Ben Brancel
Ben Brancel (b. July 31, 1950 in Portage, Wisconsin) is a former Wisconsin Secretary of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection. He was first appointed by Governor Scott Walker and began his term on January 3, 2011. Brancel retired from his position on August 13, 2017.[1]
Biography
Brancel was born and raised in Marquette County, Wisconsin. He managed a dairy operation for 22 years and now runs a 290-acre family farm with his wife, son, and daughter-in-law.[2] He previously served as Wisconsin Agriculture Secretary under Gov. Tommy Thompson from 1997 to 2001.
Brancel was then appointed as director of the Wisconsin Farm Service Agency by the Bush Administration, where he served until early 2009. Later that year he served as the part-time state relations liaison for the University of Wisconsin-Madison's College of Agricultural and Life Sciences.[3]
Education
- B.A., Animal science, University of Wisconsin-Platteville
Political career
Wisconsin Secretary of Agriculture (2011-2017)
Brancel served as Wisconsin Secretary of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection from January 2011 until his retirement in August 2017.[1]
Wisconsin Secretary of Agriculture (1997-2001)
Brancel first served as Wisconsin Secretary of Agriculture under Gov. Tommy Thompson from 1997 to 2001.[3]
Wisconsin State Assembly (1987-1997)
Brancel represented District 42 in the Wisconsin State Assembly from 1987 to 1997.[3]
Appointments
2010
Brancel was appointed as Wisconsin Secretary of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection by Gov. Scott Walker (R) in December 2010. Brancel stated, "I'm excited to have the opportunity to once again serve the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection community and work alongside Governor-elect Walker to grow Wisconsin's economy."[3]
State profile
| Demographic data for Wisconsin | ||
|---|---|---|
| Wisconsin | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 5,767,891 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 54,158 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 86.5% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 6.3% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 2.5% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 0.9% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 2.1% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 6.3% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 91% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 27.8% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $53,357 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 15% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Wisconsin. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Presidential voting pattern
- See also: Presidential voting trends in Wisconsin
Wisconsin voted for the Democratic candidate in five out of the seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.
Pivot Counties (2016)
Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, 23 are located in Wisconsin, accounting for 11.17 percent of the total pivot counties.[4]
Pivot Counties (2020)
In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. Wisconsin had 21 Retained Pivot Counties and two Boomerang Pivot Counties, accounting for 11.60 and 8.00 percent of all Retained and Boomerang Pivot Counties, respectively.
More Wisconsin coverage on Ballotpedia
- Elections in Wisconsin
- United States congressional delegations from Wisconsin
- Public policy in Wisconsin
- Endorsers in Wisconsin
- Wisconsin fact checks
- More...
Recent news
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See also
External links
- Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection
- Brancel's biography
- Ben Brancel on LinkedIn
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Office of the Governor, "Governor Walker Appoints Jeff Lyon to Lead DATCP as Interim Secretary," August 11, 2017
- ↑ Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, "Secretary Ben Brancel," accessed September 4, 2011
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Wisconsin Ag Connection, "Brancel to Return to DATCP as Secretary, Stepp Leads DNR," December 30, 2010
- ↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Randy Romanski |
Wisconsin Secretary of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection 2011–2017 |
Succeeded by Jeff Lyon |
