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Devin LeMahieu
21st century American politician (born 1972) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Devin LeMahieu (born August 8, 1972) is an American businessman and Republican politician from Sheboygan County, Wisconsin. He is the current majority leader of the Wisconsin Senate, since 2021, and has represented Wisconsin's 9th Senate district since 2015. He previously served nine years on the Sheboygan County board of supervisors. His father, Daniel LeMahieu, served 12 years in the Wisconsin State Assembly.
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Early life, education and career
Devin LeMathieu was born in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, and has lived most of his life in the Sheboygan area. He graduated from Sheboygan County Christian High School in 1991, and went on to attend Dordt College, in Sioux Center, Iowa; he earned his bachelor's degree in 1995 with a double major in business administration and political science.[1]
After college, LeMahieu began working for the Lakeshore Weekly advertiser, which his father owned. He later took over ownership of the paper.[1]
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Early political career
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LeMahieu was involved in politics from an early age because of his father's active role in the local Republican Party.[2] In 2006, he made his first bid for public office, running for an open seat on the Sheboygan County board of supervisors. He won the election without opposition[3] and went on to serve on the board for the next nine years.[1]
LeMahieu made his first run for the Wisconsin Legislature in 2012, when he launched a primary challenge against Republican incumbent Mike Endsley in the 26th Assembly district. In announcing his run, LeMahieu stated that his campaign wasn't intended as opposition to any particular policy or vote from Endsley, but was merely an acknowledgement that the district had been significantly reshaped by the 2011 redistricting act—the 26th district had previous been concentrated in the city of Sheboygan and the neighboring village of Kohler; the redistricting split Sheboygan between the 26th and 27th districts to gerrymander the Democratic residents of Sheboygan out of any chance at Democratic legislative representation, and the 26th district took on vast portions of southern Sheboygan County, including LeMahieu's home in Oostburg.[4][5] LeMahieu ultimately fell short in the primary, receiving 40% of the vote.[6]
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Wisconsin Senate
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Two years after his loss in the Assembly primary, LeMahieu seized another opportunity to run for state office when incumbent state senator Joe Leibham announced he would run for U.S. House of Representatives rather than seeking another term representing Wisconsin's 9th Senate district.[7] This time, LeMahieu faced no opponent in the primary and went on to the general election against Democratic candidate Martha Laning. The 9th Senate district then comprised most of Sheboygan and Manitowoc counties and part of Calumet County, and was a safely Republican seat; LeMahieu prevailed with 60% of the vote.[8] He took office at the start of the 101st Wisconsin Legislature, and resigned from the county board.
During his first term in the Senate, he was assigned chair of the Senate Committee on Elections and Local Government, and was Senate co-chair of the Joint Survey Committee on Tax Exemptions.[9] LeMahieu was easily re-elected in 2018.[10]
In the 2020 general election, Wisconsin Senate majority leader Scott L. Fitzgerald was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, leaving his leadership position vacant. In a closed caucus meeting, the Senate Republicans elected LeMahieu as their majority leader just days after the 2020 election.[11][12]
He opposes the legalization of medical and recreational marijuana in Wisconsin.[13] He argued Wisconsin would be a "rogue state" if it were to legalize medical marijuana and that there was no "actual science behind it."[13]
In April 2021, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, LeMahieu said he opposed the Wisconsin government setting COVID-19 rules in place.[13] 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."[13] In October 2021, LeMahieu defended a heavily pro-Republican gerrymandered redistricting map for Wisconsin.[14]
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.[15] Evers and LeMahieu were both re-elected to their offices in the 2022 general election, since that time, some of Evers' nominees were subsequently confirmed by the Wisconsin Senate.[16]
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Electoral history
Wisconsin Assembly (2012)
Wisconsin Senate (2014–present)
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References
External links
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