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Quick Facts
Personal Details

Education

  • BS, Animal Science, University of Minnesota, 1978

Professional Experience

  • BS, Animal Science, University of Minnesota, 1978
  • Dairy Farmer, Harsdorf Family Dairy Farm
  • Loan Officer, Production Credit Association

Political Experience

  • BS, Animal Science, University of Minnesota, 1978
  • Dairy Farmer, Harsdorf Family Dairy Farm
  • Loan Officer, Production Credit Association
  • Former Chair, Universities and Technical Colleges Committee, Wisconsin State Senate
  • Majority Caucus Chair, Wisconsin State Senate, 2015-2017
  • Senator, Wisconsin State Senate, District 10, 2000-2017
  • Majority Caucus Vice Chair, Wisconsin State Senate, 2011-2015
  • Assembly Member, Wisconsin State Assembly, District 30, 1988-1998

Former Committees/Caucuses

Former Member, Advisory Council on Small Business, Agriculture, Labor

Former Member, Agriculture, Small Business, and Tourism Committee, Wisconsin State Senate

Former Member, Commerce, Utilities, Energy and Rail Committee, Wisconsin State Senate

Former Vice Chair, Education Reform Committee, Wisconsin State Senate

Former Member, Finance Committee, Wisconsin State Senate

Former Member, Joint Finance Committee, Wisconsin State Senate

Former Co-Chair, Joint Information Policy and Technology Committee, Wisconsin State Senate

Member, Mississippi River Parkway Commission

Former Vice Chair, Public Benefits, Licensing and State-Federal Relations Committee, Wisconsin State Senate

Former Chair, State and Federal Relations Committee, Wisconsin State Senate

Member, Steering Commission, National Farm Medicine Center

Member, Town of River Falls Land Use Planning Committee

Former Member, Wisconsin State Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service Committee

Minority Caucus Vice Chair, Wisconsin State Senate, 2009

Sergeant at Arms, Majority Caucus, 2005

Religious, Civic, and other Memberships

  • BS, Animal Science, University of Minnesota, 1978
  • Dairy Farmer, Harsdorf Family Dairy Farm
  • Loan Officer, Production Credit Association
  • Former Chair, Universities and Technical Colleges Committee, Wisconsin State Senate
  • Majority Caucus Chair, Wisconsin State Senate, 2015-2017
  • Senator, Wisconsin State Senate, District 10, 2000-2017
  • Majority Caucus Vice Chair, Wisconsin State Senate, 2011-2015
  • Assembly Member, Wisconsin State Assembly, District 30, 1988-1998
  • Member, Dairy Committee, 4-H
  • Member, Dairy Judging Team, 4-H
  • Former Board Member, Kinnickinnic River Land Trust
  • Former Member, Labor for Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis
  • Member, Luther Memorial Church
  • Member, Northern Edge Advisory Council
  • Member, Passage Foundation Awards Committee
  • Treasurer, Pierce County Farm Bureau
  • Member, Pierce County, Wisconsin Republican Party
  • Board of Directors, Pierce-Pepin Holstein Breeders Association
  • Member, River Falls Transitional Housing Program
  • Former President, Sponsor's Board, Wisconsin Future Farmers of America Foundation
  • Former Chair, Sponsors Board, Wisconsin State Future Farmers of America
  • Former Member, Wisconsin Conservation Corps Board
  • Former Secretary, Wisconsin Conservation Corps Board
  • Member, Wisconsin Farm Bureau
  • Former Member, Wisconsin Future Farmers of America (FFA)
  • Former Director, Wisconsin Holstein Association
  • Member, World Dairy Center Authority
  • Director, Pierce County Farm Bureau, 1982-1988
  • Chair, Pierce County Dairy Promotion Committee, 1986

Other Info

Favorite Book:

Suspense/thrillers, Author Vince Flynn

Favorite Movie:

Comedies

Favorite Musician:

Variety including soft rock and country

Favorite Quote:

"God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference."

"The measure of a truly great man is the courtesy with which he treats lesser men."

Favorite TV Shows:

NCIS

Policy Positions

Wisconsin State Legislative Election 1996 National Political Awareness Test

Abortion

Please indicate which principles you support (if any) concerning abortion.

1. Abortions should always be legally available.
- No Answer

2. Abortions should be legally available when the procedure is completed within the first trimester of pregnancy.
- No Answer

3. Abortions should be legal only when the pregnancy resulted from incest, rape, or when the life of the woman is endangered.
- X

4. Abortions should be legal only when the life of the woman is endangered.
- No Answer

5. Abortions should always be illegal.
- No Answer

6. Abortions should be limited by mandatory waiting periods.
- X

7. Abortions should be limited by parental notification requirements for girls under 18.
- X

8. Do you support requiring spousal notification for married women seeking an abortion?
- Undecided

9. Should Wisconsin government funding be provided to clinics and medical facilities that provide abortion services?
- No

Affirmative Action/Civil Rights

Please indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding affirmative action and civil rights in Wisconsin.

