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Dean Kaufert

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Dean Kaufert
Mayor of Neenah, Wisconsin
In office
April 2014 – April 2022
Preceded byGeorge Scherck
Succeeded byJane B. Lang
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
Assuming office
January 6, 2025
SucceedingMichael Schraa
Constituency53rd Assembly district
In office
January 7, 1991 – January 5, 2015
Preceded byEsther K. Walling
Succeeded byMike Rohrkaste
Constituency55th Assembly district
Personal details
Born (1957-05-23) May 23, 1957 (age 67)
Menasha, Wisconsin, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
ResidenceNeenah, Wisconsin
Alma materUniversity of Wisconsin–Stevens Point
OccupationPolitician, small business owner
WebsiteCampaign website
Neenah Mayor website

Dean R. Kaufert (born May 23, 1957) is an American business owner and Republican politician from Neenah, Wisconsin. He was mayor of Neenah from 2014 to 2022, and represented the area for 14 years in the Wisconsin State Assembly, from 1991 to 2015. He is running to return to the state Assembly in the 2024 election, in the new 53rd Assembly district.

Early life

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Dean Kaufert was born in Menasha, Wisconsin, on May 23, 1957.[1] He was raised and educated in Menasha and neighboring Neenah, Wisconsin, graduating from Neenah's Armstrong High School in 1975.[2][3] After graduation, Kaufert was employed at Jay's Foods, a grocer.[4]

In these years, Kaufert was active in local recreational bowling, basketball, and baseball leagues. Through these interests, in 1983, Kaufert and a friend decided to start a small business dealing in trophies, plaques, and other similar awards, known as All-Sport Trophy & Engraving.[5][6]

Political career

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In 1986, Kaufert won his first public office when he was elected to the Neenah City Council.[2] He defeated incumbent city councilmember Lester Herzfeld, 343–245, in what was considered a local upset.[7] Kaufert credited his win to an aggressive door-to-door canvassing effort.[8] Kaufert won a rematch two years later for another two-year term, and was re-elected without opposition in 1990.[9][10]

A few weeks after his 1990 city council re-election, Kaufert announced he intended to seek the Republican Party nomination for Wisconsin State Assembly in the 55th Assembly district. His run effectively set up a primary challenge against incumbent Esther K. Walling,[11] but a month later, Walling announced she would not run again.[12] Her withdrawal invited a wave of additional candidates to jump into the race, and Kaufert ultimately faced three opponents in the Republican primary, but prevailed with 48% of the vote.[13] In the general election, Kaufert defeated Democrat Stanley P. Sevenich with 59% of the vote.[13] Kaufert resigned from the city council shortly after winning election to the Assembly.

He won re-election twice, in 1992 and 1994, by wide margins,[14][15] then faced no opponent for the next five elections.[16][17][18][19][20]

In the 1997 legislative term, Kaufert was appointed to a coveted seat on the Legislature's Joint Finance Committee, responsible for Wisconsin's budget and appropriations process.[21]

In 2006, Kaufert faced a serious challenge in the general election from Democrat Mark Westphal, the president of the Fox Valley Area Labor Council for the previous 10 years.[21] Westphal campaigned against the Republican majority in the Legislature, which he cast as overly partisan and focused on special interests. Boosted by a national Democratic wave, Westphal gave Kaufert his closest race yet; Kaufert prevailed by 811 votes.[22] Westphal ran again in 2008, but Kaufert won again by the slightly larger margin of 2,080 votes.[23]

The 2010 election ushered in full Republican control of Wisconsin state government, and resulted in Republicans passing one of the most dramatic gerrymanders in United States history. Kaufert's district saw its most significant reconfiguration since 1954. Neenah's twin city, Menasha, was removed from the district and replaced with parts of rural neighboring townships in Winnebago and Outagamie counties.[24]

In 2014 Kaufert was elected mayor of Neenah, Wisconsin.[25] The night of his mayoral election, Kaufert announced he would not run for re-election to the Assembly, but remained in both offices until the end of the 2013–2014 term.[26]

Kaufert was re-elected without opposition to another four-year term as mayor in 2018, but announced in 2021 that he would not run for a third term.[27]

In May 2024, Kaufert announced his intention to run again for Wisconsin State Assembly in the new 53rd Assembly district. The 2024 redistricting had returned Kaufert's hometown, Neenah, to the same district as twin city Menasha, assembling the new 53rd Assembly district in a configuration similar to Kaufert's old 55th Assembly district prior to the 2011 redistricting. The district is projected to be highly competitive.[28] In the general election, Kaufert faces fellow Neenah resident Duane Shukoski, a labor union leader at the local Kimberly-Clark plant.[29]

