Jim Steineke
{{short description|American Republican politician (born 1970)}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Jim Steineke
| office = Majority Leader of the Wisconsin Assembly
| term_start = January 5, 2015
| term_end = July 27, 2022
| predecessor = Patricia Strachota
| successor = Tyler August
| state_assembly1 = Wisconsin
| district1 = 5th
| term_start1 = January 3, 2011
| term_end1 = July 27, 2022
| predecessor1 = Tom Nelson
| successor1 = Joy Goeben
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1970|11|23}}
| birth_place = Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.
| party = Republican
| education = University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee
University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh
| website = {{URL|legis.wisconsin.gov/assembly/05/steineke|Official website}}
}}
James Steineke (born November 23, 1970) is a Wisconsin real estate agent and Republican politician from Kaukauna, Wisconsin. He was the majority leader of the Wisconsin State Assembly from January 2015 until his resignation from the Assembly in July 2022. He had represented Wisconsin's 5th Assembly district since 2011.
Early life and career
Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Steineke attended the University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh and the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee. He worked as a realtor.
Public office
He was a member of the board of supervisors for the town of Vandenbroek from 2005 to 2007, and was chairman of the town board from 2007 to 2011. He also served on the Outagamie County board of supervisors from 2006 to 2011.
Steineke was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly in 2010 in the Wisconsin's 5th Assembly district, which then comprised much of eastern Outagamie County, the Town of Maple Grove in Shawano County, and part of western Brown County.{{cite report|url= https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/misc/lrb/blue_book/2011_2012 |title= State of Wisconsin 2011–2012 Blue Book |year= 2011 |publisher= Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau |isbn= 978-0-9752820-1-4 |editor-last1= Barish |editor-first1= Lawrence S. |editor-last2= Lemanski |editor-first2= Lynn |chapter-url= https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/misc/lrb/blue_book/2011_2012/200_biographies.pdf |chapter= Biographies |pages= 22–23 |accessdate= March 2, 2022 }}{{cite web|url= https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2021/legislators/assembly/2197 |title= Representative Jim Steineke - Majority Leader |website= Wisconsin Legislature |accessdate= March 2, 2022 }} He succeeded Democrat Tom Nelson, who had decline running for re-election to seek election as lieutenant governor. He has identified himself as a proponent of limited government and lower taxes.{{cite web|url=http://www.jimsteineke.com/|title=Home|website=www.jimsteineke.com}}
In November 2020, Steineke was re-elected as the Assembly Majority Leader by his GOP colleagues.{{Cite news |url=https://madison.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/wisconsin-legislative-republicans-democrats-elect-leaders/article_4a92fbff-1a9b-51df-b537-4d0a5808904b.html |title=Wisconsin legislative Republicans, Democrats elect leaders |newspaper= Wisconsin State Journal |date= November 12, 2020 |last=Vetterkind |first=Riley |access-date= January 6, 2021 |language=en}}
In March 2021, Steineke applauded the conservative majority on the Wisconsin Supreme Court for preventing Governor Tony Evers from extending a face mask mandate intended to halt the spread of the coronavirus.{{Cite web|last=Beck|first=Molly|title=Wisconsin Supreme Court strikes down statewide mask mandate, blocks Evers from declaring multiple emergency orders|url=https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/politics/2021/03/31/supreme-court-blocks-tony-evers-extending-covid-mask-mandate/7060433002/|access-date=2021-03-31|website=Milwaukee Journal Sentinel|language=en-US}}
In January 2022, Steineke announced he would not run for re-election in 2022.{{cite news|url= https://madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt-and-politics/assembly-majority-leader-jim-steineke-not-seeking-another-term/article_525063c5-8742-535f-8e30-82ce46992053.html |title= Assembly Majority Leader Jim Steineke not seeking another term |newspaper= Wisconsin State Journal |date= January 19, 2022 |first= Mitchell |last= Schmidt |accessdate= March 2, 2022 }} After announcing his retirement, he denounced the 2020 election review recommendations of Michael Gableman, saying that Gableman's suggestion that the legislature could "decertify the 2020 election" "would be the end of our republic as we know it."{{cite news|url= https://www.wpr.org/gableman-report-calls-decertifying-2020-election-legislatures-nonpartisan-lawyers-say-thats-not |title= Gableman report calls for decertifying 2020 election. The Legislature's nonpartisan lawyers say that's not possible. |work= Wisconsin Public Radio |date= March 1, 2022 |last= Johnson |first= Shawn |accessdate= March 2, 2022 }}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{CongLinks|votesmart= 100044}}
- {{Ballotpedia|Jim_Steineke}}
- [https://legis.wisconsin.gov/assembly/05/steineke Official website]
{{s-start}}
{{s-par|us-wi-hs}}
{{s-bef|before=Patricia Strachota}}
{{s-ttl|title=Majority Leader of the Wisconsin Assembly|years=2015–2022}}
{{s-aft|after=Tyler August}}
{{s-end}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Steineke, Jim}}
Category:American real estate brokers
Category:County supervisors in Wisconsin
Category:People from Outagamie County, Wisconsin
Category:Politicians from Milwaukee
Category:Republican Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly
Category:University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee alumni