the 24th District from April 2003 to January 2017. She was a member of the Wisconsin Assembly for the 71st District from 19 ...

. This time he prevailed, taking 52% of the vote in a year when the Republican presidential candidate carried the state for the first time since 1984. He was subsequently reelected in

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...

. Following the 2020 election, the Senate Republican caucus elected him President pro tempore for the 2021–2022 session. In September 2021, Testin announced his candidacy for

Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin The lieutenant governor of Wisconsin is the first person in the Gubernatorial lines of succession in the United States#Wisconsin, line of succession of Wisconsin's executive branch, thus serving as governor in the event of the death, resignation, r ...

in the 2022 election. He lost the Republican primary to fellow state senator

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 nomi ...

Electoral history

Wisconsin Assembly

Wisconsin Senate

References

External links

* *
Senator Patrick Testin
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 ...

24th Senate District map (2011–2021)
, - 1988 births 21st-century American politicians Living people People from Stevens Point, Wisconsin Politicians from Madison, Wisconsin University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point alumni Republican Party Wisconsin state senators {{Wisconsin-WISenate-stub