Wisconsin's 21st Senate district

The 21st Senate district of Wisconsin is one of 33 districts in the Wisconsin Senate.^[1] Located in southeastern Wisconsin, the district comprises northeast Racine County and southwest Milwaukee County. It includes the city of Franklin, the northern half of the city of Racine, the western half of the city of Greenfield, and part of southwest Milwaukee, as well as the villages of Greendale, Hales Corners, Caledonia, Wind Point, and North Bay.^[2]

Wisconsin's 21st State Senate district
From 2024 to 2031 From 2022 to 2023 From 2012 to 2021 2024 map defined in 2023 Wisc. Act 94 2022 map defined in Johnson v. Wisconsin Elections Commission 2011 map was defined in 2011 Wisc. Act 43 composed of Assembly districts 61, 62, and 63
Senator	Van H. Wanggaard R–Racine since January 5, 2015 (9 years)
Demographics	74% White 9.76% Black 10.86% Hispanic 3.71% Asian 1.91% Native American 0.11% Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
Population (2020)  • Voting age	179,184 139,923
Website	Official website
Notes	Southeast Wisconsin

Current elected officials

Van H. Wanggaard is the senator representing the 21st district. He was elected to his first term in the 2010 general election, but was removed from office in a recall election in 2012. He subsequently was returned to office in the 2014 general election, and is now in his second four-year term.^[3]

Each Wisconsin State Senate district is composed of three Wisconsin State Assembly districts. The 21st Senate district comprises the 61st, 62nd, and 63rd Assembly districts. The current representatives of those districts are:^[4]

• Assembly District 61: Amanda Nedweski (R–Pleasant Prairie)
• Assembly District 62: Robert Wittke (R–Wind Point)
• Assembly District 63: Robin Vos (R–Rochester)

The district, in its current boundaries, crosses three congressional districts. Most of the district is contained within Wisconsin's 1st congressional district, which is represented by U.S. Representative Bryan Steil. The portion of the district in Greenfield falls within Wisconsin's 5th congressional district, represented by Scott L. Fitzgerald. The portion of the district in the city of Milwaukee falls within Wisconsin's 4th congressional district, represented by Gwen Moore.^[5]

• 
  Boerner Botanical Gardens in Hales Corners
• 
  Greendale village hall
• 
  Wind Point Lighthouse
• 
  Wingspread building in Wind Point
• 
  Aerial view of Racine lakefront with Wind Point in background
• 
  Racine Art Museum in the Old Main Street Historic District
• 
  Historic Sixth Street Business District
• 
  Root River valley in Franklin
• 
  Franklin City Hall
• 
  Whitnall Park

Recalls

The 21st Senate district is unique in Wisconsin recall history. In 1996, it became the first district in which a Wisconsin state legislator was successfully removed from office via recall election, when Kimberly Plache defeated George Petak. With the recall of Van H. Wanggaard in 2012, it became the only Wisconsin district where there have been more than one successful recall elections.^[6]

Boundaries

As with all state senate and assembly seats, the boundaries of the 21st have moved over time during decennial redistricting. Senators of previous eras have represented different geographic areas.

The district was created after the 1850 census and reapportionment and was drawn for Winnebago County, in central Wisconsin. The inaugural holder was Coles Bashford in the 6th session of the Wisconsin Legislature, 1853.

In the 19th century, the district included at various times Marathon, Oconto, Shawano and Waupaca counties, and was located within the now-defunct 9th Congressional District

For most of the 20th century, the district covered the city of Racine and Racine County, in southeastern Wisconsin, within the boundaries of the 1st Congressional District.

In redistricting after the 2010 census, the city of Racine was mostly removed and rural and suburban portions of Kenosha County were added to the district, turning the 21st into a safe Republican seat.^[7]

The 2024 redistricting again dramatically reshaped the district, removing all of Kenosha County and most of Racine County. The district instead moved back into the city of Racine, comprising the city's north side and stretching north into southwest Milwaukee County. Under the new map, it is projected to be one of the most competitive districts in the state Senate.

Past senators

The 21st senate district has had several notable officeholders, including American Civil War General John Azor Kellogg and Wisconsin Governors Coles Bashford and Walter Samuel Goodland.

