The 21st Senate District of Wisconsin is one of 33 districts in the Wisconsin State Senate. Located in southeastern Wisconsin, the district comprises most of

Kenosha Kenosha () is a city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the seat of Kenosha County. Per the 2020 census, the population was 99,986 which made it the fourth-largest city in Wisconsin. Situated on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan, Kenosh ...

and

Racine Jean-Baptiste Racine ( , ) (; 22 December 163921 April 1699) was a French dramatist, one of the three great playwrights of 17th-century France, along with Molière and Corneille as well as an important literary figure in the Western traditi ...

counties. The district includes the city of Burlington and part of the city of

, as well as the villages of

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

Caledonia Caledonia (; ) was the Latin name used by the Roman Empire to refer to the part of Great Britain () that lies north of the River Forth, which includes most of the land area of Scotland. Today, it is used as a romantic or poetic name for all ...

, Paddock Lake, Pleasant Prairie, Rochester, Salem Lakes, Sturtevant, Twin Lakes, and Union Grove, and the portions of the villages of Mount Pleasant and Somers west of

Wisconsin Highway 31 State Trunk Highway 31 (often called Highway 31, STH-31 or WIS 31) is a state highway in Kenosha and Racine counties in the US state of Wisconsin that runs north–south as a suburban route passing Racine and Kenosha. With the exception of ...

Current elected officials

Van H. Wanggaard is the senator representing the 21st district. He was elected to his first term in the 2010 general election, but was removed from office in a recall election in 2012. He subsequently was returned to office in the 2014 general election, and is now in his second four-year term. Each Wisconsin State Senate district is composed of three Wisconsin State Assembly districts. The 21st Senate district comprises the 61st, 62nd, and 63rd Assembly districts. The current representatives of those districts are: * Assembly District 61: Amanda Nedweski (R– Pleasant Prairie) * Assembly District 62: Robert Wittke (R– Wind Point) * Assembly District 63:

Robin Vos Robin J. Vos (born July 5, 1968) is an American businessman and Republican politician and the 79th speaker of the Wisconsin State Assembly, serving in that role since 2013. He has been a member of the Assembly since 2005, representing most of ...

(R– Rochester) The district is located entirely within

Wisconsin's 1st congressional district Wisconsin's 1st congressional district is a congressional district of the United States House of Representatives in southeastern Wisconsin, covering Kenosha County, Racine County, and most of Walworth County, as well as portions of Rock Coun ...

, which is represented by U.S. Representative Bryan Steil.

Recalls

The 21st Senate district is unique in Wisconsin recall history. In 1996, it became the first district in which a Wisconsin state legislator was successfully removed from office via recall election, when Kimberly Plache defeated

George Petak George Petak (born November 6, 1949) is an American Republican politician and political consultant who was the first Wisconsin state legislator to be removed from office in a recall election. Early life and education Born in Warren, Ohio, P ...

. With the recall of Van H. Wanggaard in 2012, it became the only Wisconsin district where there have been more than one successful recall elections.

Boundaries

As with all state senate and assembly seats, the boundaries of the 21st have moved over time during decennial redistricting. Senators of previous eras have represented different geographic areas. The district was created after the 1850 census and reapportionment and was drawn for Winnebago County, in central Wisconsin. The inaugural holder was

Coles Bashford Coles Bashford (January 24, 1816April 25, 1878) was an American lawyer and politician who became the fifth governor of Wisconsin, and one of the founders of the U.S. Republican Party. His one term as governor ended in a bribery scandal that ended ...

in the 6th session of the Wisconsin Legislature, 1853. In the 19th century, the district included at various times Marathon, Oconto, Shawano and Waupaca counties, and was located within the now-defunct 9th Congressional District For most of the 20th century, the district covered the city of

and Racine County, in southeastern Wisconsin, within the boundaries of the 1st Congressional District. In redistricting after the 2010 census, the city of Racine was mostly removed and rural and suburban portions of Kenosha County were added to the district, turning the 21st into a safe Republican seat.

Past senators

The 21st senate district has had several notable officeholders, including American Civil War General John Azor Kellogg and Wisconsin Governors

and Walter Samuel Goodland. A list of all previous senators from this district:

References

External links

District Website
{{United States legislatures Wisconsin Senate districts Racine County, Wisconsin Kenosha County, Wisconsin 1852 establishments in Wisconsin