Robert Brooks (born July 13, 1965) is an American businessman and Republican politician from

Ozaukee County, Wisconsin Ozaukee County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 91,503. Its county seat is Port Washington. Ozaukee County is included in the Milwaukee metropolitan area. As of the 2000 Census, Ozaukee ...

. 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 59th Assembly district since 2025; he previously represented the 60th Assembly district from 2015 to 2025. Earlier in his career, he served on the board of supervisors of Ozaukee County, and was chairman of the board of supervisors from 2004 to 2013.

Biography

Born in

Rockford, Illinois Rockford is a city in Winnebago County, Illinois, Winnebago and Ogle County, Illinois, Ogle counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. Located in far northern Illinois on the banks of the Rock River (Mississippi River tributary), Rock River, Rockfor ...

, Brooks moved with his parents to

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

and graduated from Parkview High School in Orfordville, Wisconsin. He went on to attend the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse, but did not graduate. He went to work in the real estate business, and owned a number of restaurants, taverns, and rental properties. Since 1996, he has managed his real estate through Brooks Investment Group LLC.

Political career

From 2002 through 2014, Brooks was an elected member of the Ozaukee County Board of Supervisors; he was chairman from 2004 through 2013. While serving on the county board, he was a commissioner on the South Eastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission and was a member of the board of directors of the Wisconsin Mutual Insurance Company. In 2014, incumbent State Representative

Duey Stroebel Sherburn Duane "Duey" Stroebel Jr. (born September 1, 1959) is an American realtor and Republican politician from Cedarburg, Wisconsin. He served 10 years as a member of the Wisconsin Senate, representing Wisconsin's 20th Senate district from ...

announced he would run for

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 ...

rather than seek another term in the Assembly. Brooks jumped into the race for the open seat in the

. In the Republican

primary Primary or primaries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels * Primary (band), from Australia * Primary (musician), hip hop musician and record producer from South Korea * Primary Music, Israeli record label Work ...

, he defeated Jean Opitz, the wife of former State Representative David W. Opitz. He was unopposed in the general election, and went on to begin his term in January 2015. He went on to win reelection in 2016 by a wide margin, with only an independent opponent. In the 2017–2018 session of the Assembly, Brooks was elected by his caucus as the assistant majority leader. However, he ran into problems in 2018 when the ''

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel The ''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel'' is a daily morning broadsheet printed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where it is the primary newspaper and also the largest newspaper in the state of Wisconsin, where it is widely read. It was purchased by the G ...

'' reported that Brooks had made "sexual comments to two female state lawmakers and a racial remark to a Latina legislator". Brooks attributed the comments to the influence of alcohol, apologized, and resigned his leadership position in the assembly. Republican Governor Scott Walker, in the middle of his own reelection campaign, called for Brooks to resign from the Assembly. Despite the pressure from inside his own party, Brooks resisted calls to resign and was reelected in the 2018 general election. He faced his first primary challenge as an incumbent in 2020, but Brooks prevailed again, taking 75% of the Republican primary vote. He was again unopposed in the 2020 general election.

Electoral history

Wisconsin Assembly, 60th district (2014–2022)

Wisconsin Assembly, 59th district (2024–present)

References

External links

* *
Robert Brooks
at WisconsinVote.org {{DEFAULTSORT:Brooks, Robert 1965 births Living people Politicians from Rockford, Illinois People from Saukville, Wisconsin University of Wisconsin–La Crosse alumni Businesspeople from Wisconsin County supervisors in Wisconsin Republican Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly 21st-century members of the Wisconsin Legislature