Daniel Raymond Knodl (born December 14, 1958) is an American Republican politician from

Washington County, Wisconsin Washington County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 136,761. Its county seat is West Bend. The county was created from Wisconsin Territory in 1836 and organized in 1845. It was named after P ...

. He 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. The Assembly is controlled by the Republican ...

, representing Wisconsin's 24th Assembly district since January 2025. Knodl previously represented this district from January 2009 until May 2023, when he was elected to the

Wisconsin Senate The Wisconsin Senate is the upper house of the Wisconsin State Legislature. Together with the Wisconsin State Assembly they constitute the legislative branch of the state of Wisconsin. The powers of the Wisconsin Senate are modeled after those ...

in a

2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...

special election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, or a bypoll in India, is an election used to fill an office that has become vacant between general elections. A vacancy may arise as a result of an incumben ...

to represent the 8th State Senate district.

Early life and education

Born in

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

, Knodl was raised in

Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin Menomonee Falls is a village in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States. Its population was 38,527 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the most-populous village in Wisconsin. It is part of the Milwaukee metropolitan area. ...

, and graduated from Menomonee Falls East High School in 1977. He briefly attended the

University of Wisconsin–Madison The University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin, UW, UW–Madison, or simply Madison) is a public land-grant research university in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. It was founded in 1848 when Wisconsin achieved st ...

Career

Knodl was first elected to the Washington County board of supervisors in 2006. Two years later, he won his first term in the

, running in the 24th Assembly district. He went on to win re-election seven times in this district. On January 5, 2021, Knodl and 14 other Wisconsin lawmakers signed a letter to Vice President Mike Pence asking him to delay certification of the

2020 United States presidential election United States presidential election, Presidential elections were held in the United States on November 3, 2020. The Democratic Party (United States), Democratic ticket of former vice president Joe Biden and California junior senator Kamala H ...

. In the letter, they claimed that "The 2020 election witnessed an unprecedented and admitted defiance of state law and procedural irregularities raising questions about the validity of hundreds of thousands of ballots." On December 2, 2022, Knodl announced that he was running in the

for the 8th state senate district after incumbent

Alberta Darling Alberta Darling (born April 28, 1944) is an American educator, politician and former member of the Wisconsin State Senate. She represented Wisconsin's 8th State Senate district from 1993 through 2022 as a Republican. Her constituency included ...

resigned. On February 21, 2023, Knodl beat Janel Brandtjen and Van Mobley in the Republican primary race. He defeated Democrat Jodi Habush Sinykin on April 4. Knodl was sworn in as a state senator on May 3, 2023. A year after his election, however, the 2024 redistricting act re-drew the 8th Senate district so that Knodl and fellow senator

Duey Stroebel Sherburn Duane "Duey" Stroebel Jr. (born September 1, 1959) is an American realtor and Republican politician from Cedarburg, Wisconsin. He served 10 years as a member of the Wisconsin Senate, representing Wisconsin's 20th Senate district from ...

were contained in one district. He announced he would not seek re-election to the Senate, and instead opted to run for his old seat in the 24th Assembly district.

Electoral history

Wisconsin Assembly (2008–2022)

Wisconsin Senate (2023)

Wisconsin Assembly (2024)

References

, - 1958 births Living people People from Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin Politicians from Waukesha County, Wisconsin People from Germantown, Wisconsin Republican Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly 21st-century members of the Wisconsin Legislature {{Authority control