Personal life and family

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Dean Kaufert is one of four children born to Kenneth Kaufert and Ruth (née Raddatz) Kaufert. Dean's parents divorced, and both subsequently remarried. His mother died of a long illness at the relatively young age of 37, in 1976.[30]

Dean Kaufert married Renee Strunk on July 22, 1978.[4] They have two adult children and still reside in Neenah.[2]

Electoral history

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Wisconsin Assembly, 55th district (1990–2012)

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Year Election Date Elected Defeated Total Plurality
1990 Primary[13] Sep. 11 Dean R. Kaufert Republican 1,821 48.91% Kenneth A. Harwood Rep. 1,180 31.69% 3,723 641
Owen W. Williams Rep. 521 13.99%
John W. Collins Rep. 201 5.40%
General[13] Nov. 6 Dean R. Kaufert Republican 8,221 59.01% Stanley P. Sevenich Dem. 5,710 40.99% 13,931 2,511
1992 General[14] Nov. 3 Dean R. Kaufert (inc) Republican 14,435 62.93% David M. Kollath Dem. 8,502 37.07% 22,937 5,933
1994 General[15] Nov. 8 Dean R. Kaufert (inc) Republican 9,955 69.01% Jason J. Hanson Dem. 4,471 30.99% 14,426 5,484
1996 General[16] Nov. 5 Dean R. Kaufert (inc) Republican 16,065 100.0% --unopposed-- 16,065
1998 General[17] Nov. 3 Dean R. Kaufert (inc) Republican 12,296 100.0% 12,296
2000 General[18] Nov. 7 Dean R. Kaufert (inc) Republican 17,556 98.42% 17,837
2002 General[19] Nov. 5 Dean R. Kaufert (inc) Republican 12,312 98.74% 12,469
2004 General[20] Nov. 2 Dean R. Kaufert (inc) Republican 19,662 98.30% 20,003
2006 General[22] Nov. 7 Dean R. Kaufert (inc) Republican 10,396 51.99% Mark Westphal Dem. 9,585 47.93% 19,997 811
2008 General[23] Nov. 4 Dean R. Kaufert (inc) Republican 14,259 53.88% Mark Westphal Dem. 12,179 46.02% 26,466 2,080
2010 General[31] Nov. 2 Dean R. Kaufert (inc) Republican 13,569 98.79% --unopposed-- 13,735
2012 Primary[32] Aug. 14 Dean R. Kaufert (inc) Republican 4,612 64.94% Jay Schroeder Rep. 2,487 35.02% 7,102 2,125
General[33] Nov. 6 Dean R. Kaufert (inc) Republican 19,142 62.95% Mark Westphal Dem. 10,202 33.55% 30,408 8,940
Rich Martin Ind. 1,016 3.34%

Neenah mayor (2014, 2018)

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Year Election Date Elected Defeated Total Plurality
2014 General Apr. 1 Dean R. Kaufert Nonpartisan 2,623 57.65% George Scherck (inc) Non. 1,927 42.35% 4,550 696
2018 General Apr. 3 Dean R. Kaufert (inc) Nonpartisan --unopposed--

Wisconsin Assembly, 53rd district (2024)

