Frederick Kessler

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Frederick Kessler
Image of Frederick Kessler

Democratic Party

Prior offices
Wisconsin State Assembly District 12
Elections and appointments
Last election

August 14, 2018

Education

Bachelor's

University of Wisconsin, Madison, 1962

Personal
Religion
Christian: Lutheran
Profession
Labor Arbitrator
Contact

Personal Facebook

Frederick Kessler (Democratic Party) was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing District 12. Kessler assumed office in 2005. Kessler left office on January 7, 2019.

Kessler (Democratic Party) ran for re-election to the Wisconsin State Assembly to represent District 12. Kessler lost in the Democratic primary on August 14, 2018.

Kessler was elected to the chamber in 2004. He previously served in the Wisconsin State Assembly from 1961 to 1972. Kessler died on November 12, 2024 following a cancer diagnosis.[1]

Biography

Kessler attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Kessler has worked as a labor arbitrator. He has served as circuit judge in Wisconsin (1978-1981, 1986-1988), and County Court Judge of Milwaukee County (1972-1979).[2]

Committee assignments

2017 legislative session

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

Wisconsin committee assignments, 2017
• Agriculture
• Campaigns and Elections
• Constitution and Ethics
• Criminal Justice and Public Safety
• Insurance

2015 legislative session

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

2013-2014

At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, Kessler served on the following committees:

2011-2012

During the 2011-2012 legislative session, Kessler served on these committees:

2009-2010

During the 2009-2010 legislative session, Kessler served on these committees:

Issues

Earmark Transparency Act

Kessler opposes the Earmark Transparency Act of 2009, introduced by Rep. Rich Zipperer. The North Shore Exponent claims Kessler fears that such legislation would reveal which earmarks are put into the budgets that benefit his district.[3]

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

2018

See also: Wisconsin State Assembly elections, 2018

General election

General election for Wisconsin State Assembly District 12

LaKeshia Myers won election in the general election for Wisconsin State Assembly District 12 on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
LaKeshia Myers (D)
 
98.5
 
17,428
 Other/Write-in votes
 
1.5
 
274

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 17,702
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Wisconsin State Assembly District 12

LaKeshia Myers defeated incumbent Frederick Kessler in the Democratic primary for Wisconsin State Assembly District 12 on August 14, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
LaKeshia Myers
 
59.3
 
3,709
Image of Frederick Kessler
Frederick Kessler
 
40.7
 
2,545

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 6,254
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.

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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 Frederick Kessler ran unopposed in the Wisconsin State Assembly District 12 general election.[4][5]

Wisconsin State Assembly, District 12 General Election, 2016
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.png Frederick Kessler Incumbent (unopposed) 100.00% 18,642
Total Votes 18,642
Source: Wisconsin Elections Commission


Incumbent Frederick Kessler ran unopposed in the Wisconsin State Assembly District 12 Democratic primary.[6][7]

Wisconsin State Assembly, District 12 Democratic Primary, 2016
Party Candidate
    Democratic Green check mark transparent.png Frederick Kessler 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. Incumbent Frederick P. Kessler was unopposed in the Democratic primary. Ollie Dombrow (D) and Russell Goodwin (R) were removed from the ballot before the election.[8][9][10][11] Kessler defeated write-in candidate Russell Goodwin (R) in the general election, and was re-elected to another term.[12]

Wisconsin State Assembly, District 12 General Election, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngFrederick P. Kessler Incumbent 100% 16,494
     Republican Russell Goodwin (write-in) 0% 3
Total Votes 16,497

2012

See also: Wisconsin State Assembly elections, 2012

Kessler won re-election in the 2012 election for Wisconsin State Assembly District 12. Kessler defeated Mario Hall in the Democratic primary on August 14 and was unopposed in the general election on November 6, 2012.[13][14]

Wisconsin State Assembly, District 12, General Election, 2012
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngFrederick Kessler Incumbent 98.6% 16,193
     – Scattering 1.4% 232
Total Votes 16,425
Wisconsin State Assembly, District 12 Democratic Primary, 2012
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngFrederick Kessler Incumbent 71.8% 1,937
Mario Hall 28.2% 762
Total Votes 2,699

