Joel Kitchens
2015 - Present
2027
10
Joel Kitchens (Republican Party) is a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing District 1. He assumed office on January 5, 2015. His current term ends on January 4, 2027.
Kitchens (Republican Party) ran for re-election to the Wisconsin State Assembly to represent District 1. He won in the general election on November 5, 2024.
Biography
Kitchens' professional experience includes founding and owning an animal veterinary business.[1]
Committee assignments
Note: This membership information was last updated in September 2023. Ballotpedia completes biannual updates of committee membership. If you would like to send us an update, email us at:editor@ballotpedia.org.
2023-2024
Kitchens was assigned to the following committees:
- Education Committee, Chairman
- Environment Committee, Vice Chairman
- Tourism Committee
2021-2022
Kitchens was assigned to the following committees:
- Agriculture Committee
- Education Committee, Vice Chair
- Environment Committee, Chair
- Housing and Real Estate Committee
- Tourism Committee
2019-2020
Kitchens was assigned to the following committees:
- Agriculture Committee
- Education Committee, Vice-Chair
- Financial Institutions Committee
- Tourism Committee
- Environment Committee, Chair
2017 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:
| Wisconsin committee assignments, 2017 |
|---|
| • Agriculture |
| • Children and Families, Chair |
| • Education, Vice chair |
| • Environment and Forestry |
| • Financial Institutions |
| • Tourism |
2015 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Kitchens served on the following committees:
| Wisconsin committee assignments, 2015 |
|---|
| • Workforce Development |
| • Tourism |
| • Financial Institutions |
| • Environment and Forestry |
| • Education, Vice-Chair |
| • Agriculture |
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Elections
2024
See also: Wisconsin State Assembly elections, 2024
General election
General election for Wisconsin State Assembly District 1
Incumbent Joel Kitchens defeated Renee Paplham and Milt Swagel in the general election for Wisconsin State Assembly District 1 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Joel Kitchens (R) | 61.9 | 24,101 | |
| Renee Paplham (D) | 38.0 | 14,801 | ||
| Milt Swagel (Independent) (Write-in) | 0.0 | 5 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 22 | ||
| Total votes: 38,929 | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Wisconsin State Assembly District 1
Renee Paplham advanced from the Democratic primary for Wisconsin State Assembly District 1 on August 13, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Renee Paplham | 100.0 | 6,475 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.0 | 2 | ||
| Total votes: 6,477 | ||||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for Wisconsin State Assembly District 1
Incumbent Joel Kitchens defeated Milt Swagel in the Republican primary for Wisconsin State Assembly District 1 on August 13, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Joel Kitchens | 77.1 | 7,858 | |
| Milt Swagel | 22.8 | 2,319 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 9 | ||
| Total votes: 10,186 | ||||
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Campaign finance
Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Kitchens in this election.
