Your feedback ensures we stay focused on the facts that matter to you most—take our survey.

Robert Brooks (Wisconsin)

From Ballotpedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Robert Brooks
Image of Robert Brooks
Wisconsin State Assembly District 59
Tenure

2025 - Present

Term ends

2027

Years in position

0

Predecessor
Prior offices
Wisconsin State Assembly District 60
Successor: Jerry O’Connor

Compensation

Base salary

$57,408/year

Per diem

$155.70/day (with overnight) or $77.85/day (no overnight)

Elections and appointments
Last elected

November 5, 2024

Personal
Birthplace
Rockford, Ill.
Profession
Business owner
Contact

Robert Brooks (Republican Party) is a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing District 59. He assumed office on January 6, 2025. His current term ends on January 4, 2027.

Brooks (Republican Party) ran for re-election to the Wisconsin State Assembly to represent District 59. He won in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Biography

Representative Brooks was born in Rockford, IL and attended the University of Wisconsin La Crosse from 1983 to 1986. He was elected to the Ozaukee County Board in 2002 and served as chairman of the board for nine years. While on the Ozaukee County Board, he served as Commissioner of the South Eastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission and on the Board of Directors for the Wisconsin Mutual Insurance Company.[1] Brooks' career experience includes owning and operating a number of businesses including restaurants, real estate, and rental properties. He served as the chairman of the Saukville Gun Club and the Saukville Chamber of Commerce named him Citizen of the Year.[2]

In 2014 Representative Brooks was first elected to represent District 60 in the Wisconsin State Assembly, encompassing parts of Ozaukee and Washington counties. He was re-elected in 2018. In the 2019 session, Rep. Brooks served on the Ways and Means Committee, the Judiciary Committee, the Housing and Real Estate Committee, as Vice-Chair of the Committee on Medicaid Reform and Oversight, and as Co-Chair of the Joint Legislative Council.[3]

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

Brooks was assigned to the following committees:

2021-2022

Brooks was assigned to the following committees:

2019-2020

Brooks was assigned to the following committees:

2017 legislative session

At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:

Wisconsin committee assignments, 2017
Assembly Organization
Housing and Real Estate
Mining and Rural Development
Rules
Joint Legislative Council, Co-chair
Legislative Organization

2015 legislative session

At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Brooks served on the following committees:

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 59

Incumbent Robert Brooks defeated Jack Holzman in the general election for Wisconsin State Assembly District 59 on November 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Robert Brooks
Robert Brooks (R)
 
75.7
 
29,315
Jack Holzman (D)
 
24.2
 
9,369
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.1
 
35

Total votes: 38,719
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Wisconsin State Assembly District 59

Jack Holzman advanced from the Democratic primary for Wisconsin State Assembly District 59 on August 13, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Jack Holzman
 
99.8
 
3,018
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.2
 
6

Total votes: 3,024
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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 59

Incumbent Robert Brooks advanced from the Republican primary for Wisconsin State Assembly District 59 on August 13, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Robert Brooks
Robert Brooks
 
99.7
 
9,323
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.3
 
30

Total votes: 9,353
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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.

Campaign finance

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Brooks in this election.

2022

See also: Wisconsin State Assembly elections, 2022

General election

General election for Wisconsin State Assembly District 60

Incumbent Robert Brooks defeated Daniel Larsen in the general election for Wisconsin State Assembly District 60 on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Robert Brooks
Robert Brooks (R)
 
64.7
 
21,396
Image of Daniel Larsen
Daniel Larsen (D) Candidate Connection
 
35.2
 
11,636
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.1
 
29

Total votes: 33,061
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Wisconsin State Assembly District 60

Daniel Larsen advanced from the Democratic primary for Wisconsin State Assembly District 60 on August 9, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Daniel Larsen
Daniel Larsen Candidate Connection
 
99.7
 
3,417
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.3
 
11

Total votes: 3,428
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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 60

Incumbent Robert Brooks defeated Samuel Krieg in the Republican primary for Wisconsin State Assembly District 60 on August 9, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Robert Brooks
Robert Brooks
 
80.5
 
9,064
Image of Samuel Krieg
Samuel Krieg Candidate Connection
 
19.4
 
2,179
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.1
 
10

Total votes: 11,253
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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.

Campaign finance

2020

See also: Wisconsin State Assembly elections, 2020

General election

General election for Wisconsin State Assembly District 60

Incumbent Robert Brooks won election in the general election for Wisconsin State Assembly District 60 on November 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Robert Brooks
Robert Brooks (R)
 
96.8
 
28,853
 Other/Write-in votes
 
3.2
 
964

Total votes: 29,817
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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 60

Incumbent Robert Brooks defeated Chris Reimer in the Republican primary for Wisconsin State Assembly District 60 on August 11, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Robert Brooks
Robert Brooks
 
76.0
 
6,958
Image of Chris Reimer
Chris Reimer Candidate Connection
 
24.0
 
2,198

Total votes: 9,156
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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.