2010

See also: Wisconsin State Assembly elections, 2010

Kessler was re-elected to Wisconsin State Assembly District 12. He was unopposed in the general election on November 2, 2010. Kessler was unopposed in the September 14, 2010, primary election.[15]

Wisconsin State Assembly, District 12 General Election (2010)
Candidates Votes
Green check mark transparent.png Frederick Kessler (D) 13,758
Sam Hagedorn (R) 4,868
Wisconsin State Assembly, District 12

Democratic primary (2010)

Candidates Votes Percent
Green check mark transparent.png Frederick P. Kessler (D) 2,689 99.41%

2008

On November 4, 2008, Kessler won re-election to Assembly District 12, receiving 98.92 percent of the vote.[16]

Wisconsin Assembly District 12
Candidates Votes
Green check mark transparent.png Frederick Kessler (D) 20,399
Scattering 233

Campaign themes

2008

Kessler's answers to the Wisconsin State Legislative Election 2008 Political Courage Test are available. The test provides voters with insight as to how a candidate would vote on the issues if elected. Kessler did not provide an answer when asked what his top legislative priorities were.[17]

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.

Frederick Kessler campaign contribution history
YearOfficeStatusContributionsExpenditures
2016Wisconsin State Assembly, District 12Won $12,644 N/A**
2014Wisconsin State Assembly, District 12Won $11,486 N/A**
2012Wisconsin State Assembly, District 12Won $20,461 N/A**
2010Wisconsin State Assembly, District 12Won $17,379 N/A**
2008Wisconsin State Assembly, District 12Won $9,433 N/A**
2006Wisconsin State Assembly, District 12Won $12,516 N/A**
2004Wisconsin State Assembly, District 12Won $19,774 N/A**
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

Personal

Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Kessler has been a board member of the World Affairs Council of Milwaukee and the Milwaukee Chapter American Civil Liberties Union.[2]

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.








2018

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.

Legislators are scored on whether they voted for or against MMAC's position.
Legislators are scored on their votes on small business issues.
Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to labor policy.
Legislators are scored by the Wisconsin Family Action on their votes on legislation related to "marriage, family, the sanctity of human life, or religious freedom."[18]
Legislators are scored on their stances on conservation issues.
Legislators are scored on their votes on legislation WMC deemed as "most important issues for the business community."
Legislators are scored on their votes by the Wisconsin Professional Police Association on legislation related to Wisconsin's law enforcement community.
Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental issues.


2017


2016


2015


2014


2013


2012

See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Obituary: Fred Kessler was a former state legislator and judge," November 13, 2024
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Project Vote Smart, "Biography," accessed May 5, 2014
  3. ↑ North Shore Exponent, "Will Red Fred Kessler listen to Rich Zipperer’s call for comprehensive earmark reform in Wisconsin?" August 4, 2009
  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. ↑ Wisconsin Government Accountability, "Candidates Registered by Office," June 11, 2014
  9. ↑ Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, "2014 Partisan Primary Candidates," accessed June 19, 2014
  10. ↑ otegoodwin.com, "Home," accessed June 25, 2014
  11. ↑ Wisconsin Vote, accessed October 11, 2014
  12. ↑ Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, "Canvass Results for 2014 General Election," December 1, 2014
  13. ↑ Government Accountability Board, "2012 Fall Partisan Primary," accessed May 5, 2014
  14. ↑ Government Accountability Board, "2012 Fall General Election," accessed May 5, 2014
  15. ↑ Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, "Official 2010 Primary election results," accessed April 25, 2014
  16. ↑ Wisconsin State Elections Board, "Results of Fall General Election-11/04/2008," accessed May 6, 2014
  17. ↑ Project Vote Smart, "Issue Positions," accessed May 6, 2014
  18. ↑ Wisconsin Family Action, "2015-2016 legislative scorecard," accessed May 31, 2017
  19. ↑ Wisconsin Family Action, "2015-2016 legislative scorecard," accessed May 31, 2017
  20. ↑ Wisconsin Family Action, "2015-2016 legislative scorecard," accessed May 31, 2017
  21. ↑ Wisconsin Family Action, "2015-2016 legislative scorecard," accessed May 31, 2017
Political offices
Preceded by
- 		Wisconsin State Assembly District 12
2004–2018 		Succeeded by
LaKeshia Myers (D)


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