2022
See also: Wisconsin State Assembly elections, 2022
General election
General election for Wisconsin State Assembly District 1
Incumbent Joel Kitchens defeated Roberta Thelen in the general election for Wisconsin State Assembly District 1 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Joel Kitchens (R) | 62.5 | 19,864 | |
| Roberta Thelen (D) | 37.5 | 11,916 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 26 | ||
| Total votes: 31,806 | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Wisconsin State Assembly District 1
Roberta Thelen advanced from the Democratic primary for Wisconsin State Assembly District 1 on August 9, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Roberta Thelen | 99.9 | 4,692 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 6 | ||
| Total votes: 4,698 | ||||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for Wisconsin State Assembly District 1
Incumbent Joel Kitchens defeated Milt Swagel in the Republican primary for Wisconsin State Assembly District 1 on August 9, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Joel Kitchens | 77.5 | 6,893 | |
| Milt Swagel | 22.4 | 1,992 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 10 | ||
| Total votes: 8,895 | ||||
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Campaign finance
2020
See also: Wisconsin State Assembly elections, 2020
General election
General election for Wisconsin State Assembly District 1
Incumbent Joel Kitchens defeated Kim Delorit Jensen and Timothy Lenartowski in the general election for Wisconsin State Assembly District 1 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Joel Kitchens (R) | 61.8 | 23,441 | |
| Kim Delorit Jensen (D) | 38.1 | 14,462 | ||
| Timothy Lenartowski (R) (Write-in) | 0.0 | 0 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.0 | 17 | ||
| Total votes: 37,920 | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Wisconsin State Assembly District 1
Kim Delorit Jensen advanced from the Democratic primary for Wisconsin State Assembly District 1 on August 11, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Kim Delorit Jensen | 99.8 | 4,743 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.2 | 8 | ||
| Total votes: 4,751 | ||||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for Wisconsin State Assembly District 1
Incumbent Joel Kitchens advanced from the Republican primary for Wisconsin State Assembly District 1 on August 11, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Joel Kitchens | 99.8 | 4,863 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.2 | 8 | ||
| Total votes: 4,871 | ||||
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Campaign finance
2018
- See also: Wisconsin State Assembly elections, 2018
General election
General election for Wisconsin State Assembly District 1
Incumbent Joel Kitchens defeated Roberta Thelen in the general election for Wisconsin State Assembly District 1 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Joel Kitchens (R) | 68.4 | 20,651 | |
| Roberta Thelen (Independent) | 31.5 | 9,519 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 32 | ||
| Total votes: 30,202 | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Wisconsin State Assembly District 1
Incumbent Joel Kitchens advanced from the Republican primary for Wisconsin State Assembly District 1 on August 14, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Joel Kitchens | 100.0 | 5,008 | |
| Total votes: 5,008 | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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2016
- See also: Wisconsin State Assembly elections, 2016
Elections for the Wisconsin State Assembly took place in 2016. The primary election took place on August 9, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was June 1, 2016.
Incumbent Joel Kitchens defeated Lynn Utesch in the Wisconsin State Assembly District 1 general election.[2][3]
| Wisconsin State Assembly, District 1 General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Joel Kitchens Incumbent |
60.13% | 20,044 | |
| Democratic | Lynn Utesch | 39.87% | 13,289 | |
| Total Votes | 33,333 | |||
| Source: Wisconsin Elections Commission | ||||
Lynn Utesch ran unopposed in the Wisconsin State Assembly District 1 Democratic primary.[4][5]
| Wisconsin State Assembly, District 1 Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Democratic | Lynn Utesch (unopposed) | |
Incumbent Joel Kitchens ran unopposed in the Wisconsin State Assembly District 1 Republican primary.[4][5]
| Wisconsin State Assembly, District 1 Republican Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Republican | Joel Kitchens Incumbent (unopposed) | |
2014
- See also: Wisconsin State Assembly elections, 2014
Elections for all 99 seats in the Wisconsin State Assembly took place in 2014. A primary election took place on August 12, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was June 2, 2014. Joe Majeski was unopposed in the Democratic primary. Joel Kitchens defeated Paul Feit, Brian Hackbarth, and Terry McNulty in the Republican primary. Arnie Johnsrud (D) and Jon Kruse (R) were removed from the ballot before the primary elections. Majeski faced Kitchens in the general election.[6][7][8] Kitchens defeated Majeski in the general election.[9]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Joel Kitchens |
56.7% | 16,072 | |
| Democratic | Joe Majeski | 43.3% | 12,256 | |
| Total Votes | 28,328 | |||
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
|
Joel C. Kitchens |
44% | 2,935 |
| Paul M. Feit | 27.6% | 1,841 |
| Terry McNulty | 19.2% | 1,281 |
| Brian Hackbarth | 9.2% | 616 |
| Total Votes | 6,673 | |
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Joel Kitchens did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.
2022
Joel Kitchens did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.
