Paul Farrow

Paul Farrow (July 17, 1964 – July 7, 2026) was an American businessman and Republican politician from Pewaukee, Wisconsin. He served 11 years as the county executive of Waukesha County, Wisconsin, from 2015 until his death in 2026. Farrow previously served two years each in the Wisconsin Senate (2012–2015) and State Assembly (2011–2012), and was chairman of the Republican Party of Wisconsin from August 2021 through December 2022.

His mother, Margaret Farrow, was the first female lieutenant governor of Wisconsin.

Early life and career Paul Farrow was born with a twin brother in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on July 17, 1964.

He worked as a private home inspector for several years, before becoming a partner in a radon mitigation company.

Paul Farrow first entered public office in 2002 as a member of the Richland School Board—a small suburban public school district serving several communities in northern Waukesha County. He resigned his seat in April 2005. In 2009, he sought appointment to a vacant seat on the board of trustees of the village of Pewaukee, but was not selected.

In 2010, Farrow announced that he would run for Wisconsin State Assembly in the 98th Assembly district seat being vacated by Rich Zipperer. At the time, the 98th district comprised the village of Pewaukee, the town of Brookfield, most of the cities of Pewaukee and Brookfield, and part of the town of Lisbon, in central Waukesha County. Farrow faced a competitive Republican primary against Thomas Schellinger, a Waukesha County supervisor and former Brookfield city councilmember. Farrow won the primary with 60% of the vote and won a landslide victory in the general election in the heavily Republican district.

In the fall of 2012, Rich Zipperer, by then state Senator, announced he would resign his seat to accept a role in the administration of Governor Scott Walker, necessitating a special election in the 33rd Senate district. Farrow was then already in the midst of his Assembly re-election campaign, but announced he would run in the special election for Wisconsin Senate. The special primary was held on the same ballot as the 2012 general election, and Farrow faced another competitive primary, this time against fellow state representative Chris Kapenga. Farrow prevailed by about 2800 votes and was unopposed in the special election in December. He resigned his Assembly seat and was sworn in as a state Senator on December 14, 2012. He was re-elected by a wide margin in the 2014 general election.

Farrow was elected to Senate leadership in his second term serving as the Assistant Majority Leader.

A week after winning re-election to the state Senate in 2014, Farrow announced that he would run for county executive of Waukesha County in 2015. Three other candidates ran in the nonpartisan primary, including his 2010 primary opponent, Thomas Schellinger. Farrow received a clear majority of the vote in the primary; he and Schellinger advanced to the general election, and Farrow again prevailed by a large margin. He was re-elected in 2019 and 2023.

In September 2024, Farrow announced that he had been diagnosed with stage 4 mucinous adenocarcinoma, a rare kind of cancer. Farrow used the announcement of his condition to encourage others to take their health seriously, pointing out that he had ignored earlier symptoms that could have allowed him to catch the cancer at an earlier stage. He died on July 7, 2026, at the age of 61.

Personal life and family Paul Farrow was one of five sons born to John and Margaret Farrow. Margaret Farrow served 12 years in the Wisconsin Senate before being selected to serve as lieutenant governor in 2001. She was the first female lieutenant governor of Wisconsin.

Farrow married Amy Vaitl in 1987. They have two adult children and still resided in Pewaukee.

Electoral history Wisconsin Assembly (2010, 2012) Year Election Date Elected Defeated Total Plurality 2010 Primary Republican 7,394 60.09% Rep. 4,901 39.83% 12,304 2,493 General Republican 22,236 76.57% Dem. 6,788 23.37% 29,040 15,448 2012 General Republican 22,665 70.42% Dem. 9,503 29.52% 32,187 13,162

Wisconsin Senate (2012, 2014) Year Election Date Elected Defeated Total Plurality 2012 SpecialPrimary Republican 31,927 52.32% Rep. 29,027 47.57% 61,023 2,900 Special Republican 6,909 98.07% --unopposed--7,0456,773 2014 General Republican 59,199 73.86% Dem. 20,899 26.07% 80,151 38,300