Campaign finance

2018

See also: Wisconsin State Assembly elections, 2018

General election

General election for Wisconsin State Assembly District 60

Incumbent Robert Brooks defeated Chris Rahlf in the general election for Wisconsin State Assembly District 60 on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Robert Brooks
Robert Brooks (R)
 
64.9
 
20,702
Image of Chris Rahlf
Chris Rahlf (D) Candidate Connection
 
35.0
 
11,182
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.1
 
36

Total votes: 31,920
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Wisconsin State Assembly District 60

Chris Rahlf advanced from the Democratic primary for Wisconsin State Assembly District 60 on August 14, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Chris Rahlf
Chris Rahlf Candidate Connection
 
100.0
 
3,519

Total votes: 3,519
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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 60

Incumbent Robert Brooks advanced from the Republican primary for Wisconsin State Assembly District 60 on August 14, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Robert Brooks
Robert Brooks
 
100.0
 
7,355

Total votes: 7,355
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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.

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 Robert Brooks defeated David Pelikan in the Wisconsin State Assembly District 60 general election.[4][5]

Wisconsin State Assembly, District 60 General Election, 2016
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.png Robert Brooks Incumbent 75.10% 23,806
     Independent David Pelikan 24.90% 7,895
Total Votes 31,701
Source: Wisconsin Elections Commission


Incumbent Robert Brooks ran unopposed in the Wisconsin State Assembly District 60 Republican primary.[6][7]

Wisconsin State Assembly, District 60 Republican Primary, 2016
Party Candidate
    Republican Green check mark transparent.png Robert Brooks 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. Robert Brooks defeated Jean Opitz in the Republican primary. Perry Duman (D) and Joe Angelo Erato (R) were removed from the ballot before the primary elections.[8][9][10] However, Duman earned the Democratic nomination as a write-in candidate. Brooks faced Duman in the general.[11] Brooks defeated Duman in the general election, and was elected to the seat.[12]

Wisconsin State Assembly, District 60 General Election, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngRobert Brooks 100% 24,066
     Democratic Perry Duman (write-in) 0% 5
Total Votes 24,071
Wisconsin State Assembly, District 60 Republican Primary, 2014
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngRobert Brooks 58.1% 4,791
Jean F. Opitz 41.9% 3,457
Total Votes 8,248

Endorsements

In 2014, Brooks' endorsements included the following:[13]

  • Tavern League of Wisconsin
  • Deputy Roger Burke- Ozaukee County
  • Rich Van Dinter-Former City of Cedarburg Fire Chief
  • Chief Jeff Goetz-Village of Saukville Chief of Police
  • Mark Meisner - Cedarburg School Board Member

  • Wisconsin Restaurant Association
  • Wisconsin Realtors Association PAC
  • Jeff Brey-Cedarburg School Board Member
  • Wisconsin Right to Life
  • Pro-Life Wisconsin

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Robert Brooks did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

2022

Robert Brooks did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

2020

Robert Brooks did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

2014

Brooks' campaign website highlighted the following issues:[14]

Voter ID

  • Excerpt: "I support legislation requiring a photo identification to vote. Protecting the right to vote should be a priority of every elected official. Moreover, proof of citizenship and residency when registering to vote should be a minimal standard for purposes of preventing fraud. Voting is a privilege and honor. It should be easy to vote, but hard to cheat."

Government Reform

  • Excerpt: "I believe we need to streamline state government by eliminating agency rules and state laws which prevent, or even in some cases prohibit, elected officials from running government in the most cost effective manner possible. Act 10 has provided local officials with the necessary tools to better manage public sector employees while at the same time providing the organizational flexibility to make the decisions necessary to provide better services."

Taxes

  • Excerpt: "In order to lower the overall tax burden on Wisconsin residents, all levels of government must prioritize spending, distinguishing between core services that must be provided and benefits that government simply cannot afford (and in all likelihood should have never been providing in the first place). Too often policy makers have lost sight of what should be core state functions – public safety and infrastructure. The state must continue increasing accountability, identifying efficiencies, and identifying those functions which can be better served by the private sector."

Education

  • Excerpt: "Parents should be empowered with the ability to provide their children with the best education available irrespective of zip code. By expanding school choice, charter schools and other education options, parents have the necessary tools to provide the education that best fits their child."

Jobs

  • Excerpt: "Four areas that need to be improved to create a vibrant economy in Wisconsin are: Lower taxes, Less government regulation, Certainty in health care and A skilled workforce."

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.


