Randal B. "Randy" Hopper is a former 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...

 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

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.

Early life, education and career

Born in Taylorville, Illinois

Taylorville, Illinois

Taylorville is a city in Christian County, Illinois, United States. The population was 11,246 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat and largest city in Christian County.-Geography:Taylorville is located at ....

, Hopper graduated from The Hill School

The Hill School

The Hill School is a preparatory boarding school for boys and girls located in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, about 35 miles northwest of Philadelphia....

. He then received his bachelors degree from Denison University

Denison University

Denison University is private, coeducational, and residential college of liberal arts and sciences founded in 1831. It is located in Granville, Ohio, United States, approximately 30 miles east of Columbus, the state capital...

 in 1989 and an MBA from Kellogg School of Management

Kellogg School of Management

The Kellogg School of Management is the business school of Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, downtown Chicago, Illinois and Miami, Florida. Kellogg offers full-time, part-time, and executive programs, as well as partnering programs with schools in China, India, Hong Kong, Israel,...

 at Northwestern University

Northwestern University

Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....

 in 2002.

Hopper is the owner of Mountain Dog Media, a radio station and broadcasting

Broadcasting

Broadcasting is the distribution of audio and video content to a dispersed audience via any audio visual medium. Receiving parties may include the general public or a relatively large subset of thereof...

 company that owns Fond du Lac's two major radio stations, KFIZ

KFIZ (AM)

KFIZ is a radio station licensed to serve Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, US. The station is owned by Randy Hopper's Mountain Dog Media and the license is held by RBH Enterprises, Inc. KFIZ features programming from Fox News Radio....

 (1450) and WFON

WFON

WFON is a radio station broadcasting an Adult Contemporary format under the branding K107.1. Licensed to Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, USA, the station is currently owned by RBH Enterprises, Inc....

 (107.1). In addition, Mountain Dog owns WCLB

WCLB

WCLB is a radio station in Sheboygan, Wisconsin which airs a sports talk format and is a full affiliate of Fox Sports Radio. It is operated as a sister station to Chilton's WMBE, and both stations carry the same programming...

 (950) in Sheboygan

Sheboygan, Wisconsin

-Airport:Sheboygan is served by the Sheboygan County Memorial Airport, which is located several miles from the city.-Roads:Interstate 43 is the primary north-south transportation route into Sheboygan, and forms the west boundary of the city. U.S...

 and operates Chilton

Chilton, Wisconsin

Chilton is a city in and county seat of Calumet County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 3,708 at the 2000 census. The city is located partially within the Town of Chilton.-History:...

's WMBE

WMBE

WMBE is a daytime-only radio station broadcasting a classic country music format. Licensed to Chilton, Wisconsin, USA, the station serves the Appleton-Oshkosh area. WMBE is rented by Mountain Dog Media, a company owned by former State Senator Randy Hopper...

 (1530), both stations which run mainly automated

Automation

Automation is the use of control systems and information technologies to reduce the need for human work in the production of goods and services. In the scope of industrialization, automation is a step beyond mechanization...

 programming from Fox Sports Radio

Fox Sports Radio

Fox Sports Radio, abbreviated FSR, is an international radio network consisting of sports talk programming. The network is a service of Premiere Networks...

 and a Country music

Country music

Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...

 syndicator. Those stations have office and broadcasting operations run from Fond du Lac, while no staff is maintained in those communities.

Wisconsin Senate

Hopper sat on the following committees 2011-2012:

• Economic Development, Veterans and Military Affairs (Chair)
• Energy, Biotechnology, Consumer Protection
• Finance
• Joint Committee on Finance
• Joint Survey Committee on Tax Exemptions (Co-Chair)

Hopper has shown strong support for Governor Walker's 2011 budget, which removed collective bargaining and cut many programs. According to Hopper, the business climate was improving from Republican policies and creating jobs. However, the Wisconsin unemployment rate has increased from 7.4% to 7.6% under Governor Walker.

