Elijah Behnke (born February 15, 1983) is an American small business owner and Republican politician. He is a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing the 89th Assembly district since April 2021. Following the 2024 redistricting, he has announced he will run for re-election in the redrawn 6th Assembly district.
Elijah Behnke | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the 89th district | |
| Assumed office May 11, 2021 | |
| Preceded by | John Nygren |
| Personal details | |
| Born | February 15, 1983 Oconto Falls, Wisconsin |
| Political party | Republican |
| Residence | Pensaukee, Wisconsin |
| Education | Toccoa Falls College (AA) |
| Occupation | business owner, politician |
Biography
editBehnke was born in Oconto Falls, Wisconsin, and raised on his parents' nearby farm. He worked on the farm through his childhood and graduated from Oconto High School in 2001.[1] He went on to attend bible college in northeast Georgia.
In 2006, he returned to Wisconsin and started working for his mother's cleaning business. After a year, he started his own cleaning business, Eschalon Cleaning LLC.[2] In addition to his cleaning business, Behnke operates a hobby farm and is a ministry leader in his church.[3]
In December 2020, just after the 2020 election, state representative John Nygren announced he would resign from office. Within days, Behnke announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination to succeed Nygren in the Assembly.[4] In his campaign, Behnke stated that one of his motivations in running for office was to seek relief for small business owners like himself who had been harmed by the COVID-19 pandemic and the resultant public safety measures.[1] In the Republican primary, Behnke was endorsed by neighboring State Senator André Jacque and Oconto County Sheriff Todd Skarban, as well as other state Republican interest groups, such as Wisconsin Family Action, Pro Life Wisconsin, and Wisconsin Right to Life.[5] Behnke topped the five-person Republican primary field with nearly 45% of the vote.[6] He went on to defeat Democrat Karl Jaeger in the April special election.[7][8]
A recording of Behnke speaking in the Wisconsin State Capitol emerged in January 2022. Behnke referred to fabricated claims of Democrat electoral fraud, and urged his listeners: "Let's cheat like the Democrats do."[9]
On Wednesday, June 22, 2022, Governor Evers’ called for a special session to defend reproductive rights in Wisconsin to introduce and pass AB 713 and AB 106, which would have protected the right for women to have a say over their bodies. Despite bipartisan support for legal access to abortion from both Wisconsin Democrats and Republicans, Elijah Behnke and other Republicans in the Legislature gaveled in and gaveled out at the special session without taking action and leaving 1.3 million Wisconsin women of reproductive age without access to a legal abortion.[10][11]
Following the 2024 redistricting act, which abolished the decade-old Republican gerrymander, Behnke was drawn out of his former district and drawn into the new 4th Assembly district, where he would have faced an incumbent vs incumbent primary against 4th district incumbent David Steffen. Rather than running in this district, Behnke announced he would relocate to instead challenge incumbent Peter Schmidt in a Republican primary in the 6th Assembly district.[12]
Electoral history
editWisconsin Assembly, 89th district (2021, 2022)
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican Primary, February 16, 2021 | |||||
| Republican | Elijah Behnke | 1,691 | 44.75% | ||
| Republican | Michael Kunesh | 875 | 23.15% | ||
| Republican | Debbie Jacques | 789 | 20.88% | ||
| Republican | Michael Schneider | 264 | 6.99% | ||
| Republican | David Kamps | 160 | 4.23% | ||
| Plurality | 816 | 21.59% | |||
| Total votes | 3,779 | 100.0% | |||
| General Election, April 6, 2021 (unofficial results)[7] | |||||
| Republican | Elijah Behnke | 8,129 | 63.21% | −5.52% | |
| Democratic | Karl Jaeger | 4,732 | 36.79% | +5.55% | |
| Plurality | 3,397 | 26.41% | -11.08% | ||
| Total votes | 12,861 | 100.0% | -61.27% | ||
| Republican hold | Swing | -5.54% | |||
Wisconsin Assembly, 6th district (2024)
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "About Elijah". Elijah Behnke for State Assembly. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
- ^ "ESCHALON CLEANING LLC". OpenCorporates. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
- ^ Tempus, Kent (January 7, 2021). "Two more Republicans join field of candidates for 89th Assembly District". Green Bay Press-Gazette. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
- ^ "Behnke campaign: Announces candidacy for 89th Assembly District". Elijah Behnke for State Assembly (Press release). December 29, 2020. Retrieved April 7, 2021 – via Wispolitics.com.
- ^ Tempus, Kent (February 16, 2021). "Behnke claims GOP nomination in special election for 89th Assembly District seat, advances to April 6 vote". Green Bay Press-Gazette. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
- ^ a b County by County Report - 2021 Spring Primary - Special Election for Representative to the Assembly District 89 (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. March 1, 2021. pp. 1–2. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 20, 2021. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
- ^ a b Tempus, Kent (April 7, 2021). "Republican Elijah Behnke wins 89th Assembly District seat to replace John Nygren". Green Bay Press-Gazette. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
- ^ Seibt, Cora (7 April 2021). "Elijah Behnke wins State Assembly District 89 over Karl Jaeger". WFRV Local 5. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
- ^ Dress, Brad (2022-01-21). "Wisconsin state GOP lawmaker calls for party to 'cheat like Democrats' to win elections". The Hill. Retrieved 2022-01-22.
- ^ Spears, Baylor (September 4, 2024). "Most Wisconsinites oppose criminalizing abortion, according to recent survey". Wisconsin Examiner. Retrieved October 24, 2024.
- ^ Baker, Ben (June 2, 2022). "Republican lawmakers reject special session Evers called to end 1849 abortion law". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved June 28, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Behnke to challenge Schmidt in GOP primary". NEW Media Inc. April 30, 2024. Retrieved May 2, 2024.