1. The Wisconsin government should prosecute cases of discrimination in the public and private sectors.
- X

2. The Wisconsin government should provide no affirmative action programs.
- No Answer

3. Do you believe that the Wisconsin government should recognize same-sex marriages?
- No

Children & Families

Please indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding children & family issues in Wisconsin.

1. Increase state funding for programs to prevent teen pregnancy.
- X

2. Provide tax credits for businesses that provide child care for their employees.
- X

3. Deny or suspend state-issued permits and licenses to parents who are delinquent in paying court-ordered child support.
- X

4. Provide tax credits to couples who adopt children.
- X

Crime

Please indicate which principles you support (if any) to address crime in Wisconsin.

1. Increase state funds for construction of state prisons and for hiring of additional prison staff.
- X

2. Expand and promote "community policing" programs.
- X

3. Support "truth in sentencing" for violent criminals so they serve their full sentences with no chance of parole.
- X

4. Institute the death penalty in Wisconsin.
- No Answer

5. Oppose the death penalty.
- No Answer

6. Implement penalties other than incarceration for certain non-violent offenders.
- X

7. Require mandatory life sentences for third-time, violent felons.
- X

8. Inform communities when a convicted sex offender moves into the community.
- X

9. Increase state funds for programs which rehabilitate and educate inmates during and after their prison sentences.
- X

10. Decriminalize the possession and private use of certain illegal drugs such as marijuana.
- No Answer

11. Strengthen penalties and sentences associated with drug-related crimes.
- X

12. Implement chain gangs in which prison inmates work together in chained work groups.
- X

13. Support laws requiring restitution to crime victims at the personal expense of the criminal.
- X

14. Advocate the use of prison inmate labor for public works projects such as prison construction.
- X

15. Do you support a proposal to transfer Wisconsin prison inmates to out-of-state prisons?
- Yes

Crime (Juvenile)

Please indicate which principles you support (if any) to address juvenile crime in Wisconsin.

1. Prosecute juveniles who commit murder or other serious, violent crimes as adults.
- X

2. Provide state funding for military-style "boot camps" for juvenile first-time felons.
- X

3. Increase state funding for local community centers and other social agencies in areas with at-risk youth.
- X

4. Support state government funding of programs for at-risk youth such as guaranteed college loans and job training and placement.
- X

e)

1. Should there be a minimum age at which juvenile offenders can be tried as adults?
- Yes

If yes, what age?

1. Less than 10 years
- No Answer

2. 10-12
- No Answer

3. 13-14
- No Answer

4. 15-16
- No Answer

5. 17
- X

Economic Development

Please indicate which principles you support (if any) concerning Wisconsin's economic development.

1. Increase state funds for improving the state's transportation system, including major roadways, railways and airports.
- X

2. Provide low interest loans and tax credits for expanding, start-up, or relocating businesses.
- X

3. Expand legalized gambling (e.g., casino gambling).
- No Answer

4. Reduce state government regulations on the private sector.
- X

5. Remove state government controls or caps from wages, prices, rents, profits, production and interest rates.
- No Answer

6. Support limits on cash damages in lawsuits against businesses and professionals for product liability or malpractice.
- No Answer

7. Increase state funding for programs to re-train unemployed workers.
- X

8. Do you support the use of state funding for the construction of sports stadiums and arenas in Wisconsin?
- No

Education

Please indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding Wisconsin's education system.

1. Increase state funds for professional development and salaries of public school faculty.
- No Answer

2. Endorse teacher-led voluntary school prayer in public schools.
- No Answer

3. Encourage private or corporate investment in certain public school programs.
- X

4. Provide parents with state-funded vouchers to send their children to any participating school (public, private, religious, technical).
- No Answer

5. Support continuation of charter schools where teachers and other professionals receive state authorization and funding to establish new schools.
- No Answer

6. Require the use of state-wide achievement standards for all state public schools.
- No Answer

7. Emphasize local control of education as long as the school district meets state health and safety standards.
- X

8. Support sex education programs which stress abstinence.
- X

9. Support sex education programs which stress safe sexual practices.
- No Answer

10. Support a school choice program that allows parents to choose which public school their child(ren) should attend.
- No Answer

11. Increase state funds for higher education.
- X

12. Provide state funding for programs that increase Wisconsin students' access to the Internet and other telecommunications networks.
- X

Environment

Please indicate which principles you support (if any) concerning Wisconsin's environment and natural resources.

