Jennifer Shilling

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Jennifer Shilling
File:Shilling Campaign (cropped).jpg
Shilling in 2011
Minority Leader of the Wisconsin State Senate
In office
January 5, 2015 – April 24, 2020
Preceded byChris Larson
Succeeded byJanet Bewley
Member of the Wisconsin Senate
from the 32nd district
In office
August 25, 2011 – May 15, 2020
Preceded byDan Kapanke
Succeeded byBrad Pfaff
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
from the 95th district
In office
January 3, 2001 – August 25, 2011
Preceded byMark Meyer
Succeeded byJill Billings
Personal details
BornJennifer Ehlenfeldt
(1969-07-04) July 4, 1969 (age 56)
Oshkosh, Wisconsin, U.S.
PartyDemocratic
Spouse
Chris Shilling
​
(m. 2000)​
Children2
EducationUniversity of Wisconsin, La Crosse (BA)

Jennifer Shilling (née Ehlenfeldt; born July 4, 1969) is an American Democratic politician, lobbyist, and former state legislator. She was a member of the Wisconsin State Senate for nine years and was senate minority leader from 2015 to 2020. She previously served 10 years in the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing the city of La Crosse and La Crosse County.[1][2]

Background

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Shilling was born Jennifer Ehlenfeldt on July 4, 1969, in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, to Richard and Lynn Ehlenfeldt. She graduated from Buffalo Grove High School in Buffalo Grove, Illinois.[3] She served as a La Crosse County Supervisor from 1990 to 1992,[4] and earned a joint B.A. in political science and public administration at the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse, graduating in 1992. Prior to being elected to the State Assembly, she worked as a legislative aide for Democratic United States Representative Ron Kind and later for State Representative Mark Meyer.

During her first week of work as an aide for Meyer, on January 8, 1993, Shilling's parents and five employees were murdered at the family's restaurant in Palatine, Illinois, during a robbery-murder now known as the Brown's Chicken massacre. Both of Shilling's younger sisters were also scheduled to be at the restaurant that night, but happened not to be present at the time of the killing.[5]

State Assembly

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File:Protest 0274 (50939962166).jpg
Shilling during the 2011 Wisconsin Protests (May 10, 2011)

In 2000, Ehlenfeldt was elected to succeed her boss, Mark Meyer, in the 95th Assembly District (Meyer was making a successful bid for the State Senate). She won her primary election with ease and won the general election with 13,789 votes to 11,530 for Republican nominee Deb Suchla. Subsequent to the November election, she married and had her name changed to Jennifer Shilling. She was assigned to the Assembly's standing committees on financial institutions, health, insurance and personal privacy, as well as the Legislative Advisory Committee to the Wisconsin-Minnesota Boundary Commission.[6]

In the meantime, Shilling graduated from the Bowhay Institute on Legislative Leadership Development and the Citizen's Police Academy in La Crosse. In addition, she was also a member of the Wisconsin Technology Council Board of Directors.[7] In 2001, she was selected to participate in the American Council of Young Political Leaders delegation to the Philippines, and in 2002 was the commencement speaker for graduation ceremonies at UW–La Crosse.[8]

Re-elected in 2002, she remained on the financial institutions, health and insurance committees, and was also assigned to the committees on colleges and universities, and on highway safety.[9] In 2008, running unopposed, Shilling won 97% of the vote.[10]

State Senate

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On April 9, 2011, Shilling formally announced her intention to run in the Senate recall election against Republican Dan Kapanke.[11] That summer, she defeated him in the recall election winning 55% of the vote, and took office August 26, 2011.[12]

In March 2012, Bill Feehan, a La Crosse businessman and county board supervisor, announced that he would run against Shilling in the 2012 general election.[13] In the newly redistricted district, Shilling took over 58% of the vote, with 51,091 votes to Feehan's 36,527.[14]

In 2014, Shilling was elected Senate Minority Leader by fellow Democrats.[1] Her top priorities include increasing spending on education, both at the K-12 and college level.[15]

Shilling was re-elected in the November 2016 election.

In 2020, Shilling announced she would step down as Minority Leader and would not seek re-election in 2020.[16] On May 15, 2020, Shilling resigned from the Wisconsin Senate.[17]

After the senate

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Shilling announced after her senate resignation in 2020 that she would go to work as a lobbyist for Dairyland Power Cooperative—a La Crosse-based energy generation and transmission cooperative.[18]

Personal life

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She and her husband, Chris, have two children.[19][20]

Electoral history

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Wisconsin Assembly (2000–2010)

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Year Election Date Elected Defeated Total Plurality
2000 Primary[21] Sep. 12 Jennifer Ehlenfeldt Democratic 1,873 74.12% Christine A. Kahlow Dem. 650 25.72% 2,527 1,223
General[22] Nov. 7 Jennifer Shilling Democratic 13,789 54.31% Deb Suchla Rep. 11,530 45.41% 25,390 2,259
2002 General[23] Nov. 5 Jennifer Shilling (inc) Democratic 10,686 63.92% Jerome Gundersen Rep. 6,004 35.91% 16,718 4,682
2004 General[24] Nov. 2 Jennifer Shilling (inc) Democratic 22,879 98.60% --Unopposed-- 23,204 22,554
2006 General[25] Nov. 7 Jennifer Shilling (inc) Democratic 15,925 98.44% 16,178 15,672
2008 General[26] Nov. 4 Jennifer Shilling (inc) Democratic 22,341 97.29% 22,963 21,719
2010 General[27] Nov. 2 Jennifer Shilling (inc) Democratic 11,893 63.53% Nick Charles Rep. 6,790 36.27% 18,720 5,103

Wisconsin Senate (2011–2016)

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Year Election Date Elected Defeated Total Plurality
2011 Primary[28] Jul. 12 Jennifer Shilling Democratic 25,340 70.19% James D. Smith Dem. 10,664 47.39% 36,102 14,676
Recall[29] Aug. 9 Jennifer Shilling Democratic 33,193 55.38% Dan Kapanke (inc) Rep. 26,724 44.58% 59,942 6,469
2012 General[30] Nov. 6 Jennifer Shilling (inc) Democratic 51,153 58.28% Bill Feehan Rep. 36,545 41.64% 87,769 14,608
2016 Primary[31] Aug. 9 Jennifer Shilling (inc) Democratic 10,957 91.45% Jared William Landry Dem. 1,024 8.55% 11,982 9,933
General[32] Nov. 8 Jennifer Shilling (inc) Democratic 43,585 48.86% Dan Kapanke Rep. 43,524 48.79% 89,206 61
Chip DeNure Ind. 2,093 2.35%

References

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  6. ^ Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. State of Wisconsin 2001–2002 Blue Book Madison: Joint Committee on Legislative Organization, Wisconsin Legislature, 2001. pp. 85, 928, 931.
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  9. ^ Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. State of Wisconsin 2003–2004 Blue Book Madison: Joint Committee on Legislative Organization, Wisconsin Legislature, 2003; pp. 83, 924.
  10. ^ La Crosse County Clerk. Official Canvass La Crosse County Wisconsin November 4 2008 General Election.
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  17. ^ Former Wisconsin Senate minority leader Shilling quits Legislature
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