Bob Kasten

Robert Walter Kasten Jr. (born June 19, 1942) is an American government affairs consultant, lobbyist, and former Republican politician from Wisconsin. He served 12 years as a United States senator, representing Wisconsin from 1981 to 1993, and served four years in the U.S. House of Representatives, representing Wisconsin's 9th congressional district from 1975 to 1979. He was an unsuccessful candidate in the Republican gubernatorial primary in 1978. Since leaving elected office, he founded Kasten & Company, a Washington, D.C., consulting firm specializing in assisting international businesses in navigating American trade and regulatory policies.

Early life and education Bob Kasten was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and was raised through childhood in the Milwaukee area. He attended Milwaukee Country Day School in Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin, but transferring to The Choate School (now Choate Rosemary Hall) in Wallingford, Connecticut, where he graduated in 1960. He earned his bachelor's degree in 1964 from the University of Arizona, and went on to obtain his M.B.A. from Columbia Business School in 1966. In Wisconsin, he also served as a personnel officer in the Wisconsin Air National Guard from 1967 to 1972, serving with the 128th Air Refueling Wing.

Political career Kasten was active in local civic groups, particularly the Junior Chamber of Commerce; he began attending Republican State Conventions in 1969, serving as a delegate from Ozaukee County.

He made his first bid for elected office in 1970, running for Wisconsin State Assembly in Milwaukee County's 9th Assembly district, challenging Democratic incumbent Robert L. Jackson Jr. The Milwaukee 9th district at the time comprised one ward of the north side of the city of Milwaukee and most of the neighboring city of Glendale, Wisconsin. Kasten was defeated by Jackson in the general election, receiving just 38% of the vote. Around the same time, he was appointed state youth vote coordinator for President Richard Nixon's re-election campaign in Wisconsin. Just a few months later, however, he resigned his position with the Nixon campaign and announced that he would launch a primary challenge against incumbent Republican state senator Nile Soik. Wisconsin had undergone a dramatic redistricting in 1972, and Soik's 4th Senate district had been significantly redrawn. Formerly anchored in Milwaukee's northern suburbs, the new district sprawled from northern Milwaukee County through much of conservative Washington County. Kasten attacked Soik from the right on taxes, spending, and business climate, and criticized Soik's support for a budget compromise with Democratic governor Patrick Lucey. Kasten won the primary with 55% of the vote, and went on to defeat Democrat Bruce Lowe with 61% of the general election vote. The DUI charges were later dropped.

In 1986, Kasten narrowly defeated Democrat Ed Garvey to win a second term after a very bitter campaign, one that was characterized by personal attacks and is remembered as one of the nastiest elections in Wisconsin history. Kasten was defeated by Democratic state Senator Russ Feingold in 1992.

Kasten voted in favor of the bill establishing Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a federal holiday and the Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1987 (as well as to override President Reagan's veto). Kasten voted in favor of the nominations of Robert Bork and Clarence Thomas to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Later years Since 1993, he has been President of Kasten & Company, a consulting firm.

In July 2007, Kasten joined the presidential campaign of Republican Rudy Giuliani as a foreign policy adviser. He chaired Giuliani's Wisconsin campaign, along with former U.S. Representative Scott Klug and former State Senator Cathy Stepp.

After Giuliani dropped out, Kasten endorsed his close friend and former Senate colleague John McCain. In April 2016, Kasten endorsed Republican frontrunner Donald Trump for president in 2016, becoming part of Trump's foreign policy advisory team.

Cultural references Writer Mike Baron named a recurring character in his Wisconsin-based comic book Badger after Kasten, then Wisconsin's junior senator. The character, a peg-legged, vampire-hunting pig named "Senator Bob Kasten", made several appearances in the series. A student political party on the University of Wisconsin Madison campus satirically named themselves the "Bob Kasten School of Driving" (a reference to his DUI arrest); it won the campus-wide elections in 1986 and 1987.

Electoral history Wisconsin Assembly (1970) YearElectionDateElectedDefeatedTotalPlurality 1970General Democratic 8,588 62.26%Rep. 5,206 37.74% 13,794 3,382

Wisconsin Senate (1972) YearElectionDateElectedDefeatedTotalPlurality 1972 PrimaryRepublican 10,995 55.22%Rep. 8,918 44.78% 19,913 2,077 GeneralRepublican 37,520 61.20%Dem. 23,788 38.80% 61,308 13,732

U.S. House (1974, 1976)

YearElectionDateElectedDefeatedTotalPlurality 1974 PrimaryRepublican 22,749 54.51%Rep. 17,054 40.86% 41,736 5,695 General Republican 77,733 52.24%Dem. 66,071 44.40% 148,804 11,662Amer. 3,037 2.04% 1976 General Republican 163,791 65.40%Dem. 84,706 33.82% 250,457 79,085

Wisconsin Governor (1978)

U.S. Senate (1980, 1986, 1992)