John Jagler (born November 4, 1969) is an American radio broadcaster, communications consultant, and Republican politician from Watertown, Wisconsin. He is a member of the Wisconsin Senate, representing the 13th Senate district since 2021. He previously served four terms in the Wisconsin State Assembly, from 2013 to 2021.[1]
John Jagler | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Wisconsin Senate from the 13th district | |
| Assumed office April 23, 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Scott L. Fitzgerald |
| Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the 37th district | |
| In office January 7, 2013 – April 23, 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Andy Jorgensen |
| Succeeded by | William Penterman |
| Personal details | |
| Born | November 4, 1969 Louisville, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Heidi |
| Children | 3 |
| Residence | Watertown, Wisconsin |
| Alma mater | Trans-American School of Broadcasting University of Wisconsin–Parkside |
| Profession | communications consultant |
| Website | Official website |
Early life and career
editBorn in Louisville, Kentucky, Jagler moved to Oak Creek, Wisconsin, with his family at age 3 and graduated from Oak Creek High School in 1987.[2] After graduating high school, he attended the University of Wisconsin–Parkside, but departed instead to the Trans-American School of Broadcasting in Madison, Wisconsin, where he earned an associate's degree in 1989.[2]
Jagler worked in radio broadcasting for over 20 years, most of it spent at WTMJ radio in Milwaukee.[3] For several years he was the co-host of Wisconsin's Morning News with Gene Mueller.[3] He also started a communications and media consulting firm, Jagler Communications, which he still owns and operates.
Political career
editIn January 2010, he joined the legislative staff of state representative Jeff Fitzgerald as communications director. Following the 2010 election, Fitzgerald became Speaker of the Wisconsin State Assembly.[4] Jagler remained on his staff until announcing his own campaign for Wisconsin State Assembly in 2012.
The 37th Assembly district was significantly redrawn in the controversial Republican redistricting act of 2011 (2011 Wisc. Act 43). The previous representative of the 37th district, Democrat Andy Jorgensen, was drawn out of the district entirely, residing in what was—after 2011—the 43rd district, and leaving the 37th district an open seat. The new 37th district was heavily gerrymandered to create a Republican-majority district, and it resulted in a flood of Republican candidates entering the primary for the open seat. Jagler was endorsed by Speaker Fitzgerald and the entire Assembly Republican leadership.[5] He also received substantial support from other Republican officeholders, including, significantly, State Representative Joel Kleefisch, whose 38th Assembly district previously covered much of the territory of the new 37th district.[6] Kleefisch was also, notably, the husband of the new Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin, Rebecca Kleefisch, with the Kleefisches also being former broadcast reporters. In the August primary, Jagler cruised to victory over his four opponents.[7] He went on to win the 2012 general election with 55% of the vote over Democrat Mary Arnold.[8] Jagler is now serving his fifth term.
Shortly after the 2020 election, where State Senator Scott L. Fitzgerald, brother of former Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald, was elected to the United States House of Representatives, Jagler announced his candidacy for Fitzgerald's state senate seat. Jagler once again faced a crowded primary field[9] and received substantial support from the party; he was immediately endorsed by Scott Fitzgerald.[10] Jagler prevailed in the February primary with 57% of the vote,[11] and went on to defeat Democrat Melissa Winker in the April special election.[12]
Personal life and family
editJagler and his wife, Heidi, have lived in Watertown, Wisconsin, for over 20 years. They have three children.[3]
Electoral history
editWisconsin Assembly (2012–2020)
edit| Year | Election | Date | Elected | Defeated | Total | Plurality | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Primary[7] | Aug. 14 | John Jagler | Republican | 3,412 | 52.14% | Steve Kauffeld | Rep. | 1,227 | 18.75% | 6,544 | 2,185 |
| James B. Braughler | Rep. | 764 | 11.67% | |||||||||
| James W. Romlein Sr. | Rep. | 655 | 10.01% | |||||||||
| Chris Ruetten | Rep. | 475 | 7.26% | |||||||||
| General[8] | Nov. 6 | John Jagler | Republican | 15,799 | 54.16% | Mary I. Arnold | Dem. | 13,289 | 45.55% | 29,172 | 2,510 | |
| 2014 | General[13] | Nov. 4 | John Jagler (inc.) | Republican | 14,400 | 58.84% | Mary I. Arnold | Dem. | 10,058 | 41.10% | 24,473 | 4,342 |
