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Chester A. "Chet" Gerlach (born June 26, 1947) is a retired American educator, lobbyist, and Democratic politician. He was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly for five terms, representing Oak Creek and South Milwaukee from 1975 through 1984. After leaving the Assembly, he worked for many years as a lobbyist to the state government.
Chester A. Gerlach | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly | |
| In office January 3, 1983 – January 7, 1985 | |
| Preceded by | Daniel Fischer |
| Succeeded by | Gervase Hephner |
| Constituency | 3rd Assembly district |
| In office January 6, 1975 – January 3, 1983 | |
| Preceded by | William P. Atkinson |
| Succeeded by | Ronald A. Sell |
| Constituency | 21st Assembly district |
| Personal details | |
| Born | June 26, 1947 Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Political party |
|
| Spouse | Barbara |
| Children | 3 |
| Residence | Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin |
| Alma mater | St. Norbert College |
| Occupation | Educator, politician, lobbyist (retired) |
Gerlach was born on June 26, 1947, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He graduated from Don Bosco High School and went on to earn his bachelor's degree from St. Norbert College in 1969. He then received his teaching certification from University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee in 1972 and worked as a teacher.[1]
Gerlach was first elected to the Assembly in 1974, after he defeated incumbent state representative William P. Atkinson in a Democratic Party primary challenge.[2] He was subsequently re-elected in 1976, 1978, and 1980. Following the court-ordered redistricting in 1982, he was elected to a fifth term in what was then the 3rd Assembly district.[3] While serving in the Assembly, he was elected as assistant majority leader for the 1981–1982 session.[1]
Another redistricting occurred in 1983, and rather than running for another term in another new district in 1984, he chose to run in the Democratic primary for an open seat in the Wisconsin State Senate. He came in a distant 2nd behind John Plewa, who went on to win the general election.[4]
After leaving office, Gerlach spent much of the next 30 years as a political consultant and lobbyist to the state government. He subsequently moved to Elkhart Lake, in Sheboygan County, Wisconsin, where he retired in 2019.[5]
In 2022, Gerlach chose to come out of retirement to enter the race for Wisconsin State Assembly in the 27th Assembly district, where he was then residing. The incumbent Republican had chosen not to run for re-election, and there was only one candidate in the race—Republican Amy Binsfeld. Gerlach chose to run as an independent, on a platform of bipartisan cooperation in Madison.[5] Binsfeld ultimately prevailed in the 2022 general election with 64% of the vote.[6]
Chester Gerlach lives with his wife Barbara in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. They have three adult children.[5]
Wisconsin Assembly, 21st district (1974, 1976, 1978, 1980)
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic Primary, September 10, 1974 | |||||
| Democratic | Chester A. Gerlach | 3,201 | 55.84% | ||
| Democratic | William P. Atkinson (incumbent) | 1,551 | 27.06% | ||
| Democratic | John D. St. John | 980 | 17.10% | ||
| Total votes | 5,732 | 100.0% | |||
| General Election, November 5, 1974 | |||||
| Democratic | Chester A. Gerlach | 9,215 | 100.0% | ||
| Total votes | 9,215 | 100.0% | -45.92% | ||
| Democratic hold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Election, November 2, 1976 | |||||
| Democratic | Chester A. Gerlach (incumbent) | 14,847 | 78.71% | ||
| Republican | Darlene J. Wink | 4,016 | 21.29% | ||
| Plurality | 10,831 | 57.42% | |||
| Total votes | 18,863 | 100.0% | +104.70% | ||
| Democratic hold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Election, November 7, 1978 | |||||
| Democratic | Chester A. Gerlach (incumbent) | 10,549 | 75.27% | −3.44% | |
| Republican | William A. Rinnemake | 3,466 | 24.73% | ||
| Plurality | 7,083 | 50.54% | -6.88% | ||
| Total votes | 14,015 | 100.0% | -25.70% | ||
| Democratic hold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic Primary, September 9, 1980 | |||||
| Democratic | Chester A. Gerlach (incumbent) | 2,931 | 68.50% | ||
| Democratic | Frank L. Chovanec | 1,348 | 31.50% | ||
| Total votes | 4,279 | 100.0% | |||
| General Election, November 4, 1980 | |||||
| Democratic | Chester A. Gerlach (incumbent) | 15,062 | 100.0% | ||
| Total votes | 15,062 | 100.0% | +7.47% | ||
| Democratic hold | |||||
Wisconsin Assembly, 3rd district (1982)
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic Primary, September 14, 1982 | |||||
| Democratic | Chester A. Gerlach (incumbent) | 6,479 | 77.71% | ||
| Democratic | Conrad LeBeau | 1,858 | 22.29% | ||
| Total votes | 8,337 | 100.0% | |||
| General Election, November 2, 1982 | |||||
| Democratic | Chester A. Gerlach (incumbent) | 12,764 | 100.0% | ||
| Total votes | 12,764 | 100.0% | -35.36% | ||
| Democratic hold | |||||
Wisconsin Senate (1984)
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic Primary, September 11, 1984 | |||||
| Democratic | John Plewa | 11,603 | 62.42% | ||
| Democratic | Chester A. Gerlach | 6,582 | 35.41% | ||
| Democratic | Roman R. Blenski | 405 | 2.18% | ||
| Total votes | 18,590 | 100.0% | |||
Wisconsin Assembly, 27th district (2022)
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Election, November 8, 2022[6] | |||||
| Republican | Amy Binsfeld | 17,132 | 64.41% | ||
| Independent | Chet Gerlach | 9,373 | 35.24% | ||
| Scattering | 94 | 0.35% | |||
| Plurality | 7,759 | 29.17% | |||
| Total votes | 26,599 | 100.0% | -1.31% | ||
| Republican hold | |||||
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