2020
Joel Kitchens did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
2016
Kitchens' campaign website highlighted the following issues:[10]
Jobs and the economy
- Excerpt: "Our local manufacturers are generally coming out of the recession very well, but they are held back by a lack of skilled workers. This skills gap is not unique to our area and it is one of our most urgent challenges. I have supported the Fast Track program to provide grants for training workers and I authored legislation to provide better career counseling to our students."
Education
- Excerpt: "I first ran for public office when I saw that the Sturgeon Bay School District had lost the support of the community and was facing serious financial difficulties. I have always passionately believed that education is the key to allowing every member of our society to reach his or her full potential. I viewed this challenge as an opportunity to repay the community that has been so great to my family and me."
Protecting our natural resources
- Excerpt: "Our economy, our health and our way of life are dependent on clean water. Manure management practices that may be acceptable in other parts of the state lead to contaminated ground and surface water in the karst region, with our shallow soil and cracked bedrock."
Tourism
- Excerpt: "While tourism continues to show steady growth in Door County, Kewaunee County was one of the few counties in the state to show a decline in 2015. This was due, in large part, to the negative publicity the area has received due to our groundwater contamination issues."
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of Wisconsin scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
2024
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2024, click [show]. |
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In 2024, the Wisconsin State Legislature was in session from January 16 to March 12.
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2023
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2023, click [show]. |
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In 2023, the Wisconsin State Legislature was in session from January 3 to December 31.
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2022
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2022, click [show]. |
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In 2022, the Wisconsin State Legislature was in session from January 18 to March 8.
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2021
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2021, click [show]. |
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In 2021, the Wisconsin State Legislature was in session from January 4 to December 31.
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2020
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2020, click [show]. |
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In 2020, the Wisconsin State Legislature was in session from January 14 to May 13.
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2019
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2019, click [show]. |
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In 2019, the Wisconsin State Legislature was in session from January 7, 2019 through January 13, 2020.
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2018
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2018, click [show]. |
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In 2018, the Wisconsin State Legislature was in session from January 16 through March 27. Special sessions were held from January 1 through February 27 and from March 15 through March 29.
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2017
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2017, click [show]. |
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In 2017, the Wisconsin State Legislature was in session from January 3 through December 31. There were also special sessions. The first special session was January 5. The second special session was August 1 through September 15.
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2016
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2016, click [show]. |
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In 2016, the Wisconsin State Legislature was in session from January 12 through March 15.
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2015
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2015, click [show]. |
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In 2015, the Wisconsin State Legislature was in session from January 5 through December 31.
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See also
2024 Elections
External links
|
Candidate Wisconsin State Assembly District 1 |
Officeholder Wisconsin State Assembly District 1 |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ Joel Kitchens, "About," accessed July 24, 2014
- ↑ Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, "Candidates on Ballot by Election - 2016 General Election - 11/8/2016," accessed November 4, 2016
- ↑ Wisconsin Elections Commission, "2016 Fall General Election Results," accessed December 2, 2016
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, "Candidate Tracking by Office," accessed June 20, 2016
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Wisconsin Elections and Ethics Commission, "2016 Partisan Primary," accessed September 16, 2016
- ↑ Milwaukee Wisconsin Journal Sentinel, "Wisconsin 2014 fall primary election results," accessed August 12, 2014
- ↑ Wisconsin Government Accountability, "Candidates Registered by Office," June 11, 2014
- ↑ Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, "2014 Partisan Primary Candidates," accessed June 19, 2014
- ↑ Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, "Canvass Results for 2014 General Election," December 1, 2014
- ↑ Joel Kitchens, "Issues," accessed October 19, 2016
- ↑ Wisconsin Family Action, "2015-2016 legislative scorecard," accessed May 31, 2017
- ↑ Wisconsin Family Action, "2015-2016 legislative scorecard," accessed May 31, 2017
- ↑ Wisconsin Family Action, "2015-2016 legislative scorecard," accessed May 31, 2017
- ↑ Wisconsin Family Action, "2015-2016 legislative scorecard," accessed May 31, 2017
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
Wisconsin State Assembly District 1 2015-Present |
Succeeded by - |
