Devin LeMahieu (born August 8, 1972) is an American businessman and
Republican politician from
Sheboygan, Wisconsin
Sheboygan () is a city in Sheboygan County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. The population was 49,929 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Sheboygan Metropolitan statistical area, metropolitan area, which has a pop ...
. He is the current majority leader 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 ...
, since 2021, and has represented the
9th Senate district since 2015. His father,
Daniel LeMahieu, served in the Wisconsin State Assembly.
Early life, education and career
LeMathieu was born and raised in
Sheboygan, Wisconsin
Sheboygan () is a city in Sheboygan County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. The population was 49,929 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Sheboygan Metropolitan statistical area, metropolitan area, which has a pop ...
; he graduated from
Sheboygan County Christian High School in 1991. He went on to earn his bachelor's degree from
Dordt College, in 1995, where he studied business administration and political science. He is the owner of ''The Lakeshore Weekly'' in
Oostburg, Wisconsin
Oostburg is a village in Sheboygan County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 3,056 at the 2020 census. It is included in the Sheboygan, Wisconsin Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History
The Village of Oostburg was incorporated in 190 ...
.
Early political career
LeMahieu served on the Sheboygan County Board of Supervisors as a member of the Human Resources and Finance Committees. His father,
Dan LeMahieu, also served on the Sheboygan County Board (where he was the chairman) and as a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly.
Wisconsin State Senate
On November 4, 2014, LeMahieu was elected to the
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 ...
as a
Republican. He succeeded
Joe Leibham
Joseph K. Leibham (born June 6, 1969) is an Americans, American business executive and lobbyist who served as a Republican Party (United States), Republican member of the Wisconsin Senate, representing the Wisconsin Senate, District 9, 9th Distri ...
, who did not run for re-election.
After
Scott L. Fitzgerald
Scott Lawrence Fitzgerald (born November 16, 1963) is an American politician and former newspaper publisher. A Republican, he represents in the U.S. House of Representatives. The district includes many of Milwaukee's northern and western suburb ...
was elected to the
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...
, LeMahieu was selected by a majority of the Wisconsin Senate Republican Caucus to serve as the Senate's majority leader.
He opposes the legalization of medical and recreational marijuana in Wisconsin.
He argued Wisconsin would be a "rogue state" if it were to legalize medical marijuana and that there was no "actual science behind it."
In April 2021, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, LeMahieu said he opposed the Wisconsin government setting COVID-19 rules in place.
He said, "I trust in people to educate themselves and make their own decisions. I don’t think at this point the government needs to tell people how to respond to the pandemic since we’re a year into this."
In October 2021, LeMahieu defended a heavily pro-Republican gerrymandered redistricting map for Wisconsin.
In January 2022, LeMahieu said that the Republican-led legislature would not confirm any of Tony Evers's appointees for the rest of Evers's term in office.
Electoral history
Wisconsin Senate (2014–present)
References
External links
Senator Devin LeMahieuat
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 ...
Campaign website*
*
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{{DEFAULTSORT:LeMahieu, Devin
1972 births
County supervisors in Wisconsin
Dordt University alumni
Editors of Wisconsin newspapers
Living people
People from Oostburg, Wisconsin
Politicians from Sheboygan, Wisconsin
Republican Party Wisconsin state senators
21st-century members of the Wisconsin Legislature