David Steffen (born October 12, 1971) is an American businessman and
Republican politician from
Green Bay, Wisconsin
Green Bay is a city in Brown County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. It is located at the head of Green Bay (Lake Michigan), Green Bay (known locally as "the bay of Green Bay"), a sub-basin of Lake Michigan at the mouth of the F ...
. 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 4th Assembly district since 2015. He also played an important role in the 2001–2003 renovation of
Lambeau Field
Lambeau Field () is an outdoor athletic stadium in the East North Central states, north central United States, located in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The home field of the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL), it opened in 1957 Green ...
.
Early life and career
David Steffen was born on October 12, 1971 in
Ashwaubenon, Wisconsin
Ashwaubenon ( ) is a village in Brown County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 16,991 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. A suburb of Green Bay, Wisconsin, Green Bay, Ashwaubenon is part of the Green Bay metropolitan area a ...
. During his teenage years he attended
Ashwaubenon High School, graduating in 1990. Following his graduation from high school he 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 ...
, where he obtained a
bachelor of arts
A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...
degree in political science, graduating in 1995.
Following his graduation, Steffen did work in the private sector and acted as a lobbyist for several years.
In 2000, Steffen, then executive director of Team Lambeau–an organization founded to keep
Lambeau Field
Lambeau Field () is an outdoor athletic stadium in the East North Central states, north central United States, located in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The home field of the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL), it opened in 1957 Green ...
open–was hired by the
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...
to help them attain a $295 million expansion of the field.
The proposal, passed by the state legislature, involved implementing a 0.5% sales tax in Brown County, as well as additional fees on
personal seat licenses on season ticket holders. The proposal was then ratified by voters in Brown County with a 53%-47% margin.
During his time in education and non-profit sectors, he served as Director of Operations for the Legislative Leadership Institute Academy of Foreign Affairs in partnership with the
Irish American University located in Dublin, Ireland.
Political career
Steffen began his political career in 2007, when he was elected to the
Howard, Wisconsin
Howard is a village in Brown and Outagamie counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 19,950 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Green Bay metropolitan area.
The village is mostly within Brown County; a small portion extend ...
board of trustees. He would then be elected to the
Brown County board of Supervisors in 2012. He served in both of these roles until 2015, when he was sworn in as a state representative.
In 2014, Steffen ran for the open 4th state assembly district, which was being vacated by
Chad Weininger. In the primary he faced business owners Jeff Goelz and Corrie Campbell.
In 2016, following the
killing of five police officers in Dallas, Steffen introduced legislation that would make it a hate crime to target police officers in the state.
In 2020, Steffen proposed legislation that would dissolve the Lambeau Field Stadium District, which maintains the stadium at Lambeau Field. His proposal would additionally transfer ownership of the field to
Green Bay, Wisconsin
Green Bay is a city in Brown County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. It is located at the head of Green Bay (Lake Michigan), Green Bay (known locally as "the bay of Green Bay"), a sub-basin of Lake Michigan at the mouth of the F ...
and see funds and assets redistributed to residents of the city and surrounding county.
Steffen argued that the legislation would simplify the financial situation between the city and the Green Bay Packers and eliminate administrative costs. He also argued that the district had served its purpose and completed all of the objectives which had been assigned to it by the legislature upon its creation.
In response to this legislation, the Green Bay Packers threatened a lawsuit, arguing that the legislation would violate their lease. To avoid a lawsuit, Steffen withdrew his proposal in exchange for further agreements regarding transparency and oversight of the board.
Following the defeat of
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
in the
2020 presidential election, Steffen joined other Republicans in efforts to
attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
In 2024, Steffen faced vice chair of the
Oconto County Republican Party Darwin Behnke, the father of fellow representative
Elijah Behnke
Elijah Behnke (born February 15, 1983) is an American small business owner and Republican politician from Oconto County, Wisconsin. He is a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing the 6th Assembly district since January 2025; prior ...
. During the campaign, Steffen criticized Behnke's campaign for financial issues.
The campaign also proved to be divisive at the county level, as Steffen had the support of the Brown County Republicans whereas Behnke drew support from the Oconto County Republicans.
Steffen drew criticism from politicians in the more rural Oconto County as he was seen as inexperienced on rural issues. Steffen defeated Behnke by 33 points and faced Democrat Jane Benson in the general election, who he defeated by 32 points.
Personal life
Steffen resides in
Howard, Wisconsin
Howard is a village in Brown and Outagamie counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 19,950 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Green Bay metropolitan area.
The village is mostly within Brown County; a small portion extend ...
with his wife, son, and their dog, named Ellie.
Electoral history
Wisconsin Assembly (2014–present)
References
External links
David SteffenWisconsin State Legislature page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Steffen, David
1971 births
Living people
Politicians from Green Bay, Wisconsin
University of Wisconsin–Madison College of Letters and Science alumni
Businesspeople from Wisconsin
Wisconsin city council members
County supervisors in Wisconsin
Republican Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly
People from Howard, Wisconsin
People from Ashwaubenon, Wisconsin
21st-century members of the Wisconsin Legislature