1. Enact tougher environmental standards to encourage the sale of cleaner burning fuels throughout Wisconsin.
- No Answer

2. Support "self-audit" legislation which creates incentives for polluting industries to audit themselves and clean up pollution.
- X

3. Require a cost/benefit analysis be completed on the economic impact of proposed environmental regulations before they are implemented.
- No Answer

4. Require the state to reimburse citizens when state-sponsored environmental regulations limit the use of privately owned land.
- X

5. Provide funding for recycling programs in Wisconsin.
- X

6. Request flexibility from the federal government in enforcing and funding federal environmental regulations.
- X

7. Suspend Wisconsin's participation in unfunded, federally mandated environmental protection legislation.
- No Answer

8. Maintain minimum environmental quality as mandated by current federal regulations.
- No Answer

Government Reform

Would you support amending the Wisconsin Constitution to limit the terms of the following Wisconsin officials?

1. State Senators
- Yes

2. State Representatives
- Yes

3. Governor
- Yes

4. Do you support amending the U.S. Constitution to require an annual balanced federal budget?
- Yes

5. Do you support requiring limits on individual contributions to state legislative candidates?
- Yes

6. Do you support requiring limits on PAC contributions to state legislative candidates?
- Yes

7. Do you support requiring limits on corporate contributions to state legislative candidates?
- Yes

8. Do you support requiring full and timely disclosure of campaign finance information?
- Yes

9. Do you support imposing spending limits on state level political campaigns?
- Yes

10. Do you support partial funding from state taxes for state level political campaigns?
- Undecided

Gun

Please indicate which principles you support (if any) concerning gun issues.

1. Support expanding the nationwide federal ban on the public sale of assault weapons to include all forms of semi-automatic weapons.
- No Answer

2. Increase state restrictions on the purchase and possession of firearms.
- No Answer

3. Maintain all state registration procedures and state restrictions on possessing firearms.
- No Answer

4. Ease state procedures and restrictions on the purchase and registration of firearms.
- No Answer

5. Repeal all state bans and measures that restrict law-abiding citizens from obtaining firearms.
- No Answer

6. Allow law-abiding citizens to carry concealed firearms.
- No Answer

Health Care

Please indicate which principles you support (if any) concerning Wisconsin's health care system.

1. Expand state funding for pre-natal and infant care programs available in the state, including immunizations.
- X

2. Provide tax incentives to assist small businesses in providing health care to their employees.
- X

3. Ensure that Wisconsin citizens have access to basic health care, through managed care, insurance reforms, or state-funded care where necessary.
- X

4. Guaranteeing medical care to all citizens is not a responsibility of state government.
- No Answer

5. Limit the amount of damages that can be awarded in medical malpractice lawsuits.
- X

6. Support legislation requiring health insurance providers to cover certain medical services (e.g., 48-hr. hospital stay for mothers after childbirth).
- X

State Budget

Indicate what changes you support (if any) concerning levels of funding for the following categories. Select one option only.

1. Abortion
- Eliminate

2. Affirmative Action
- Maintain Status

3. Agriculture
- Slightly Increase

4. AIDS Programs
- Maintain Status

5. Education
- Slightly Increase

6. Environment
- Maintain Status

7. Health care
- Slightly Increase

8. Law enforcement
- Slightly Increase

9. Welfare
- Maintain Status

State Taxes

Please indicate the changes you support (if any) concerning Wisconsin's tax levels. Select one option only.

1. Alcohol Taxes
- Maintain Status

2. Business Taxes
- Maintain Status

3. Capital gains taxes
- Maintain Status

4. Cigarette taxes
- Slightly Increase

5. Income Taxes (incomes less than $75,000)
- Maintain Status

6. Income Taxes (incomes greater than $75,000)
- Maintain Status

7. Property taxes
- Greatly Decrease

8. Sales taxes
- Maintain Status

9. State Fees
- Slightly Increase

10. Do you support a flat tax structure for state income taxes?
- Undecided

Welfare

Please indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding Wisconsin's welfare system.

1. Continue to provide child care services to welfare recipients who work or attend school.
- X

2. Continue to allow welfare recipients to work and still receive state-funded health care and child care (if needed) until they become self-sufficient.
- X

3. Continue to require that able-bodied welfare recipients receive job training, attend school, or work in order to receive welfare benefits.
- X

4. Continue to require that unwed mothers under the age of 18 attend school and live with a parent or guardian (if possible) to receive benefits.
- X

5. Limit the welfare benefits given to recipients if they have additional children.
- X

6. Provide two-parent families living in poverty the same welfare benefits as one-parent families.
- X

7. Eliminate government-funded welfare and advocate privately-funded assistance to people in need.
- No Answer

8. Support Wisconsin's five-year lifetime limit on welfare benefits.
- X

9. Support Wisconsin's limit of two consecutive years on welfare benefits.
- No Answer

Legislative Priorities

Explain what your two main legislative priorities will be if elected to the Wisconsin State Legislature. If any of your priorities will require additional government funding, explain how you intend to obtain the additional funding.
- No Answer