Robert Richard Stafsholt (born November 1975) is an American politician. A

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 ...

, he has been 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 ...

for the 10th district since 2021. He was previously 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, ...

from the 29th assembly district for two terms.

Early life, education, and career before politics

Stafsholt graduated from New Richmond High School in 1994. He attended the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire and University of Wisconsin–River Falls.Rebecca C. Mariscal
Hear from the Wisconsin District 10 candidates
''RiverTowns'' (October 13, 2020). Stafsholt comes from a farming family, and managed the family farm; he previously ran his family's food manufacturing business, worked as a mortgage loan originator, and owned several rental units.Jason Schulte
Three declare for Murtha's seat
''RiverTowns'' (March 17, 2016).

Political career

In 2016, after incumbent Wisconsin State Assembly Representative

John Murtha John Patrick Murtha Jr. (; June 17, 1932 – February 8, 2010) was an American politician from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Murtha, a Democrat, represented Pennsylvania's 12th congressional district in the United States House of Represent ...

declared that he would not seek re-election to a sixth term, Stafsholt filed to run for the 29th district seat. Stafsholt won the Republican primary, and defeated Democrat Scottie Ard in the 2016 general election. He was re-elected in 2018. In 2020, Stafsholt ran for

from the 10th Senate district, defeating Cherlie Link of

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

in the Republican primary and incumbent Democratic state senator Patty Schachtner in the general election. In the state Assembly, Stafsholt sponsored legislation to eliminate state protections for wetlands and air quality and to prohibit state and local government from using the power of

eminent domain Eminent domain (United States, Philippines), land acquisition (India, Malaysia, Singapore), compulsory purchase/acquisition (Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, United Kingdom), resumption (Hong Kong, Uganda), resumption/compulsory acquisition (Austr ...

to create or extend

bike trail A trail, also known as a path or track, is an unpaved lane or small road usually passing through a natural area. In the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, a path or footpath is the preferred term for a pedestrian or hiking trail. The ...

s, recreational trails, and sidewalks. Stafsholt authored legislation in 2019 that eliminated Wisconsin's minimum hunting age. In 2021, Stafsholt and other Republican state legislators demanded that the

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) is a government agency of the U.S. state of Wisconsin charged with conserving and managing Wisconsin's natural resources. The Wisconsin Natural Resources Board has the authority to set policy ...

implement immediately a wolf hunt season before the wolf could potentially be re-added to the federal

Endangered Species List On 29 January 2010, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species identified 5220 (2754 animals, 1 fungus, 2464 plant, 1 protist) endangered species, subspecies and varieties, stocks and sub-populations. For IUCN lists of endangered species by kingd ...

. During his 2020 campaign for state Senate, Stafsholt criticized public-health orders issued 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 2009 ...

to prevent the spread of COVID-19 during the pandemic, calling the orders "unlawful government overreach." In 2021, Stafsholt proposed legislation to prevent the University of Wisconsin System and Wisconsin Technical College System from requiring on-campus students to be vaccinated or regularly tested against COVID-19 in order to access campus buildings. He is a member of the

American Farm Bureau Federation The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), also known as Farm Bureau Insurance and Farm Bureau Inc. but more commonly just the Farm Bureau (FB), is a United States-based insurance company and lobbying group that represents the American agri ...

, the National Rifle Association, the U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance, and Safari Club International; he is a former member of the Wisconsin Bear Hunters' Association and the Wisconsin Association of Mortgage Brokers.

Electoral history

Wisconsin Assembly (2016, 2018)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", Republican Primary, August 9, 2016 , colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 8, 2016 , colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 6, 2018

Wisconsin Senate (2020)

} , colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", Republican Primary, August 11, 2020 , colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 3, 2020

References

External links

* *
Senator Rob Stafsholt
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 Republica ...

Official website

Official website (Assembly - Archived December 2, 2020)

Campaign website (2020)

29th Assembly District map (2011–2021)

10th Senate District map (2011–2021)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stafsholt, Robert R. 21st-century American politicians Businesspeople from Wisconsin Farmers from Wisconsin Living people Republican Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly People from New Richmond, Wisconsin People from St. Croix County, Wisconsin Republican Party Wisconsin state senators 1975 births