Glenn Grothman

Glenn Sholes Grothman ( ; born July 3, 1955) is an American attorney and politician serving as the U.S. representative from Wisconsin's 6th congressional district. A member of the Republican Party, he was first elected to his seat in 2014.

Grothman represented the 58th district in the Wisconsin State Assembly from 1993 until 2005 and was vice chair of the Assembly's Republican caucus from 1999 to 2004. He represented the 20th district in the Wisconsin Senate from 2005 to 2015, and was the assistant majority leader from 2011 to 2015.

Early life and education Grothman graduated from Homestead High School in Mequon in 1973. In 1978, he graduated from the University of Wisconsin–Madison with a BBA degree. was admitted to the bar, and became an attorney with a firm in West Bend, Wisconsin.

Wisconsin legislature

Elections Grothman was elected to the Wisconsin 58th Assembly District in a special election in December 1993 to succeed Mary Panzer, who had won a special election for the state senate. He was reelected five times, from 1994 to 2002. From 1999 to 2004, he was vice chairman of the Republican caucus.

In 2004, Grothman ran for the state senate seat in the 20th district, challenging Panzer, who had by then risen to state senate majority leader, in the Republican primary. The district included the city of West Bend, other parts of Washington County, and parts of Fond du Lac, Dodge, Sheboygan, and Ozaukee Counties.

Running well to Panzer's right, Grothman won the nomination with 79% of the vote to Panzer's 21%. He was unopposed in the general election in the heavily Republican district, and reelected in 2008 and 2012.

Tenure

From 2007 to 2008, Grothman was the Senate Minority Caucus Chair. He became the assistant Republican leader in 2009, serving as assistant minority leader from 2009 to 2010 and as assistant majority leader from 2011 to 2015.

Grothman was subject to a recall effort in the spring of 2011, but the effort failed, collecting only 75% of the required signatures.

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

2014

On April 3, 2014, Grothman announced he would run in that year's Republican primary for against 17-term incumbent Tom Petri. He positioned himself well to Petri's right; in his campaign announcement he called Petri a "decent, genial person" who lacked the "sense of urgency" to put more curbs on "a federal government that seems to be out of control." Grothman did not have to give up his state senate seat to run for Congress; state senators serve staggered four-year terms, and he was not up for reelection until 2016. Shortly after Grothman entered the race, Petri dropped out.

Grothman's longtime home in West Bend was in the 5th District, represented by Jim Sensenbrenner, but his state senate district included much of the southeastern part of the 6th congressional district. In the summer of 2014, Grothman moved to Campellsport, a suburb of Fond du Lac, which is in the 6th District.

In the general election, Grothman defeated the Democratic nominee, Winnebago County Executive Mark Harris, with 57% of the vote to Harris's 41%.

2016 Grothman was reelected over Democratic nominee Sarah Lloyd, getting 57% of the vote to Lloyd's 37%.

2018

Grothman was reelected over Democratic nominee Dan Kohl, getting 55.5% of the vote to Kohl's 44.5%.

2020

Grothman was reelected over Democratic nominee Jessica King, getting 59.23% of the vote to King's 40.72%.

2022

Grothman had only token opposition from Douglas Mullenix in the Republican primary, and ran unopposed in the general election.

Committee assignments Committee on the Budget Committee on Education and the Workforce Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Government Operations Subcommittee on Transportation and Public Assets Joint Economic Committee

Caucus memberships Republican Study Committee Second Amendment Caucus Congressional Coalition on Adoption Congressional Taiwan Caucus Congressional Motorcycle Caucus Rare Disease Caucus

Political positions The Washington Post has described Grothman as "a shambling, strident conservative with a Trumpian tell-it-like-it-is streak who typically votes with the House GOP leadership".

Donald Trump According to Axios in October 2020, Grothman had a "Trump Loyalty Index" – measuring both his congressional votes and public reaction to certain statements from President Donald Trump – of 93, higher than any other member of Congress.

Grothman praised the first month of work by the second Donald Trump presidency, "This is moving very quickly compared to other administrations, and I think, across the board, he’s done some very good things."

Socio-economic issues Grothman said Governor Scott Walker should defund Wisconsin's kindergarten program for 4-year-olds, saying that any academic benefits disappear by fourth grade. Politifact rated this "False", writing, "Some studies reached that conclusion. But Grothman is citing one small portion of a much broader debate and declaring the whole matter settled when there is considerable evidence on the other side." A study by the American Association of University Women in 2007 found that life choices and family circumstances explain only part of the difference in pay between genders. Grothman rejected that study and added, "You could argue that money is more important for men. I think a guy in their first job, maybe because they expect to be a breadwinner someday, may be a little more money-conscious. To attribute everything to a so-called bias in the workplace is just not true."

Concealed carry Grothman is a longtime supporter of concealed carry legislation, but does not advocate allowing concealed weapons in taverns. He believes concealed carry laws will deter criminal behavior, with permits being given to law-abiding citizens who pass a gun safety course.