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References

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  1. ^ "Births". Twin City News-Record. May 24, 1957. p. 2. Retrieved October 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ a b c "Representative Dean Kaufert". Wisconsin Legislature. 2013. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
  3. ^ "547 seniors to graduate from AHS". Twin City News-Record. May 29, 1975. p. 5. Retrieved October 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ a b "Strunk-Kaufert". The Post-Crescent. July 28, 1978. p. 10. Retrieved October 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "About Us". All-Sport Trophy & Engraving. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
  6. ^ "Grand Opening". Twin City News-Record. November 14, 1983. p. 2. Retrieved October 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ Haas, Steve (March 28, 1986). "Two in Neenah aldermanic race". Oshkosh Northwestern. p. 7. Retrieved October 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Incumbent alderman upset". Oshkosh Northwestern. April 2, 1986. p. 8. Retrieved October 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "City Races". The Post-Crescent. April 6, 1988. p. 7. Retrieved October 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Neenah". The Post-Crescent. April 4, 1990. p. 4. Retrieved October 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Kaufert seeks Assembly seat". The Post-Crescent. April 16, 1990. p. 11. Retrieved October 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ Meyer, James (May 29, 1990). "Walling won't seek return to Legislature". The Post-Crescent. p. 4. Retrieved October 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ a b c d Barish, Lawrence S.; Theobald, H. Rupert, eds. (1991). "Elections in Wisconsin". State of Wisconsin 1991–1992 Blue Book (Report). Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. pp. 900, 916. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
  14. ^ a b Barish, Lawrence S.; Theobald, H. Rupert, eds. (1993). "Elections in Wisconsin". State of Wisconsin 1993–1994 Blue Book (Report). Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. pp. 904, 922. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
  15. ^ a b Barish, Lawrence S., ed. (1995). "Elections in Wisconsin". State of Wisconsin 1995–1996 Blue Book (Report). Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. pp. 904, 922. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
  16. ^ a b Barish, Lawrence S., ed. (1997). "Elections in Wisconsin". State of Wisconsin 1997–1998 Blue Book (Report). Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. pp. 900, 904. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
  17. ^ a b Barish, Lawrence S., ed. (1999). "Elections in Wisconsin". State of Wisconsin 1999–2000 Blue Book (Report). Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. pp. 880, 883. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
  18. ^ a b Results of Fall General Election - 11/07/2000 (Report). Wisconsin State Elections Board. May 10, 2001. p. 28. Retrieved October 23, 2024 – via Wisconsin Historical Society.
  19. ^ a b Results of Fall General Election - 11/05/2002 (Report). Wisconsin State Elections Board. December 2, 2002. p. 29. Retrieved October 23, 2024 – via Wisconsin Historical Society.
  20. ^ a b Results of Fall General Election - 11/02/2004 (Report). Wisconsin State Elections Board. December 1, 2004. p. 30. Retrieved October 23, 2024 – via Wisconsin Historical Society.
  21. ^ a b "Neenah man to run for Assembly seat". The Post-Crescent. June 9, 2006. p. 17. Retrieved October 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ^ a b Results of Fall General Election - 11/07/2006 (Report). Wisconsin State Elections Board. December 11, 2006. p. 30. Retrieved October 23, 2024 – via Wisconsin Historical Society.
  23. ^ a b Results of Fall General Election - 11/04/2008 (Report). Wisconsin State Elections Board. December 1, 2008. p. 27. Retrieved October 23, 2024 – via Wisconsin Historical Society.
  24. ^ An Act ... relating to: legislative redistricting (Act 43). Wisconsin Legislature. 2011. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
  25. ^ Wisconsin Historical Society-Dean Kaufert
  26. ^ Behnke, Duke (April 1, 2014). "Dean Kaufert unseats George Scherck as Neenah mayor". The Post-Crescent. Retrieved October 24, 2024.
  27. ^ Behnke, Duke (November 15, 2021). "'It's been an amazing, great run': Kaufert won't seek a third term as Neenah mayor". The Post-Crescent. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
  28. ^ "Former Neenah Mayor & State Representative Dean R. Kaufert May Seek Return to State Assembly" (PDF). Kaufert for Assembly (Press release). May 6, 2024. Retrieved October 23, 2024 – via Wispolitics.com.
  29. ^ "Meet Duane". Duane Shukoski for State Assembly. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
  30. ^ "Mrs. Marshall Schroeder". The Post-Crescent. September 16, 1976. p. 29. Retrieved October 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  31. ^ Results of Fall General Election - 11/02/2010 (Report). Wisconsin Government Accountability Board. December 8, 2010. p. 23. Retrieved October 23, 2024 – via Wisconsin Historical Society.
  32. ^ Canvass Results for 2012 Partisan Primary - 8/14/2012 (Report). Wisconsin Government Accountability Board. August 28, 2012. p. 43. Retrieved October 23, 2024 – via Wisconsin Historical Society.
  33. ^ Canvass Results for 2012 Presidential and General Election - 11/6/2012 (Report). Wisconsin Government Accountability Board. December 26, 2012. pp. 21–22. Retrieved October 23, 2024 – via Wisconsin Historical Society.
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Wisconsin State Assembly
Preceded by Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the 55th district
January 7, 1991 – January 5, 2015 		Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by
George Scherck
 Mayor of Neenah, Wisconsin
April 2014 – April 2022 		Succeeded by
Jane B. Lang
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dean_Kaufert&oldid=1256211527"