Caleb Frostman (born November 22, 1984) is an American politician from the state of Wisconsin. He was Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development in the administration of Governor Tony Evers from 2019 until his resignation on September 18, 2020. A Democrat, he previously served as a member of the Wisconsin State Senate representing the 1st district.[1][2]

Caleb Frostman
6th Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development
In office
January 7, 2019 – September 18, 2020
Appointed byTony Evers
DeputyRobert Cherry, Jr.
Preceded byRay Allen
Succeeded byAmy Pechacek
Member of the Wisconsin Senate
from the 1st district
In office
June 28, 2018 – January 7, 2019
Preceded byFrank Lasee
Succeeded byAndré Jacque
Personal details
Born (1984-11-22) November 22, 1984 (age 40)
Stevens Point, Wisconsin, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
ResidenceSturgeon Bay, Wisconsin
EducationWisconsin School of Business
WebsiteOfficial bio

Biography

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Frostman is a native of Green Bay, Wisconsin. He worked for banks in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul area and moved to Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, in 2016, where he worked for the Door County Economic Development Corporation as their executive director.[3] After Lasee, a Republican, resigned his seat in the Wisconsin Senate, Frostman resigned from his job to run in the special election to fill the vacancy.[4] On June 12, Frostman defeated André Jacque to win the seat.[5][6] He was sworn in on June 28, 2018.[7] He was later defeated by Jacque in November 2018, losing the chance of being elected for a full four-year term.[8] Governor Tony Evers appointed him as Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, though he remained secretary-designee until the Republican-controlled Wisconsin Senate approved his appointment at the start of 2020.[9]

On September 18, 2020, Evers asked for Frostman's resignation, due to long-term issues involving the approval of payment of benefits to applicants during the COVID-19 pandemic which dated back to before the state's first stay-at-home order. Frostman tendered his resignation soon after.[10]

Electoral history

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Wisconsin Senate, 1st District Special Election, 2018[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
General Election, June 12, 2018
Democratic Caleb Frostman 14,606 51.38%
Republican André Jacque 13,801 48.55%
Scattering 20 0.07%
Plurality 805 2.83%
Total votes 28,427 100.0%
Democratic gain from Republican
Wisconsin Senate, 1st District Election, 2018[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
General Election, November 6, 2018
Republican André Jacque 47,826 54.50%
Democratic Caleb Frostman (incumbent) 39,414 45.42%
Scattering 65 0.07%
Plurality 7,875 9.08%
Total votes 86,768 100.0%

References

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  1. ^ Wisconsin State Senate. "Senator Caleb Frostman". Retrieved July 4, 2018.
  2. ^ Journal, Riley Vetterkind | Wisconsin State. "Tony Evers firing DWD Secretary Caleb Frostman over unemployment claim backlog". madison.com. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  3. ^ Jonathan Anderson (June 8, 2018). "Caleb Frostman melds progressive vision with business experience". Greenbaypressgazette.com. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
  4. ^ "Caleb Frostman resigns from Door County EDC, runs for state Senate". Greenbaypressgazette.com. April 17, 2018. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
  5. ^ "Democrats Score Special Election Upset In Wisconsin District Trump Won Big | HuffPost". Huffingtonpost.com. June 12, 2018. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
  6. ^ Welter, Jonathan Anderson and Liz. "Caleb Frostman defeats André Jacque in 1st Senate District special election". Green Bay Press-Gazette. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
  7. ^ Razavi, Justin. "Caleb Frostman Sworn In Thursday". We Are Green Bay. Retrieved July 4, 2018.
  8. ^ Welter, Liz (November 11, 2018). "Andre Jacque wins Senate District 1 seat". Green Bay Press-Gazette. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
  9. ^ "The Latest: Evers Says He Has 'No Intent' to Break Law". U.S. News. January 3, 2019. Retrieved February 22, 2023.
  10. ^ Vetterkind, Riley (September 18, 2020). "Tony Evers firing DWD Secretary Caleb Frostman over unemployment claim backlog". Wisconsin State Journal. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
  11. ^ Wisconsin Secretary of State. "Ward by Ward Report 2018 Special Election State Senate District 1" (PDF). Retrieved July 4, 2018.
  12. ^ Welter, Liz (November 11, 2018). "Andre Jacque wins Senate District 1 seat". Green Bay Press-Gazette. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
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Wisconsin Senate
Preceded by Member of the Wisconsin Senate from the 1st district
2018 – 2019
Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by
Ray Allen
Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development
2019 – 2020
Succeeded by
Amy Pechacek