Senator Van Wanggaard Contact information

Van H. Wanggaard is a Republican politician and former law enforcement officer. Born on April 19, 1952, in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, he currently represents Racine and Kenosha counties in the Wisconsin State Senate.

Background and Family Life: Wanggaard graduated from Racine Lutheran High School in 1970 and later obtained a certificate in Police Science Instruction from Gateway Technical College. He also pursued coursework at various institutions, including the University of Wisconsin–Extension, University of Wisconsin–Parkside, and the Wisconsin State Patrol Academy. His career in law enforcement began in 1972 when he joined the Racine Police Department as an investigator. Wanggaard and his wife have two children.

Political Career: In 2002, Wanggaard was elected to the Racine County Board of Supervisors, a position he held until he joined the State Senate in 2011. Although he initially ran for the 62nd Wisconsin Assembly district in 2006 (unsuccessfully), he found success in 2010 when he challenged incumbent Democrat John Lehman for the 21st senate district. Riding the wave of the 2010 Republican victory, Wanggaard secured the seat.

However, his tenure faced challenges. The controversial budget restructuring by the new unified Republican government led to recall elections in 2011 and 2012. Wanggaard was one of the 16 senators who faced recall, and he was ultimately defeated by John Lehman in the June 2012 recall election. Interestingly, this was the second time a senator from the 21st district had been successfully recalled—the first being George Petak in 1996.

But Wanggaard’s story didn’t end there. After the 21st district was redrawn into a safe Republican stronghold, Lehman chose not to run for re-election in 2014. Wanggaard seized the opportunity and won the seat back in the 2014 general election. He has since been re-elected in 2018 and 2022, serving as Chairman of the Majority Caucus and the Senate Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety.