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Shannon Zimmerman

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Shannon Zimmerman
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
from the 30th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 3, 2017
Preceded byDean Knudson
Personal details
Born (1972-03-15) March 15, 1972 (age 52)
Madison, Wisconsin, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
SpouseAngel
Children2
ResidenceRiver Falls, Wisconsin
Alma materChippewa Valley Technical College
University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee
Occupationbusinessman, politician
WebsiteOfficial website

Shannon M. Zimmerman (born March 15, 1972) is an American Republican politician and former businessman from River Falls, Wisconsin.[1] He is a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing Wisconsin's 30th Assembly district since 2017.

Early life and education

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Shannon Zimmerman was born in Madison, Wisconsin in March 1972. For much of his youth Zimmerman was raised in rural northeast Wisconsin, attending public school in Augusta, Wisconsin, in the Augusta Area School District and graduating from Augusta High School in 1990. After this he went on to attend Chippewa Valley Technical College and later transferred to the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee.[2]

Business career

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In 1996, after graduating from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, Zimmerman founded Sajan Inc., a local language translation company, and served as its CEO.[3]

Due to the 2007–2008 financial crisis, MathStar, a Minnesota-based semi-conductor manufacturer, had gone into sharp decline, being delisted from the Nasdaq in early 2008.[4] After negotiating with various companies, MathStar entered negotiations with Zimmerman's company regarding a reverse merger. Eventually the two companies merged in 2010, with Zimmerman remaining as CEO of the company.[5]

In 2012, Zimmerman and his family founded Belle Vinez Vineyard and Winery, expanding it to include a retail section in 2015. They eventually sold the winery in 2022.[6]

Political career

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State Assembly

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After representing the district since 2011, representative Dean Knudson decided not to seek re-election, leaving the district open.[7] In the race, Zimmerman ran for the nomination against local Hudson-based insurance agent Paul Berning.[8] In the general election, Zimmerman defeated Democrat Scott Nelson and Independent Aaron Taylor.

After his election, Zimmerman drew criticism after comments he made in a 2013 lecture resurfaced where he was asked what language was the most challenging to translate, with Zimmerman responding "it's woman, right? Sometimes she says this, but she means this." With Zimmerman playing his remarks off as a joke.[9]

During Zimmerman's 2020 re-election campaign complaints were submitted to the Wisconsin Elections Commission alleging he did not reside in the district he represented, and had falsely claimed his residency.[10] These complaints drew on the fact Zimmerman had two residencies, one in Clifton, Wisconsin, that he maintained for tax purposes, and a residency in River Falls, Wisconsin, that he maintained for voting purposes, with the complaint alleging he did not live in the latter property.[11] Eventually, the complaint was rejected by the WEC after a 4-2 vote, saying there was "no reasonable suspicion" that Zimmerman had violated the law.[12]

In 2024 Wisconsin saw a significant redrawing of the state legislative maps which undid the Republican gerrymander that had been created back in 2011. Zimmerman's district was redrawn to be similar to the borders prior to the 2021 redistricting, centering around the cities of Hudson and River Falls, as opposed to moving the two cities into in their own districts.[13] Under the new lines, the 30th Assembly district is projected to be one of the most competitive districts in the state assembly.[14]

Zimmerman is facing Democrat Alison Page, a former healthcare executive, in the 2024 election.[15]

State Senate special election

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In 2018, after accepting a position within the Scott Walker administration, Sheila Harsdorf resigned her seat in the Wisconsin Senate to become Wisconsin's Secretary of Agriculture. With this open district, Zimmerman announced his candidacy for the special election for the district.[16] During the campaign he largely self-funded, outspending his opponent Adam Jarchow two-to-one. Additionally, Zimmerman differentiated himself from Jarchow due to his support for the Foxconn deal, claiming during the campaign that Jarchow had opposed the deal and stood in opposition to then governor Scott Walker.[17]

In the primary, Zimmerman was defeated by Jarchow by a 12 point margin.[18]

Personal life

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Zimmerman and his wife are both members of the Baptist Eagle Brook Church.[2]

Electoral history

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State Assembly (2016–present)