| 2016 | General[14] | Nov. 8 | John Jagler (inc.) | Republican | 17,821 | 61.78% | Jordan Turner | Dem. | 10,990 | 38.10% | 28,848 | 6,831 |
| 2018 | General[15] | Nov. 6 | John Jagler (inc.) | Republican | 19,616 | 96.00% | 20,433 | 18,799 | ||||
| 2020 | General[16] | Nov. 8 | John Jagler (inc.) | Republican | 19,406 | 56.08% | Abigail Lowery | Dem. | 14,142 | 40.87% | 34,602 | 5,264 |
| Stephen W. Ratzlaff Jr. | Ind. | 1,041 | 3.01% | |||||||||
Wisconsin Senate (2021)
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican Primary, February 16, 2021 | |||||
| Republican | John Jagler | 6,034 | 57.01% | ||
| Republican | Don Pridemore | 3,343 | 31.59% | ||
| Republican | Todd Menzel | 1,204 | 11.38% | ||
| Scattering | 3 | 0.03% | |||
| Plurality | 2,691 | 25.43% | |||
| Total votes | 10,584 | 100.0% | |||
| Special Election, April 6, 2021 (unofficial results)[18] | |||||
| Republican | John Jagler | 19,125 | 51.16% | −7.91% | |
| Democratic | Melissa Winker | 16,364 | 43.77% | +2.87% | |
| Independent | Spencer Zimmerman | 1,702 | 4.55% | ||
| American Solidarity | Ben Schmitz | 194 | 0.52% | ||
| Plurality | 2,761 | 7.39% | -10.79% | ||
| Total votes | 37,385 | 100.0% | -55.53% | ||
| Republican hold | Swing | 10.79% | |||
References
edit- ^ "Jagler sworn in as Senator for 13th District". Daily Dodge. 24 April 2021. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
- ^ a b "Representative John Jagler". Wisconsin Legislature. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
- ^ a b c "Biography". State Representative John Jagler. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
- ^ Seely, Ron (December 1, 2011). "GOP to introduce mining bill in Assembly next week". Wisconsin State Journal. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
- ^ "Jagler Endorsed by Assembly Republican Leadership". John Jagler for State Assembly (Press release). July 17, 2012. Archived from the original on December 6, 2013. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
- ^ "Endorsment By Joel Kleefisch". John Jagler for State Assembly. Archived from the original on July 27, 2012. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
- ^ a b Canvass Results for 2012 Partisan Primary - 8/14/2012 (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Government Accountability Board. p. 33. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 28, 2020. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
- ^ a b Canvass Results for 2012 Presidential and General Election - 11/6/2012 (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Government Accountability Board. p. 17. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 21, 2020. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
- ^ Candidate Tracking by Office - 2021 Spring Election (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. January 13, 2021. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 22, 2021. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
- ^ "Jagler campaign: Announces candidacy for 13th Senate District". John Jagler for State Senate (Press release). December 15, 2020. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
- ^ Higgins, Chris (February 16, 2021). "Jagler wins Republican primary for Wisconsin's 13th Senate District". Wisconsin State Journal. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
- ^ "John Jagler wins special state Senate election for seat held by U.S. Rep. Scott Fitzgerald". Wisconsin State Journal. April 7, 2021. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
- ^ Canvass Results for 2014 General Election - 11/4/2014 (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Government Accountability Board. November 26, 2014. p. 17. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 13, 2021. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
- ^ Canvass Results for 2016 General Election - 11/8/2016 (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. December 22, 2016. p. 17. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 7, 2020. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
- ^ Canvass Results for 2018 General Election - 11/6/2018 (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. February 22, 2019. p. 18. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 7, 2020. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
- ^ Canvass Results for 2020 General Election - 11/3/2020 (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. November 18, 2020. p. 16. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 15, 2021. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
- ^ County by County Report - 2021 Spring Primary (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. March 1, 2021. p. 2. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
- ^ "Wisconsin spring election results". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. April 6, 2021. Retrieved April 8, 2021.