For the American dancer, see So You Think You Can Dance (season 4) finalists#Jessica King.

Jessica King is a Democratic

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 Senate, representing the 18th Wisconsin District since 2011. She defeated incumbent 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...

 Senator Randy Hopper

Randy Hopper

Randal B. "Randy" Hopper is a former Republican member of the Wisconsin Senate, representing the 18th District from 2009 until losing his seat to Jessica King in a 2011 recall election. The 18th District includes the cities of Fond du Lac, Oshkosh, and Waupun....

 in a special recall election on August 9, 2011, and took office August 25, 2011.

Background

King was born and raised in Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin

Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin

Fond du Lac County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of 2000, the population was 97,296. Its county seat is Fond du Lac. The United States Census Bureau's Fond du Lac Metropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Fond du Lac County. The county name is French for "bottom of the...

. Both her parents were disabled, and she became a ward of the state at age 15. She put herself through the University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh, working in a juicebox

Juicebox

Juicebox may refer to:* Juicebox , a container for holding juice* Juice Box, a media player from toy manufacturer Mattel* "Juicebox" , a 2005 song by The Strokes* Juicebox , a Canadian television series...

 factory and doing similar work, and went on to earn a law degree from Thomas Jefferson School of Law

Thomas Jefferson School of Law

Thomas Jefferson School of Law, or TJSL, is an independent law school in San Diego, California. It offers a Juris Doctor, and three Master of Laws programs, including one that is exclusively online, as well as a combined J.D./M.B.A. with San Diego State University...

 in California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

. In 2004, she returned to Wisconsin to care for her aging parents. She opened a small business

Small business

A small business is a business that is privately owned and operated, with a small number of employees and relatively low volume of sales. Small businesses are normally privately owned corporations, partnerships, or sole proprietorships...

, and served as an adjunct professor at University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh. King was elected to the Oshkosh Common Council

City council

A city council or town council is the legislative body that governs a city, town, municipality or local government area.-Australia & NZ:Because of the differences in legislation between the States, the exact definition of a City Council varies...

, eventually becoming deputy mayor, In 2008, she ran against Hopper for the Senate losing by only 163 votes (41,741 to 41,904).

2011 election

In the wake of the 2011 Wisconsin protests

2011 Wisconsin protests

The 2011 Wisconsin protests were a series of demonstrations in the state of Wisconsin in the United States beginning in February involving at its zenith as many as 100,000 protestors opposing the Wisconsin Budget Repair Bill. Subsequently, anti-tax activists and other conservatives, including tea...

 King was one of two Wisconsin Democratic challengers successful in unseating Republican incumbent senators who had supported Governor Scott Walker

Scott Walker (politician)

Scott Kevin Walker is an American Republican politician who began serving as the 45th Governor of Wisconsin on January 3, 2011, after defeating Democratic candidate Tom Barrett, 52 percent to 47 percent in the November 2010 general election...

's policies. The 18th District includes the cities of Fond du Lac

Fond du Lac, Wisconsin

Fond du Lac is a city in Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, United States. The name is French for bottom of the lake, for it is located at the bottom of Lake Winnebago. The population was 42,203 at the 2000 census...

, Oshkosh

Oshkosh, 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...

, and Waupun); thus, the electorate included many state employees working at UW-Oshkosh, University of Wisconsin–Fond du Lac and/or Waupun Correctional Institution

Waupun Correctional Institution

The Waupun Correctional Institution is a maximum security penitentiary near the center of Waupun, Wisconsin. The prison is currently under the command of Warden William Pollard.-History:...

. She defeated Hopper with 28,191 votes to his 26,937.

External links

• Jessica King for Senate official campaign site