Grothman co-introduced 2011 SB 93, which Walker signed into law. This bill made Wisconsin the 49th state to legalize concealed carry.

LGBT rights

Grothman opposed a provision in a 2010 sex education law that prohibited teachers from promoting bias based on sexual orientation, saying he did not believe the topic should be discussed at all in public schools. According to the Capitol Times, Grothman's opposition was based on the belief that instructors who lead these talks would have what he called an "agenda" to persuade students to become gay. and said Republicans, conservatives, and church leaders were not confronting the issue of homosexuality and were "losing the issue": "We had such a great country in the relatively recent past. Now America, supposed to be the light of the world, instead we're the light going in the opposite direction."

In 2015, Grothman cosponsored a resolution to amend the US constitution to ban same-sex marriage. Grothman also cosponsored a resolution disagreeing with the Supreme Court ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges, which held that same-sex marriage bans violated the constitution.

Racial politics In a December 2012 press release, Grothman said that Kwanzaa is not a real holiday: "Of course, almost no black people today care about Kwanzaa—just white left-wingers who try to shove this down black people's throats in an effort to divide Americans."

Grothman has argued that Martin Luther King Jr. Day should not be a state employee holiday, calling it "an insult to all the other taxpayers around the state." He has expressed doubts that "state workers would be 'checking out DVDs or reading books' about King", saying they "would probably just be out shopping or watching television instead."

Health Grothman has voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act.

Grothman co-sponsored Senate Bill 19 (2011), which removes the requirement of mandatory chlorination of groundwater in municipal water systems. The bill was supported by the League of Wisconsin Municipalities.

Grothman is a vocal supporter of decriminalizing raw milk sales.

"Everybody knows you're not supposed to smoke!", he wrote. After the bill passed, he introduced new legislation to allow lodging establishments, such as hotels, to designate certain rooms as smoking rooms; the bill failed. He also co-sponsored a bill to exempt electronic cigarettes from the smoking ban.

Marriage In February 2012, Grothman introduced Senate Bill 507, which would amend Wisconsin statutes to emphasize non-marital parenthood as a contributing factor to child abuse and neglect. Politifact investigated his claim that kids living with a parent and parent's partner are "20 times" more likely to be sexually abused, and rated it True.

He also sponsored State Bill 202, which would have repealed the Equal Pay Enforcement Act, saying that the "Left and the social welfare establishment want children born out of wedlock because they are far more likely to be dependent on the government."

Foreign policy Grothman voted to support Israel following the October 7 attacks.

In 2024, Grothman voted against the $60 billion military aid package for Ukraine; The Washington Post reported that some of the funding would have supported defense jobs in his constituency.

Public image In October 2016, Grothman was featured in the "People Who Somehow Got Elected" segment on HBO's program Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. The segment made reference to Grothman's controversial comments about women and race during his time as an elected official.

Personal life Grothman is a resident of unincorporated Greenbush, west of Plymouth in Sheboygan County, and practices the Lutheran faith.

Electoral history Wisconsin Assembly, 59th district (1992–2000) Year Election Date Elected Defeated Total Plurality 1993 Primary Republican 3,121 52.41% Rep. 1,408 23.64% 5,955 1,713 Rep. 720 12.09% Rep. 389 6.53% Rep. 214 3.59% Rep. 103 1.73% Special Republican 3,410 78.70% Ind. 624 14.40% 4,333 2,786 Lib. 103 1.73% 1994 General Republican 18,216 100.0% 18,216 18,216 1998 General Republican 15,074 100.0% 15,074 15,074 2000 General Republican 22,729 98.98% 22,964 22,494

Wisconsin Assembly, 59th district (2002) Year Election Date Elected Defeated Total Plurality 2002 General Republican 14,032 99.48% 14,105 13,959

Wisconsin Senate (2004–2012) Year Election Date Elected Defeated Total Plurality 2004 Primary Republican 69,942 80.26% Ind. 17,113 19.64% 87,146 52,829 2012 General Republican 66,882 68.63% Dem. 30,504 31.30% 97,460 36,378

U.S. House of Representatives (2014–2024) Year Election Date Elected Defeated Total Plurality 2014 Primary Republican 23,247 36.16% Rep. 23,028 35.82% 64,295 219 Rep. 15,873 24.69% Rep. 2,117 3.29% General Republican 169,767 56.77% Dem. 122,212 40.87% 299,033 47,555 Ind. 6,865 2.30% 2016 General Republican 204,147 57.15% Dem. 133,072 37.26% 357,183 71,075 Ind. 19,716 5.52% 2018 General Republican 180,311 55.47% Dem. 144,536 44.46% 325,065 35,775 2020 General Republican 238,874 59.23% Dem. 164,239 40.72% 403,333 74,635 2022 General Republican 239,231 94.94% 251,999 2024General November 5Glenn Grothman (inc.)Republican251,88961.23%John ZarbanoDem.159,04238.66%411,34992,847