2011 recall

Hopper was subject to an active recall effort. On March 2, 2011, the "Committee to Recall Hopper" officially registered with the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board. 15,269 valid signatures of electors residing within the 18th district must be collected by May 2, 2011 to generate a recall election. His maid has signed the recall petition, and his estranged wife reportedly plans to do so as well.

A March 9, 2011, poll by Survey USA shows that voters in Hopper's district would vote for recall by 11 points. A March 10–13, 2011 poll by PPP

Public Policy Polling

Public Policy Polling is an American Democratic Party-affiliated polling firm based in Raleigh, North Carolina. PPP was founded in 2001 by businessman and Democratic pollster Dean Debnam, the firm's current president and chief executive officer...

 (sponsored by Daily Kos

Daily Kos

Daily Kos is an American political blog that publishes news and opinions from a progressive point of view. It functions as a discussion forum and group blog for a variety of netroots activists, whose efforts are primarily directed toward influencing and strengthening the Democratic Party...

) shows that voters in Hopper's district disapprove of his job performance 47-38 and support recall by 11 points. When asked if they would vote for Hopper or a generic Democratic candidate, Hopper trailed by 5% with 44% saying they would vote for Hopper again and 49% saying they would vote for the Democratic candidate. He is seen as particularly vulnerable to recall, considering that his victory in the 2008 election came only after a mandatory recount; the margin of victory was 163 votes.

On March 29, 2011, it was reported by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is a daily morning broadsheet printed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. It is the primary newspaper in Milwaukee, the largest newspaper in Wisconsin and is distributed widely throughout the state...

that the recall organizers appeared to have enough signatures to force a recall election. On April 7, 2011, organizers filed 23,946 signatures to recall Senator Hopper with the Government Accountability Board in Madison.

On April 13, 2011, Oshkosh Deputy Mayor Jessica King, who lost to Hopper by 163 votes in 2008, announced she will run against Hopper in a potential recall election.

In late May 2011, the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board verified petitions against Hopper, overruling his challenges. The recall election was on July 12, 2011.

Jessica King defeated Hopper in the recall election 28,188 to 26,937.

Personal life

Court records indicate Hopper filed a petition for divorce in August, 2010. In a letter to Milwaukee television station WTMJ

WTMJ-TV

WTMJ-TV, digital channel 28 ; branded as "Today's TMJ4", is the NBC-affiliated television station located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and the flagship station of the Journal Broadcast Group. Its signal covers most of southeastern Wisconsin and parts of northeastern Illinois, including Racine, Kenosha,...

, Hopper's estranged wife Alysia wrote: "It is correct that my husband, Randy Hopper, started an affair in January 2010 with a then-25-year-old Republican aide. This affair has caused great emotional pain for my children and me. Randy moved out, without attempting marital counseling, as of May 2010 and now lives mostly in Madison."

2011 arrest

In October 2011, Hopper was arrested on a charge of drunk driving, after his car was reportedly swerving "all over the road." Hopper initially refused a breathalyzer test; a later test in the county jail showed his blood alcohol level to be 0.13%, considerably above the legal limit of 0.08%; nevertheless, he insisted to officers that he "didn't do anything illegal." According to dispatch reports, Valerie Cass, Hopper's girlfriend was a passenger of the car.

Valerie Cass job

Hopper's alleged mistress, Valerie Cass, was reportedly hired on February 7, 2011 by the state Department of Regulation and Licensing as a limited term communications specialist. Her salary was $11,128 per year higher than that of her predecessor, with no explanation given for the difference in pay. The limited term position ended in August. When questioned, Hopper initially refused to comment, saying, “I want to keep my involvement of anything as a private matter. So, I'm going to maintain that.” Shortly after, he denied he had any role in the hiring.

Voter registration

After vacating his home, Hopper continued to be registered to vote at the home, and voted multiple times. As a result, questions were raised by the Democratic Party of Wisconsin regarding the possibility of Hopper committing voter fraud by voting at the wrong polling location.

Taxes

According to reporting by the Fond du Lac Reporter, Hopper paid state income tax once in the period between 1997-2008. The three businesses he owned paid no net income tax during the same period.

Electoral history

External links

• Randy Hopper official campaign site
• Mountain Dog Media Website