Rob Stafsholt
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Robert Richard Stafsholt (born November 1975) is an American farmer, businessman, and Republican politician from St. Croix County, Wisconsin. He is a member of 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 ...
, representing Wisconsin's 10th Senate district since 2021. He previously served two terms in 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 the 29th Assembly district from 2017 to 2021.


Early life and career

Stafsholt graduated from New Richmond High School in 1994. He attended the
University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire The University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire (UW–Eau Claire, UWEC or simply Eau Claire) is a public university in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, United States. It is part of the University of Wisconsin System and offers bachelor's and master's degrees. A ...
and
University of Wisconsin–River Falls The University of Wisconsin–River Falls (UW–River Falls or UWRF) is a public university in River Falls, Wisconsin, United States. It is part of the University of Wisconsin System. The campus is situated on the Kinnickinnic River in the ...
.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 also 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


State Assembly

In 2016, after incumbent state representative
John Murtha John Patrick Murtha Jr. ( ; June 17, 1932 – February 8, 2010) was an Politics of the United States, American politician from the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Murtha, a Democratic Party (United States), Democrat, re ...
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
Wisconsin State 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 o ...
from the 10th Senate district, defeating Cherlie Link of
Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...
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, also known as land acquisition, compulsory purchase, resumption, resumption/compulsory acquisition, or expropriation, is the compulsory acquisition of private property for public use. It does not include the power to take and t ...
to create or extend
bike trail A trail, also known as a path or track, is an unpaved lane or a small paved road (though it can also be a route along a navigable waterways) generally not intended for usage by motorized vehicles, usually passing through a natural area. Howe ...
s,
recreational trail A long-distance trail (or long-distance footpath, track, way, greenway) is a longer recreational trail mainly through rural areas used for hiking, backpacking, cycling, equestrianism or cross-country skiing. They exist on all continents exce ...
s, 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 polic ...
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 kingdo ...
.


State Senate

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 politician and educator serving since 2019 as the 46th governor of Wisconsin. A member of the Democratic Party, he served from 2009 to 2019 as Wisconsin's 26th superintendent of p ...
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), more informally called the American Farm Bureau (AFB) or simply the Farm Bureau, is a United States–based 501(c)(5) tax-exempt agricultural organization and lobbying group. Headquartered in Was ...
, the
National Rifle Association of America The National Rifle Association of America (NRA) is a gun rights advocacy group based in the United States. Founded in 1871 to advance rifle marksmanship, the modern NRA has become a prominent Gun politics in the United States, gun rights ...
, the U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance, and
Safari Club International Safari Club International (SCI) is a US organization composed of hunters dedicated to protecting the “freedom to hunt.” SCI has more than 40,000 members and 180 local chapters. SCI members agree to abide by the organization's code of ethi ...
; he is a former member of the Wisconsin Bear Hunters' Association and the Wisconsin Association of Mortgage Brokers.


Electoral history


Wisconsin Assembly (2016, 2018)


Wisconsin Senate (2020–present)


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 Republ ...

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. 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 21st-century members of the Wisconsin Legislature