Candidate Profile: John Jagler For WI Senate District 13

WISCONSIN— The 2021 election is heating up in Wisconsin and there are plenty of races with candidates eager to serve in elected office. Voters will also decide the outcome of state representative, senate seats and local government and school boards.

Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles as election day draws near.

John Jagler tells Patch why he should be elected For Wisconsin Senate District 13.

Age (as of Election Day)

51

Position Sought

State Senator-District 13

Party Affiliation

Republican

Family

Married to wife Heidi, three children

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Education

Trans American School of Broadcasting, University of Wisconsin-Parkside

Occupation

Realtor, owner of a family run Natural Dog Treat Company

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

Current State Representative, 37th Assembly District

Campaign website

Votejagler.com

Why are you seeking elective office?

I have served proudly as the State Representative in the 37th Assembly District for the past eight years, and am running for Senate to bring that record of cutting taxes, defending our rights, and delivering for Wisconsin families to the Senate.

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

In years past, I've worked to strengthen our state's economy, freeze property taxes, fight for workers, and deliver real tax relief to Wisconsin families. But today, there's no bigger issue than the devastating, once-in-a-lifetime (hopefully) COVID pandemic that has upended our lives, our families, our economy, and even our kid's futures. There's no magic bullet here, but the answer definitely isn't raising taxes by a billion dollars, as Governor Evers has ridiculously proposed, We need to reopen schools, reopen our economy, and help businesses get back on their feet.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

As simply as I can put it, I believe I'll do the best job of getting Wisconsin back on track. What I hear from the people of the 13th Senate District – every day – is that they're sick of Governor Evers' lockdowns, school closings, Madison-knows-best mandates, and the devastating impact it's had on our economy, small businesses, and families. This isn't "collateral damage," this is our lives and our livelihood, and we deserve better than we've gotten from out-of-touch Madison. As a legislator, an advocate, and a business owner myself, I've always listened, worked hard, and gotten the job done

How do you think local officials performed in responding to the coronavirus? What if anything would you have done differently?

This was a truly unprecedented crisis. We had to respond with no playbook, and no guarantees that our efforts were going to succeed. Hindsight is 20/20, but I think most of Wisconsin wishes that Governor Evers had acted with more compassion for blue-collar workers, families, and small businesses that were devastated by this crisis. Lockdowns might have been an "easy" solution in liberal Madison, or for those who could afford to stay home from work and get meals delivered, or send their kids to in-person private schools, but it created some real challenges for a lot of Wisconsin families. I wish there had been a more balanced approach from day one. The state's initial rollout of vaccines, and the truly scandalous failures of Governor Evers' unemployment systems, were completely unacceptable.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

I am pro-life, I'm pro-business and pro-jobs, and I'm proud to fight to defend the sanctity of our elections – including investigating and prosecuting election fraud.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

As a business owner, a father of a special needs child and a resident of this district my entire adult life, I have the real-world experience to deliver change in Madison. I’m proud of my record of fighting for my constituents as a state representative and will continue to be their voice in the Senate.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

When I was working in radio, a mentor gave me a great piece of advice: Don't broadcast to the masses, broadcast to just one. In radio, it was easier to think about telling the news or the weather to just one person – or try to just make one person smile – rather than the entire audience at once. I took the same lesson to politics, and then the Legislature. The decisions we make, the people whose lives we touch – it's all individual experiences. Higher taxes don't just have a vague, undefined impact, they affect individual families who are trying to make ends meet. Our business climate isn't some number on a spreadsheet, it's a person's career, their livelihood, their purpose. Our actions matter, to an entire district full of individual lives.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

In this time of historic challenges, the state budget has been placed on the back burner a little bit, but I was shocked to see Governor Evers' proposal to raise taxes by $1 billion in the middle of a crisis, and repeal the Act 10 reforms that have balanced Wisconsin's budget for nearly a decade. In the Assembly, I have delivered billions in real tax cuts, property tax relief, and spending cuts in Madison. The taxpayers deserve to keep more of their own money, and I'll keep fighting for that in the Senate.