A list of all previous senators from this district:

Senator	Party	Notes	Session	Years	District definition
District created by 1852 Wisc. Act 499.				1852	1852–1856 1856–1860 1861–1865 1866–1870 Winnebago County
Coles Bashford	Whig	Won 1852 election. Resigned 1855, elected Governor of Wisconsin.	6th	1853
			7th	1854
	Rep.		8th	1855
John Fitzgerald	Dem.	Won 1855 special election.	9th	1856
Edwin Wheeler	Rep.		10th	1857
			11th	1858
Ganem W. Washburn	Rep.		12th	1859
			13th	1860
Horace O. Crane	Rep.	Resigned June 1861.	14th	1861
Samuel M. Hay	Rep.	Won 1861 special election.	15th	1862
Joseph B. Hamilton	Rep.		16th	1863
			17th	1864
George S. Barnum	Natl. Union		18th	1865
			19th	1866
George Gary	Natl. Union	Resigned Oct. 1867.	20th	1867
William G. Ritch	Rep.	Won 1867 special election.	21st	1868
Ira W. Fisher	Rep.		22nd	1869
			23rd	1870
James H. Foster	Rep.	Redistricted to 19th district.	24th	1871
Myron Reed	Dem.		25th	1872	Marathon, Oconto, Shawano, Waupaca counties, and northern Outagamie County Town of Black Creek Town of Bovina Town of Deer Creek Town of Ellington Town of Hortonia Town of Liberty Town of Maine Town of Maple Creek Town of Osborne Town of Seymour Ward 3, City of New London & Lincoln County (organized 1876)
Myron H. McCord	Rep.		26th	1873
			27th	1874
Willis C. Silverthorn	Dem.		28th	1875
			29th	1876
Henry Mumbrue	Lib. Rep.		30th	1877	Marathon, Portage, and Waupaca counties
			31st	1878
John Azor Kellogg	Rep.		32nd	1879
			33rd	1880
Charles F. Crosby	Rep.		34th	1881
			35th	1882
John Ringle	Dem.		36th	1883–1884	Shawano, Waupaca, and Marathon counties
			37th	1885–1886
John E. Leahy	Rep.		38th	1887–1888
			39th	1889–1890	Shawano and Waupaca counties, and eastern Marathon County Town of Texas Town of Easton Town of Wausau Town of Weston Town of Norrie Town of Pike Lake Town of Kronenwetter Town of Knowlton City of Wausau
Joseph H. Woodnorth	Dem.		40th	1891–1892
			41st	1893–1894	Portage and Waushara counties, and western Waupaca County Town of Dupont Town of Helvetia Town of St. Lawrence Town of Waupaca Town of Fremont Town of Weyauwega Town of Dayton Town of Farmington Town of Iola Town of Scandinavia Town of Harrison Town of Wyoming Town of Lind Villages of Fremont Villages of Weyauwega City of Waupaca
John Phillips	Rep.		42nd	1895–1896
			43rd	1897–1898	1896–1901 1902–1911 Portage and Waupaca counties
William H. Hatton	Rep.		44th	1899–1900
			45th	1901–1902
			46th	1903–1904
			47th	1905–1906
Edward E. Browne	Rep.		48th	1907–1908
			49th	1909–1910
			50th	1911–1912
Edward F. Kileen	Rep.		51st	1913–1914	Waushara, Adams, Juneau, and Marquette counties
Frank H. Hanson	Rep.		52nd	1915–1916
			53rd	1917–1918
John A. Conant	Rep.		54th	1919–1920
			55th	1921–1922
Max W. Heck	Rep.		56th	1923–1924	1922–1953 1954–1963 Racine County
			57th	1925–1926
Walter S. Goodland	Rep.	Won 1926 election. Re-elected 1930. Elected Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin in 1934.	58th	1927–1928
			59th	1929–1930
			60th	1931–1932
			61st	1933–1934
Joseph Clancy	Dem.		62nd	1935–1936
			63rd	1937–1938
Kenneth L. Greenquist	Prog.		64th	1939–1940
			65th	1941–1942
Edward F. Hilker	Rep.		66th	1943–1944
			67th	1945–1946
			68th	1947–1948
			69th	1949–1950
Gerald T. Flynn	Dem.		70th	1951–1952
			71st	1953–1954
Lynn E. Stalbaum	Dem.	Won 1954 election. Re-elected 1958, 1962. Resigned 1964 after election to U.S. House.	72nd	1955–1956
			73rd	1957–1958
			74th	1959–1960
			75th	1961–1962
			76th	1963–1964
Henry Dorman	Dem.	Won 1965 special election. Re-elected 1966, 1970, 1974. Defeated in 1978 primary.	77th	1965–1966	Southeast Racine County Town of Mount Pleasant Village of Elmwood Park Village of North Bay Village of Sturtevant Village of Wind Point City of Racine
			78th	1967–1968
			79th	1969–1970
			80th	1971–1972
			81st	1973–1974	Eastern Racine County Town of Caledonia Town of Mount Pleasant Village of Elmwood Park Village of North Bay Village of Sturtevant Village of Wind Point City of Racine
			82nd	1975–1976
			83rd	1977–1978
Joseph A. Strohl	Dem.	Won 1978 election. Re-elected 1982, 1986. Majority Leader 1987-1990. Defeated in 1990 election.	84th	1979–1980
			85th	1981–1982
			86th	1983–1984	Central and Eastern Racine County Town of Caledonia Town of Mount Pleasant Town of Raymond Town of Yorkville Village of Elmwood Park Village of North Bay Village of Sturtevant Village of Union Grove Village of Wind Point City of Racine
