Alex Joers

Alex Joers
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
from the 79th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 3, 2023
Preceded byDianne Hesselbein
Member of the Dane County, Wisconsin, Board of Supervisors from the 9th district
In office
April 21, 2020 – January 3, 2023
Preceded byPaul Nelson
Succeeded bySteven Peters
Personal details
Born (1992-08-27) August 27, 1992 (age 32)
Madison, Wisconsin, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse
Kathryn Sikora
​
(m. 2018)​
Children1
Residence(s)Madison, Wisconsin
Alma materUniversity of Wisconsin–La Crosse
OccupationLegislator, association executive, business manager
WebsiteOfficial website

Alex Robert Joers (born 1992) is an American communications professional and Democratic politician from Dane County, Wisconsin. He is a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing Wisconsin's 79th Assembly district since January 2023. He previously served as a member of the Dane County board of supervisors.

Early life and career

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Alex Joers was born in Madison, Wisconsin, and moved to the neighboring city of Middleton as a child. He graduated from Middleton High School and earned his bachelor's degree in political science and public administration in 2015 from the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse.[1] While in high school, Joers was a cross country athlete and for many years taught classes at the gym owned by his parents.[1] Since 2022, he has also been employed as a program manager for AMPED Association Management, a company which provides management services to non-profits. Joers' clients include the Society for Research on Adolescence and the American Physical Therapy Association.[2]

Political career

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Joers' political activities began while in college, when he worked on campus get out the vote projects. After graduating from college, he was employed as a legislative aide to state senator Jennifer Shilling and state representative Melissa Agard. He then worked in fundraising for the Wisconsin State Senate Democratic Committee, and joined state senator Julie Lassa's 2016 re-election campaign. After the 2016 election, he became a full time legislative aide to state representative Dianne Hesselbein, and then in 2019 he was promoted to Hesselbein's communications and policy aide.[1]

In 2020, Joers ran for his first public office, under the auspices of the national Run for Something campaign which seeks to get more young candidates to run for public office.[3] He was unopposed running for the Dane County board of supervisors in an open seat and was re-elected without opposition in 2022.[4][5]

In December 2021, Dianne Hesselbein announced she would run for Wisconsin State Senate in 2022, and would therefore not run for re-election in Wisconsin's 79th Assembly district.[6] Just after the Spring election in 2022, Joers announced his campaign for the now-open Assembly seat.[7] He also later said that he was inspired to run for the office, in part, by the outpouring of support from the Middleton community after the death of his father.[8] He defeated Madison small business owner Brad Votava in the Democratic primary, with 76% of the vote.[9][10] In the general election, he faced Waunakee nurse Victoria Fueger, who had also run as the Republican candidate in 2020. Joers prevailed with 74% of the vote in the heavily Democratic district.[11]

He assumed office in January 2023.

In light of the 2024 redistricting, which undid the 2011 gerrymander, Joers was moved into the 80th district and was paired with incumbent Mike Bare. To avoid an incumbent-incumbent primary, Joers decided to move into the open 81st district, where he is running unopposed.[12][13]

Personal life and family

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Alex Joers was the eldest of three children born to Bob and Cindy (née Reinerio) Joers of Milwaukee. Bob Joers was athletic director at Middleton High School for many years.[14] The Joers established The Little Gym of Middleton—a franchise children's gymnastics and recreational facility—in 2004.[1] Bob Joers was a popular figure in the Middleton community; he died of pancreatic cancer in 2020.[14]

Alex Joers married Kathryn "Katie" Sikora in Windsor, Wisconsin, in 2018. They live in Madison, Wisconsin, with their son. Alex and Katie met while students at the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse.[1]

Electoral history

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Wisconsin Assembly, 79th district (2022)

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Year Election Date Elected Defeated Total Plurality
2022 Primary[15] Aug. 9 Alex Joers Democratic 7,474 75.98% Brad Votava Dem. 2,356 23.95% 9,837 5,118
General[16] Nov. 8 Alex Joers Democratic 24,469 74.11% Victoria Fueger Rep. 8,514 25.79% 33,015 15,955

Wisconsin Assembly, 81st district (2024)

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "About Alex". Alex Joers for State Assembly. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
  2. ^ "Joers joins AMPED as Associate Director and Program Manager". AMPED Association Management (Press release). March 23, 2022. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
  3. ^ "Alex Joers - Dane County Supervisor, District 9, WI". Run for Something. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
  4. ^ Becker, Abigail (March 29, 2020). "Election Q&A: Dane County Board District 9". The Capital Times. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
  5. ^ 2022 Spring Election - County Supervisor District 9 - Official Canvass (Report). Dane County Clerk. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
  6. ^ Opoien, Jessie (December 16, 2021). "Dianne Hesselbein will run for Wisconsin's 27th Senate District". The Capital Times. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
  7. ^ "Joers Campaign: Alex Joers announces campaign for State Assembly". Alex Joers for State Assembly (Press release). April 25, 2022. Retrieved December 10, 2022 – via Wispolitics.com.
  8. ^ Baumann, Roberta (October 22, 2022). "County supervisor, mental health nurse in race for Wisconsin's 79th Assembly District". DeForest Times Tribune. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
  9. ^ Escott, Gavin (August 4, 2022). "A rundown of the Aug. 9 State Assembly primary election". The Daily Cardinal. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
  10. ^ Canvass Results for 2022 Partisan Primary – 8/9/2022 (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. August 26, 2022. pp. 58–59. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
  11. ^ Canvass Results for 2022 General Election – 11/8/2022 (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. November 21, 2022. p. 27. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
  12. ^ Kenneally, Will (February 28, 2024). "Middleton state rep to move, avoid running against Democratic incumbent". Channel 3000. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
  13. ^ Walters, Steven (August 14, 2024). "Dane County voters pick state lawmakers in Democratic primary". Isthmus. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
  14. ^ a b "Joers, Bob". Wisconsin State Journal. May 23, 2020. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
  15. ^ Canvass Results for 2022 Partisan Primary - 8/9/2022 (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. August 26, 2022. pp. 58–59. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
  16. ^ Canvass Results for 2022 General Election – 11/8/2022 (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. November 21, 2022. p. 27. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
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Wisconsin State Assembly
Preceded by Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the 79th district
January 3, 2023 – present 		Incumbent
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