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Jamie Wall (politician)

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Jamie Wall
Member-elect of the Wisconsin Senate
from the 30th district
Assuming office
January 6, 2025
SucceedingEric Wimberger
Personal details
Born
James Richard Wall Jr.

September 1971 (age 53)
Green Bay, Wisconsin, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Residence(s)Green Bay, Wisconsin
Education
OccupationConsultant
WebsiteCampaign website

James Richard "Jamie" Wall Jr. (born September 1971) is an American business consultant and Democratic politician from Green Bay, Wisconsin. He is a member-elect of the Wisconsin Senate, and will represent Wisconsin's 30th Senate district in the 107th Wisconsin Legislature (2025–2026).

Biography

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Jamie Wall was born in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and was raised on his family's dairy farm in the nearby rural town of Holland. Wall graduated from Wrightstown High School in 1989, and was valedictorian of his class.[1] He was the first member of his family to attend college, studying political science and history at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He became involved in student government there and was co-president during his senior year. He was also active in campaigning on campus for Democratic Party presidential candidate Bill Clinton in the 1992 United States presidential election.

He earned his bachelor's degree in 1993, then took a six-week internship in the Office of the Vice President of the United States. He had to quit early, however, after his father became seriously ill. After his father's death in September 1993, Wall returned to politics, taking a job on Charles Chvala's 1994 campaign for governor of Wisconsin.[2] Shortly after Chvala's defeat, Wall was announced as one of 32 Rhodes Scholarship recipients for 1995 and spent the next two years studying at Oxford University in England.[3]

After completing his master's degree at Oxford, Wall worked in New York for management consulting firm McKinsey & Company, then joined a technology startup in Silicon Valley.[4] He returned to Wisconsin in 2002 and partnered with a friend in establishing their own company in Green Bay, providing consulting and strategic planning services to businesses.

Political career

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Wall remained active in politics while conducting his consulting business. In 2002, he was involved in Jim Doyle's successful campaign for governor and was then part of Doyle's transition staff. Shortly after Doyle's inauguration, Wall was appointed to lead the Division of Economic Development in the Wisconsin Department of Commerce.[5]

After traveling extensively around the state promoting economic development projects, Wall made his first bid for public office in 2005, when he announced his campaign for U.S. House of Representatives. He sought the Democratic nomination in Wisconsin's 8th congressional district following the announcement that incumbent Mark Green would not run for re-election in 2006.[4] Wall had a strong start, raising $140,000 in his first quarter of fundraising and earning the endorsement of Dave Obey, the dean of the Wisconsin congressional delegation. Ultimately two other Democrats jumped into the race, former Brown County executive Nancy Nusbaum and physician Steve Kagan. Kagan prevailed in the primary, taking 47% of the vote.[6]

Kagen served two terms until he was defeated in the 2010 election by Republican Reid Ribble. A year later, in the fall of 2011, Wall announced he would make another bid for Congress in the 2012 election, challenging Ribble in the 8th congressional district.[7] This time Wall faced no opposition in the Democratic primary. In the general election, however, Ribble won by a comfortable margin, taking 56% of the vote.[8]

For the next decade, Wall did not run for office again. Though, after the election of Democratic governor Tony Evers, he sought appointment as C.E.O. of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, which had replaced the Department of Commerce.[9][10] During these years, however, he helped found a regional non-profit economic development corporation called New North, Inc., which operates as a regional partner to the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation for the northeast quarter of Wisconsin.[11]

Wall returned to electoral politics in 2024, following the passage of a redistricting act undoing the decade-old Republican gerrymander of the Wisconsin Legislature. Wall announced he would run in the new 30th Senate district, comprising Green Bay, De Pere, Ashwaubenon, and Allouez. The new 30th Senate district was projected as one of the most competitive in the state, containing significant urban and suburban population. Wall faced no opposition in the Democratic primary. Although three Republican incumbents had been drawn into the new district, none of them ran in the highly competitive seat, with André Jacque seeking another office, Eric Wimberger relocating to another district, and Robert Cowles choosing to retire. Instead Wall faced Republican Jim Rafter, who had served as the village president of Allouez for the previous 8 years.[12] Wall prevailed in the general election, receiving 52.5% of the vote and flipping the district to Democratic control.[11][13] He will take office in January 2025.

