Welcome to what is the 802nd original profile here at “Crazy/Stupid Republican of the Day” profile, where we’ll be discussing Wisconsin State Senator Van Wanggaard, who prior to reaching office, was a 29 year veteran of the Racine Police Department. We will pause for a moment for everyone to giggle, because yes, his name sounds like an SUV that looks like a giant athletic supporter.
Alright, so Van Wanggaard (snicker) first ran for the Wisconsin State Senate in 2006 in District 21, and then was narrowly elected to office for the first time back in the 2010 Tea Party Wave. Almost immediately upon taking power in Wisconsin in 2011, Gov. Scott Walker and the now GOP-controlled legislature pushed legislation forward to strip voting rights, restructure the district map to gerrymander themselves in control for a decade, and then tried to push forward right-to-work legislation within months of Wanggaard’s first term in office. Outraged constituents were out protesting in force, and signatures were gathered to recall Gov. Walker, and while they were at it, recall several other officials elected in 2010 who carried out their regressive agenda. Among four Republican State Senators facing recall in 2012 was Wanggaard.
And… Van Wanggaard was defeated by Democrat John Lehman over 700 votes in the recall election… and then demanded a recount, simply hoping to keep Lehman out of office as long as possible. The recounted total showed he actually lost by over 800 votes. Still, the legislative map being alredady redrawn by Republicans meant District 21 would be far more conservative in the next election in the normal cycle (it is now shaped like a horseshoe, and went from being a 50/50 Democrat to Republican split to now being +16 Republican), 2014. John Lehman didn’t even bother running for re-election at those odds, and Wanggaard won with 67% of the vote. He won re-election again in 2018 with 58% of the vote (aided by “accidentally” using state websites to link to his own campaign’s Twitter accounts, an ethics violation), and in the time he’s been in office, Wanggaard has racked up a completely partisan voting record, including anti-choice legislation and support for bills to cut welfare benefits make it harder to get government assistance, in general.
But in 2015, only a few months into Van Wanggaard’s second run in office, he turned heads with his nonchalant attitude about guns. Wanggaard not just by sponsoring legislation to try to allow off-duty and retired police officers to carry guns on public school campuses, but he boasted that he was strapped while serving on committee meetings where the bill was being debated, because of course the ex-cop with a name like Van Wanggaard needs to overcompensate. He’s currently trying to completely eliminate the 48 hour waiting period for background checks to get a gun, because holy s***, what?
Van Wanggaard will be up for re-election in 2022, and it remains to be seen if his district will be redrawn, or if the configuration of the electoral map in Wisconsin will remain the same and make it easy for him to remain in power.
One Year Ago, December 1st, 2018: Jason Spencer (GA)… 2018 Update
Two Years Ago, December 1st, 2017: Jason Spencer (GA)… Original Profile
Three Year Ago, December 1st, 2016: Mitch Holmes (KS)
Four Years Ago, December 1st, 2015: Debbie Dunnegan Waters (MO)
Five Years Ago, December 1st, 2014: Charlie Fuqua (AR)