Robert L. Cowles III (born July 31, 1950) is 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 ...

member of the

Wisconsin 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 ...

, representing the 2nd District since 1987. In August 2011, Cowles faced a

recall election A recall election (also called a recall referendum, recall petition or representative recall) is a procedure by which, in certain polities, voters can remove an elected official from office through a referendum before that official's term of of ...

, but defeated the Democratic challenger, Nancy Nusbaum, 60 percent to 40 percent.Barbour, Clay and Mary Spicuzza.
Republicans hold off Dems in recalls, win enough seats to keep majority in Senate
, ''

Wisconsin State Journal The ''Wisconsin State Journal'' is a daily newspaper published in Madison, Wisconsin by Lee Enterprises. The newspaper, the second largest in Wisconsin, is primarily distributed in a 19 county region in south-central Wisconsin. As of September ...

'', August 10, 2011.

Early life and education

Cowles was born in Green Bay, Wisconsin. He graduated from the

University of Wisconsin–Green Bay The University of Wisconsin–Green Bay (UW-Green Bay, UWGB, or Green Bay) is a public university in Green Bay, Wisconsin, with regional campuses in Marinette, Manitowoc, and Sheboygan. Founded in 1965, it is part of the University of Wiscons ...

in 1975. He was formerly a director of an alternative energy division for a communications construction company.Julie Pohlman (ed.)
State of Wisconsin 2015-2016 Blue Book
'. Madison: Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau, 2015, p. 22.

Political career

Elections

Cowles was elected to 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, ...

in 1982 and re-elected until 1986 when he resigned to run for the state Senate. He was first elected to 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 ...

in a

special election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election (Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to f ...

in April 1987. He ran unopposed in 2008 and 2012, and beat his opponent 65 percent to 35 percent in 2016.

Recall effort

Cowles supported Governor Walker's budget repair bill, including the section that removed collective bargaining. As a result, Cowles was subject to a recall effort as part of the

2011 Wisconsin protests Eleven or 11 may refer to: *11 (number), the natural number following 10 and preceding 12 * one of the years 11 BC, AD 11, 1911, 2011, or any year ending in 11 Literature * ''Eleven'' (novel), a 2006 novel by British author David Llewellyn *''E ...

. On March 2, 2011, the "Committee to Recall Cowles" registered with the

Wisconsin Government Accountability Board The Wisconsin Government Accountability Board (G.A.B.) was a regulatory agency for the State of Wisconsin which administered and enforced Wisconsin law pertaining to campaign finance, elections, ethics and lobbying. The agency was re-organized, ov ...

. On April 28, roughly 26,000 signatures to recall Cowles were filed with the Government Accountability Board. In late May 2011, the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board verified petitions against Cowles. The recall election was held on August 9, 2011, with Cowles defeating the Democratic challenger, Nancy Nusbaum, 60 percent to 40 percent.

Committee assignments

Cowles chairs the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Energy, Co-Chairs the Joint Committee on Audit, sits on the Senate Committee on Transportation and Veterans Affairs, and is the

Ranking Member In United States politics, a ranking member is the most senior member of a congressional or state legislative committee from the minority party. On many committees the ranking minority member, along with the Chair, serve as '' ex officio'' member ...

on the Joint Committee on Information Policy and Technology.

Electoral history

Wisconsin Assembly (1982-1986)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", Primary Election, September 14, 1982 , colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 2, 1982 , colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", Primary Election, September 11, 1984 , colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 6, 1984 , colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", Primary Election, September 9, 1986 , colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 4, 1986

Wisconsin Senate (1987-2016)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", Primary Election, February 17, 1987 , colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, April 7, 1987 , colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", Primary Election, September 13, 1988 , colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 8, 1988 , colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", Primary Election, September 8, 1992 , colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 3, 1992 , colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", Primary Election, September 10, 1996 , colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 5, 1996 , colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", Primary Election, September 12, 2000 , colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 7, 2000 , colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", Primary Election, September 14, 2004 , colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 2, 2004 , colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", Primary Election, September 9, 2008 , colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 4, 2008 , colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", Primary Election, July 12, 2011 , colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, August 9, 2011 , colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", Primary Election, August 14, 2012 , colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 6, 2012 , colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", Primary Election, August 9, 2016 , colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 8, 2016

References

External links

Official legislative website Voting record and bills authored website Campaign website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cowles, Robert 1950 births American Episcopalians Living people Republican Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly Politicians from Green Bay, Wisconsin University of Wisconsin–Green Bay alumni Republican Party Wisconsin state senators 21st-century American politicians