Personal life and family

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Jamie Wall is the only child of Jo Ann (née Gehl) and James R. "Jim" Wall. His father was a veteran of the Korean War, then worked as a corrections officer for 34 years.[14] His mother was a nurse.[15]

Their family farm in the town of Holland has been in the Wall family for five generations, since Jamie's great-great-grandfather, Irish American immigrant Richard Wall, settled there in 1855.[16] Jamie's uncle, Jerome Wall, was chairman of the town of Holland for several years.[4]

Wall is not married and resides in Green Bay.

Electoral history

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U.S. House (2006)

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Year Election Date Elected Defeated Total Plurality
2006 Primary[6] Sep. 12 Steve Kagen Democratic 25,623 47.63% Jamie Wall Dem. 15,427 28.68% 53,797 10,196
Nancy Nusbaum Dem. 12,731 23.66%

U.S. House (2012)

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Year Election Date Elected Defeated Total Plurality
2012 General[8] Nov. 6 Reid Ribble (inc) Republican 198,874 55.95% Jamie Wall Dem. 156,287 43.97% 355,464 42,587

Wisconsin Senate (2024)

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Year Election Date Elected Defeated Total Plurality
2024 General[13]
(unofficial) 		Nov. 5 Jamie Wall Democratic 46,235 52.54% Jim Rafter Rep. 41,768 47.46% 88,003 4,467

References

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  1. ^ "Wall, Verbeten to speak at rites for Wrightstown". Green Bay Press-Gazette. May 16, 1989. p. 43. Retrieved November 9, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "Wrightstown grad earns Rhodes Scholarship". The Post-Crescent. December 12, 1994. p. 1. Retrieved November 9, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "4-H helps state man gain Rhodes honors". The Country Today. September 20, 1995. p. 1. Retrieved November 9, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ a b c "Wall plans run for Congress". Green Bay Press-Gazette. April 15, 2005. p. 35. Retrieved November 9, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Hometown son pitches in on state economy". Green Bay Press-Gazette. May 25, 2003. p. 45. Retrieved November 9, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ a b Results of Fall Primary Election - 09/12/2006 (Report). Wisconsin State Elections Board. October 17, 2006. p. 14. Retrieved November 9, 2024 – via Wisconsin Historical Society.
  7. ^ Vinson, Michael Lewis (October 5, 2011). "Businessman first Democrat to challenge Ribble". Green Bay Press-Gazette. p. 5. Retrieved November 9, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ a b Canvass Results for 2012 Presidential and General Election - 11/6/2012 (Report). Wisconsin Government Accountability Board. December 26, 2012. p. 4. Retrieved November 9, 2024 – via Wisconsin Historical Society.
  9. ^ Schmidt, Mitchell (September 6, 2019). "'Refreshing' pick for WEDC". Wisconsin State Journal. Retrieved November 9, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ Beck, Molly (September 5, 2019). "Organic Valley exec Melissa Hughes tapped to lead the state's jobs agency". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  11. ^ a b Kaska, Jimmie (November 6, 2024). "Democrat Jamie Wall wins 30th Senate District". Civic Media. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  12. ^ Mathew, Benita (April 10, 2024). "Allouez Village President Jim Rafter announces run for 30th Senate District". Green Bay Press-Gazette. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  13. ^ a b "2024 Wisconsin General Elections Results - State Senate District 30". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. November 6, 2024. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  14. ^ "James R. Wall". Green Bay Press-Gazette. September 30, 1993. p. 7. Retrieved November 9, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "Wall, Jo Ann". Green Bay Press-Gazette. August 25, 2015. p. C10. Retrieved November 9, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ "Death of Richard Wall". Green Bay Press-Gazette. February 21, 1895. p. 5. Retrieved November 9, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
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