			87th	1985–1986
			88th	1987–1988
			89th	1989–1990
George Petak	Republican	Won 1990 election. Re-elected 1994. Defeated in 1996 recall election.	90th	1991–1992
			91st	1993–1994	Southern and Eastern Racine County Town of Caledonia Town of Dover Town of Mount Pleasant Town of Yorkville Village of Elmwood Park Village of North Bay Village of Sturtevant Village of Union Grove Village of Wind Point City of Racine Wards 1, 6, 7, Town of Burlington Wards 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 14, 15, 16, City of Burlington
			92nd	1995–1996
Kimberly Plache	Dem.	Won 1996 recall election. Re-elected 1998. Defeated in 2002 election.
			93rd	1997–1998
			94th	1999–2000
			95th	2001–2002
Cathy Stepp	Rep.	Won 2002 election. Did not seek re-election.	96th	2003–2004	Central and Eastern Racine County Town of Caledonia Town of Dover Town of Norway Town of Raymond Town of Rochester Town of Yorkville Village of Elmwood Park Village of Mount Pleasant Village of North Bay Village of Sturtevant Village of Union Grove Village of Wind Point City of Racine
			97th	2005–2006
John Lehman	Dem.	Won 2006 election. Defeated in 2010 election.	98th	2007–2008	Central and Eastern Racine County Town of Dover Town of Norway Town of Raymond Town of Yorkville Village of Caledonia Village of Elmwood Park Village of Mount Pleasant Village of North Bay Village of Rochester Village of Sturtevant Village of Union Grove Village of Wind Point City of Racine
			99th	2009–2010
Van H. Wanggaard	Rep.	Won 2010 election. Defeated in 2012 recall election.	100th	2011–2012
John Lehman	Dem.	Won 2012 recall election. Did not seek re-election.
			101st	2013–2014	Central and Western Racine County Town of Dover Town of Norway Town of Raymond Town of Yorkville Village of Caledonia Village of North Bay Village of Rochester Village of Sturtevant Village of Union Grove Village of Wind Point City of Burlington Wards 1-7, 11, Town of Burlington Wards 1-20, Village of Mount Pleasant Wards 13, 16, 20, 27, 28, 34-36, City of Racine Central and Western Kenosha County Town of Brighton Town of Bristol Town of Paris Town of Pleasant Prairie Town of Randall Town of Salem Village of Bristol Village of Paddock Lake Village of Silver Lake Village of Twin Lakes Wards 1-4, 11, Town of Somers Wards 88-91, City of Kenosha part of Walworth County Ward 9, City of Burlington
Van H. Wanggaard	Rep.	Won 2014 election. Re-elected 2018, 2022.	102nd	2015–2016
			103rd	2017–2018	Central and Western Racine County Town of Dover Town of Norway Town of Raymond Town of Yorkville Village of Caledonia Village of North Bay Village of Rochester Village of Sturtevant Village of Union Grove Village of Wind Point City of Burlington Wards 1-7, 11, Town of Burlington Wards 1-20, Village of Mount Pleasant Wards 13, 16, 20, 27, 28, 34-36, City of Racine Central and Western Kenosha County Town of Brighton Town of Bristol Town of Paris Town of Pleasant Prairie Town of Randall Village of Bristol Village of Paddock Lake Village of Salem Lakes Village of Twin Lakes Ward 1, Town of Somers Wards 1-4, 11, Village of Somers Wards 88-91, City of Kenosha part of Walworth County Ward 9, City of Burlington
			104th	2019–2020
			105th	2021–2022
			106th	2023–2024	Most of Kenosha County, most of Racine County, part of Walworth County

References

1. "Senate District 21". Wisconsin Legislature. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
2. "Wisconsin Legislative Districts - Senate District 21 Boundaries". Wisconsin Legislature. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
3. "Senator Van H. Wanggaard". Wisconsin Legislature. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
4. Wisconsin Blue Book, 2011-12 edition, page 60. ISBN 978-0-9752820-1-4.
5. "State of Wisconsin Congressional Districts" (PDF). Wisconsin Legislature. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
6. Craig Gilbert (May 20, 2012). "Racine's 21st Senate District no stranger to recalls". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
7. Berman, Ari (January 24, 2018). "How the GOP Rigs Elections". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 16, 2019.

External links

• Senate District 21 at Wisconsin Legislature
  • Senator Van H. Wanggaard (2023)
  • Senator Van H. Wanggaard (2021)
  • Senator Van H. Wanggaard (2019)
  • Senator Van H. Wanggaard (2017)