Robert Brooks campaign contribution history
YearOfficeStatusContributionsExpenditures
2024* Wisconsin State Assembly District 59Won general$30,850 $26,667
2022Wisconsin State Assembly District 60Won general$34,742 $20,559
2020Wisconsin State Assembly District 60Won general$15,801 N/A**
2016Wisconsin State Assembly, District 60Won $30,562 N/A**
2014Wisconsin State Assembly, District 60Won $39,303 N/A**
Grand total$151,259 $47,226
Sources: OpenSecretsFederal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

Noteworthy events

Apology for racial, sexual comments (2018)

See also: Sexual assault and harassment in American politics (2017-2018)

Brooks was accused of making racial and sexual comments to female legislators at an event in July. Brooks allegedly said he would not buy a drink for Rep. Jessie Rodriguez (R) because she was Hispanic. He was also accused of making sexual comments to Reps. Cindi Duchow (R) and Amy Loudenbeck (R). In a statement from House Speaker Robin Vos' office, the three female lawmakers said Brooks' comments were inappropriate and offensive. In a statement to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the lawmakers said Brooks had apologized and they were "pleased with the appropriate way in which this case was handled and have already put it behind us."[15]

Brooks said in a statement, "I regret that I made some stupid comments while under the influence of alcohol after our caucus in the Dells. I take full responsibility for my behavior and have apologized for my actions. I am ready to move on from this incident and fully support and will adhere to the Assembly policies to maintain a safe workplace for legislators and staff."[15]

Scorecards

See also: State legislative scorecards and State legislative scorecards in Wisconsin

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


2023


2022


2021


2020


2019


2018


2017


2016


2015

See also


External links

Footnotes

  1. Vote Smart, "Rob Brooks' Biography," accessed October 10, 2019
  2. Wisconsin State Assembly, "State Representative Robert Brooks," accessed October 10, 2019
  3. Wisconsin State Assembly, "State Representative Robert Brooks," accessed October 10, 2019
  4. Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, "Candidates on Ballot by Election - 2016 General Election - 11/8/2016," accessed November 4, 2016
  5. Wisconsin Elections Commission, "2016 Fall General Election Results," accessed December 2, 2016
  6. Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, "Candidate Tracking by Office," accessed June 20, 2016
  7. Wisconsin Elections and Ethics Commission, "2016 Partisan Primary," accessed September 16, 2016
  8. Milwaukee Wisconsin Journal Sentinel, "Wisconsin 2014 fall primary election results," accessed August 12, 2014
  9. Wisconsin Government Accountability, "Candidates Registered by Office," June 11, 2014
  10. Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, "2014 Partisan Primary Candidates," accessed June 19, 2014
  11. Wisconsin Votes, accessed October 11, 2014
  12. Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, "Canvass Results for 2014 General Election," December 1, 2014
  13. Rob Brooks for Assembly, "Endorsements," accessed October 27, 2014
  14. Rob Brooks for Assembly, "Issues," accessed October 27, 2014
  15. 15.0 15.1 Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, "Wisconsin Assembly Republican leader apologizes for making racial, sexual comments to female lawmakers," September 26, 2018
  16. Wisconsin Family Action, "2015-2016 legislative scorecard," accessed May 31, 2017
  17. Wisconsin Family Action, "2015-2016 legislative scorecard," accessed May 31, 2017
  18. Wisconsin Family Action, "2015-2016 legislative scorecard," accessed May 31, 2017
  19. Wisconsin Family Action, "2015-2016 legislative scorecard," accessed May 31, 2017

Political offices
Preceded by
Ty Bodden (R)
Wisconsin State Assembly District 59
2025-Present
Succeeded by
-
Preceded by
-
Wisconsin State Assembly District 60
2015-2025
Succeeded by
Jerry O’Connor (R)


Current members of the Wisconsin State Assembly
Leadership
Minority Leader:Greta Neubauer
Representatives
District 1
District 2
District 3
District 4
District 5
District 6
District 7
District 8
District 9
District 10
District 11
District 12
District 13
District 14
District 15
District 16
District 17
District 18
District 19
District 20
District 21
District 22
District 23
District 24
District 25
District 26
District 27
District 28
District 29
District 30
District 31
District 32
District 33
Robin Vos (R)
District 34
District 35
District 36
District 37
Mark Born (R)
District 38
District 39
District 40
District 41
District 42
District 43
District 44
Ann Roe (D)
District 45
District 46
District 47
District 48
District 49
District 50
District 51
District 52
District 53
District 54
District 55
District 56
District 57
District 58
District 59
District 60
District 61
District 62
District 63
District 64
District 65
District 66
District 67
District 68
District 69
District 70
District 71
District 72
District 73
District 74
District 75
District 76
District 77
District 78
District 79
District 80
Mike Bare (D)
District 81
District 82
District 83
District 84
District 85
District 86
District 87
District 88
District 89
District 90
District 91
District 92
District 93
District 94
District 95
District 96
District 97
District 98
District 99
Republican Party (54)
Democratic Party (45)