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Year Election Date Elected Defeated Total Plurality
2016 Primary[19] Aug. 9 Shannon Zimmerman Republican 1,565 57.77% Paul Berning Rep. 1,138 42.01% 2,709 427
General[20] Nov. 8 Shannon Zimmerman Republican 17,790 56.05% Scott J. Nelson Dem. 12,358 38.94% 31,739 5,432
Aaron S. Taylor Ind. 1,574 4.96%
2018 General[21] Nov. 6 Shannon Zimmerman (inc) Republican 15,240 53.91% Barry Hammarback Dem. 13,015 46.04% 28,271 2,225
2020 General[22] Nov. 3 Shannon Zimmerman (inc) Republican 20,711 55.88% Sarah Yacoub Dem. 16,322 44.04% 37,062 4,389
2022 General[23] Nov. 8 Shannon Zimmerman (inc) Republican 17,719 58.48% Sarah Yacoub Dem. 12,557 41.44% 30,301 5,162

State Senate (2017)

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Wisconsin Senate, 10th District Special Election, 2018[24]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Special Republican Primary, December 19, 2017
Republican Adam Jarchow 4,023 55.94%
Republican Shannon Zimmerman 3,161 43.95%
Write-in 8 0.11%
Plurality 862 11.99%
Total votes 7,192 100.0%

References

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  1. ^ "Shannon Zimmerman - 2017 Wisconsin State Legislature archive".
  2. ^ a b "Representative Shannon Zimmerman". Wisconsin Legislature. 2023. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  3. ^ "Sajan Inc". Bloomberg L.P. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  4. ^ "MathStar faces delisting". Portland Business Journal. January 7, 2008.
  5. ^ "Sajan goes public, stays local, targets growth". Republican Eagle. March 12, 2010. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  6. ^ Fristed, Sam (December 23, 2024). "Belle Vinez winery sold; new owners plan minor changes". River Falls Journal. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  7. ^ "Welcome". Dean Knudson for State Assembly. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved November 30, 2020 – via Wayback Machine.
  8. ^ Longaecker, Mike (August 17, 2024). "Assembly candidate Zimmerman moves on". Republican Eagle. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  9. ^ Marley, Patrick (November 20, 2017). "Legislator Shannon Zimmerman joked in video that women don't say what they mean". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  10. ^ "State of Wisconsin Elections Commission Complaint Form - Shannon Zimmerman". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. August 25, 2020. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  11. ^ Mentzer, Rob (January 28, 2021). "Documents Suggest Assembly Lawmaker Lives Outside District In Violation Of State Law". Wisconsin Public Radio. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  12. ^ Bice, Daniel (February 5, 2021). "Elections commission rejects complaints accusing state lawmaker of living outside his district".
  13. ^ Schafer, Dan (September 19, 2024). "2024 Wisconsin State Legislature Voter Guide: Assembly District 30". Civic Media. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
  14. ^ "Assembly District 30". Wisconsin Watch. September 6, 2024. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
  15. ^ Claflin, Hallie (September 30, 2024). "GOP incumbent faces Democratic challenger in western Wisconsin toss-up district". Wisconsin Watch. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
  16. ^ "Zimmerman campaign: Announces run for WI State Senate". WisPolitics. November 13, 2017. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  17. ^ "10th SD GOP candidates differ on Foxconn, budget, taxes". WisPolitics. December 15, 2017. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  18. ^ Canvass Results for 2017 Special Primary State Senate District 10 - 12/19/2017 (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. December 27, 2017. p. 1. Retrieved October 2, 2024.
  19. ^ Canvass Results for 2016 Primary Election - 8/9/2016 (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. August 23, 2016. p. 33. Retrieved October 2, 2024.
  20. ^ Canvass Results for 2016 General Election - 11/8/2016 (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. December 22, 2016. p. 15. Retrieved October 2, 2024.
  21. ^ Canvass Results for 2018 General Election - 11/6/2018 (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. February 22, 2019. p. 17. Retrieved October 2, 2024.
  22. ^ Canvass Results for 2020 General Election - 11/3/2020 (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. November 18, 2020. p. 14. Retrieved October 2, 2024.
  23. ^ Canvass Results for 2022 General Election - 11/8/2022 (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. November 30, 2022. p. 15. Retrieved October 2, 2024.
  24. ^ Canvass Results for 2017 Special Primary State Senate District 10 - 12/19/2017 (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. December 27, 2017. p. 1. Retrieved October 2, 2024.
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Wisconsin State Assembly
Preceded by Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the 30th district
January 3, 2017 – present 		Incumbent
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