James M. "Jim" Piwowarczyk II (born c.1970) is an American realtor, Republican politician, and former law enforcement officer from Washington County, Wisconsin. He is a member-elect of the Wisconsin State Assembly, and will represent Wisconsin's 98th Assembly district in the 2025–2026 term. He is also a co-founder and editor of the conservative news website Wisconsin Right Now.
Jim Piwowarczyk | |
|---|---|
| Member-elect of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the 98th district | |
| Assuming office January 6, 2025 | |
| Succeeding | Adam Neylon |
| Personal details | |
| Born | James M. Piwowarczyk II 1970 or 1971 (age 53–54) West Bend, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Susan LeBell Slatinsky |
| Children | 3 |
| Residence | Erin, Wisconsin |
| Education |
|
| Profession | Law enforcement, politician |
| Website | |
Biography
editJim Piwowarczyk was born in West Bend, Wisconsin, about 1970. He was raised and educated in the West Bend area, graduating from Kewaskum High School in 1988.[1] He went on to attend Moraine Park Technical College and Marian University, studying police science and justice administration.[2]
In 1994, he was hired as a police patrol officer in Glendale, Wisconsin, and served 15 years in that department, rising to the rank of patrol sergeant. After leaving the Glendale police, he worked as a part-time officer in Kewaskum.[3] While working as a police officer, he also started a small business with his wife, as a Snap Fitness franchisee, and ultimately owned five gyms in southeastern Wisconsin, but sold out in 2020.[2] During those years, he was also becoming active in real estate trading through his realty business Realty Solutions Group, which he continues to operate.[2][4]
Political career
editIn 2020, Piwowarczyk co-founded the conservative partisan news website Wisconsin Right Now, and as owner of the website, has final editorial control over the content.[2][4] Wisconsin Right Now has become an influential voice in the conservative and Republican media landscape in Wisconsin. One of their first major news stories was a story questioning the validity of the election results from Milwaukee County in the 2020 United States presidential election, and suggesting the election was rigged against Donald Trump.[5] Piwowarczyk won a prize for excellence in journalism from the Milwaukee Press Club in 2021 for coverage of the multi-day story of the Water Street shootings in Milwaukee,[6] and in 2022 for coverage of the controversial parole decision of Douglas Balsewicz.[7][8]
In 2024, the Wisconsin Legislature adopted a new redistricting plan after the Wisconsin Supreme Court struck down the decade-old Republican legislative gerrymander. Washington County was significantly affected by the redistricting; Piwowarczyk was drawn into the new 98th Assembly district, where no incumbent legislators then-resided. He announced in March 2024 that he would run for Wisconsin State Assembly in that district, seeking the Republican nomination. He was opposed by former state representative Don Pridemore, but won the primary by a wide margin, taking 65% of the vote.[9] He easily won the general election in the heavily Republican district.[10] He is set to take office in January 2025.
Personal life and family
editJim Piwowarczyk is a son of James M. and Cynthia Piwowarczyk. James Sr. served for many years as county auditor in Washington County;[11] Cynthia worked as a registered nurse.[4]
Jim Piwowarczyk married Susan L. Slatinsky of Green Bay; they met while attending Marian University.[12] They have three school-age children and reside in the town of Erin, Wisconsin.[4]
Electoral history
editWisconsin Assembly (2024)
edit| Year | Election | Date | Elected | Defeated | Total | Plurality | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Primary[9] | Aug. 13 | Jim Piwowarczyk | Republican | 7,583 | 65.12% | Don Pridemore | Rep. | 4,044 | 34.73% | 11,645 | 3,539 |
| General[10] | Nov. 5 | Jim Piwowarczyk | Republican | 28,823 | 71.08% | Del A. Schmechel | Dem. | 11,698 | 28.85% | 40,551 | 17,125 | |
References
edit- ^ "158 grads at Kewaskum". West Bend Daily News. June 3, 1988. p. 5. Retrieved December 7, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d "Jim Piwowarczyk". Wisconsin Right Now. January 31, 2021. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
- ^ Kumrow, Amy (November 29, 2012). "New faces at Kewaskum Police Department". p. A1. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
- ^ a b c d "About Jim". Jim Piwowarczyk for Assembly District 98. 28 February 2024. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
- ^ Hardee, Howard; Chen, Keenan (November 12, 2020). "Misplaced Milwaukee flash drive morphs into false charges of vote fraud". Wisconsin Watch. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
- ^ "2021 Excellence in Journalism Awardees". Milwaukee Press Club. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
- ^ Beck, Molly; Vielmetti, Bruce (May 13, 2022). "Parole rescinded for man who killed wife in front of children after Gov. Tony Evers intervenes". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
- ^ "2022 Excellence in Journalism Awardees". Milwaukee Press Club. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
- ^ a b County by County Report - 2024 Partisan Primary (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. August 26, 2024. p. 197. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
- ^ a b County by County Report - 2024 General Election (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. November 27, 2024. p. 98. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
- ^ "County Attorney, Auditor Recommended by Committee". West Bend News. May 31, 1973. p. 1. Retrieved December 7, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Marian awards master, bachelor degrees". Fond du Lac Reporter. May 24, 1994. p. 33. Retrieved December 7, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.