Jennifer Shilling
Encyclopedia
Jennifer Shilling is a Democratic
member of the Wisconsin State Senate
first elected to represent the 32nd district in 2011 (she represents La Crosse, Vernon
and Crawford Counties). She has also worked as a legislative aide and served as a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
.
. She graduated from Buffalo Grove High School
in Illinois
. She served as a La Crosse County Supervisor from 1990-1992, and earned a 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 to Democratic United States Representative Ron Kind
and State Representative Mark Meyer
.
with ease (1,873 votes to 650 for Christine A. Kahlow), 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 changed her name to Jennifer Shilling. She was assigned to the Assembly's standing committee
s on financial institutions, health
, insurance
and personal privacy
, as well as the Legislative Advisory Committee to the Wisconsin-Minnesota
Boundary
Commission.
She 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. 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 UW-La Crosse graduation.
Re-elected in 2002 (with 10,686 votes to 6004 for Republican Jerome Gundersen), 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.
In 2008, running unopposed, Shilling won 97% of the vote.
against Republican Dan Kapanke. She defeated him in the recall election winning 55% of the vote, and took office August 26, 2011.
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
member of the Wisconsin State Senate
Wisconsin State Senate
The Wisconsin Senate, the powers of which are modeled after those of the U.S. Senate, is the upper house of the Wisconsin State Legislature, smaller than the Wisconsin State Assembly...
first elected to represent the 32nd district in 2011 (she represents La Crosse, Vernon
Vernon County, Wisconsin
Vernon County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of 2009, the population estimate was 29,324. Its county seat is Viroqua.-History:...
and Crawford Counties). She has also worked as a legislative aide and served as a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
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....
.
Background
Shilling was born Jennifer Ehlenfeldt on July 4, 1969 in OshkoshOshkosh, Wisconsin
As of the census of 2000, there were 62,916 people, 24,082 households, and 13,654 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,662.2 people per square mile . There were 25,420 housing units at an average density of 1,075.6 per square mile...
. She graduated from Buffalo Grove High School
Buffalo Grove High School
Buffalo Grove High School, or BGHS is a public high school located in Buffalo Grove, Illinois, a northwest suburb of Chicago. It is one of six four-year comprehensive high schools in Township High School District 214, serving portions of the Villages of Buffalo Grove, Arlington Heights and a small...
in Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
. She served as a La Crosse County Supervisor from 1990-1992, and earned a B.A. in political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
and public administration
Public administration
Public Administration houses the implementation of government policy and an academic discipline that studies this implementation and that prepares civil servants for this work. As a "field of inquiry with a diverse scope" its "fundamental goal.....
at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse
University of Wisconsin-La Crosse
The University of Wisconsin–La Crosse is a public university located in La Crosse, Wisconsin, USA...
, graduating in 1992. Prior to being elected to the State Assembly, she worked as a legislative aide to Democratic United States Representative Ron Kind
Ron Kind
Ronald James "Ron" Kind is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1997. He is a member of the Democratic Party. His district is located in the western portion of the state and is anchored by La Crosse and Eau Claire and Platteville....
and State Representative Mark Meyer
Mark Meyer (Wisconsin politician)
Mark Meyer is a Wisconsin Democratic politician and legislator.Born in La Crosse, Wisconsin, Meyer graduated from University of Wisconsin–La Crosse and served on the La Crosse Common Council. Meyer served in the Wisconsin State Assembly 1993-2001. In 2001, he served in the Wisconsin State...
.
State Assembly
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 electionPrimary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
with ease (1,873 votes to 650 for Christine A. Kahlow), and won the general election
General election
In a parliamentary political system, a general election is an election in which all or most members of a given political body are chosen. The term is usually used to refer to elections held for a nation's primary legislative body, as distinguished from by-elections and local elections.The term...
with 13,789 votes to 11,530 for Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
nominee Deb Suchla. Subsequent to the November election, she married and changed her name to Jennifer Shilling. She was assigned to the Assembly's standing committee
Standing Committee
In the United States Congress, standing committees are permanent legislative panels established by the United States House of Representatives and United States Senate rules. . Because they have legislative jurisdiction, standing committees consider bills and issues and recommend measures for...
s on financial institutions, health
Health
Health is the level of functional or metabolic efficiency of a living being. In humans, it is the general condition of a person's mind, body and spirit, usually meaning to be free from illness, injury or pain...
, insurance
Insurance
In law and economics, insurance is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of a contingent, uncertain loss. Insurance is defined as the equitable transfer of the risk of a loss, from one entity to another, in exchange for payment. An insurer is a company selling the...
and personal privacy
Privacy
Privacy is the ability of an individual or group to seclude themselves or information about themselves and thereby reveal themselves selectively...
, as well as the Legislative Advisory Committee to the Wisconsin-Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
Boundary
Boundary
Boundary may refer to:*Border* in psychology,**Personal boundaries* in mathematics,**Boundary , the closure minus the interior of a subset of a topological space; an edge in the topology of manifolds, as in the case of a 'manifold with boundary'**Boundary value problem, a differential equation...
Commission.
She 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. 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 UW-La Crosse graduation.
Re-elected in 2002 (with 10,686 votes to 6004 for Republican Jerome Gundersen), she remained on the financial institutions, health and insurance committees, and was also assigned to the committees on colleges and universities
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
, and on highway safety.
In 2008, running unopposed, Shilling won 97% of the vote.
State Senate
On April 9, 2011, Shilling formally announced her intention to run in the Senate recall electionWisconsin Senate recall elections, 2011
Recall elections for nine Wisconsin state senators were held during the summer of 2011; one was held on July 19 and six on August 9, with two more held on August 16. Voters attempted to put 16 state senators up for recall, eight Democrats and eight Republicans, because of the budget bill proposed...
against Republican Dan Kapanke. She defeated him in the recall election winning 55% of the vote, and took office August 26, 2011.
External links
- Wisconsin Senate - Senate Jennifer Shilling official government website
- Shilling for Senate campaign website
- Campaign 2008 campaign contributions at Wisconsin Democracy Campaign