Shannon Zimmerman

Shannon Zimmerman
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the 30th district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2017
Preceded by	Dean Knudson
Personal details
Born	(1972-03-15) March 15, 1972 (age 52) Madison, Wisconsin, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Angel
Children	2
Residence	River Falls, Wisconsin
Alma mater	Chippewa Valley Technical College University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee
Occupation	businessman, politician
Website	Official website Campaign website

Shannon M. Zimmerman (born March 15, 1972) is an American Republican politician and former businessman from River Falls, Wisconsin.^[1] He is a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing Wisconsin's 30th Assembly district since 2017.

Early life and education

Shannon Zimmerman was born in Madison, Wisconsin in March 1972. For much of his youth Zimmerman was raised in rural northeast Wisconsin, attending public school in Augusta, Wisconsin, in the Augusta Area School District and graduating from Augusta High School in 1990. After this he went on to attend Chippewa Valley Technical College and later transferred to the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee.^[2]

Business career

In 1996, after graduating from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, Zimmerman founded Sajan Inc., a local language translation company, and served as its CEO.^[3]

Due to the 2007–2008 financial crisis, MathStar, a Minnesota-based semi-conductor manufacturer, had gone into sharp decline, being delisted from the Nasdaq in early 2008.^[4] After negotiating with various companies, MathStar entered negotiations with Zimmerman's company regarding a reverse merger. Eventually the two companies merged in 2010, with Zimmerman remaining as CEO of the company.^[5]

In 2012, Zimmerman and his family founded Belle Vinez Vineyard and Winery, expanding it to include a retail section in 2015. They eventually sold the winery in 2022.^[6]

Political career

State Assembly

After representing the district since 2011, representative Dean Knudson decided not to seek re-election, leaving the district open.^[7] In the race, Zimmerman ran for the nomination against local Hudson-based insurance agent Paul Berning.^[8] In the general election, Zimmerman defeated Democrat Scott Nelson and Independent Aaron Taylor.

After his election, Zimmerman drew criticism after comments he made in a 2013 lecture resurfaced where he was asked what language was the most challenging to translate, with Zimmerman responding "it's woman, right? Sometimes she says this, but she means this." With Zimmerman playing his remarks off as a joke.^[9]

During Zimmerman's 2020 re-election campaign complaints were submitted to the Wisconsin Elections Commission alleging he did not reside in the district he represented, and had falsely claimed his residency.^[10] These complaints drew on the fact Zimmerman had two residencies, one in Clifton, Wisconsin, that he maintained for tax purposes, and a residency in River Falls, Wisconsin, that he maintained for voting purposes, with the complaint alleging he did not live in the latter property.^[11] Eventually, the complaint was rejected by the WEC after a 4-2 vote, saying there was "no reasonable suspicion" that Zimmerman had violated the law.^[12]

In 2024 Wisconsin saw a significant redrawing of the state legislative maps which undid the Republican gerrymander that had been created back in 2011. Zimmerman's district was redrawn to be similar to the borders prior to the 2021 redistricting, centering around the cities of Hudson and River Falls, as opposed to moving the two cities into in their own districts.^[13] Under the new lines, the 30th Assembly district was projected to be one of the most competitive districts in the state assembly.^[14]

Zimmerman defeated Democrat Alison Page, a former healthcare executive, in the general election.^[15][16]

State Senate special election

In 2018, after accepting a position within the Scott Walker administration, Sheila Harsdorf resigned her seat in the Wisconsin Senate to become Wisconsin's Secretary of Agriculture. With this open district, Zimmerman announced his candidacy for the special election for the district.^[17] During the campaign he largely self-funded, outspending his opponent Adam Jarchow two-to-one. Additionally, Zimmerman differentiated himself from Jarchow due to his support for the Foxconn deal, claiming during the campaign that Jarchow had opposed the deal and stood in opposition to then governor Scott Walker.^[18]

In the primary, Zimmerman was defeated by Jarchow by a 12 point margin.^[19]

Personal life

Zimmerman and his wife are both members of the Baptist Eagle Brook Church.^[2]

Electoral history

State Assembly (2016–present)

Year	Election	Date	Elected				Defeated				Total	Plurality
2016	Primary[20]	Aug. 9	Shannon Zimmerman	Republican	1,565	57.77%	Paul Berning	Rep.	1,138	42.01%	2,709	427
	General[21]	Nov. 8	Shannon Zimmerman	Republican	17,790	56.05%	Scott J. Nelson	Dem.	12,358	38.94%	31,739	5,432
							Aaron S. Taylor	Ind.	1,574	4.96%
2018	General[22]	Nov. 6	Shannon Zimmerman (inc)	Republican	15,240	53.91%	Barry Hammarback	Dem.	13,015	46.04%	28,271	2,225
2020	General[23]	Nov. 3	Shannon Zimmerman (inc)	Republican	20,711	55.88%	Sarah Yacoub	Dem.	16,322	44.04%	37,062	4,389
2022	General[24]	Nov. 8	Shannon Zimmerman (inc)	Republican	17,719	58.48%	Sarah Yacoub	Dem.	12,557	41.44%	30,301	5,162
2024	General[25]	Nov. 5	Shannon Zimmerman (inc)	Republican	20,309	54.21%	Alison Page	Dem.	17,117	45.69%	37,464	3,192

State Senate (2017)

Year	Election	Date	Elected				Defeated				Total	Plurality
2018 (special)	Primary[20]	Aug. 9	Shannon Zimmerman	Republican	1,565	57.77%	Paul Berning	Rep.	1,138	42.01%	2,709	427

References

1. "Shannon Zimmerman - 2017 Wisconsin State Legislature archive".
2. "Representative Shannon Zimmerman". Wisconsin Legislature. 2023. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
3. "Sajan Inc". Bloomberg L.P. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
4. "MathStar faces delisting". Portland Business Journal. January 7, 2008.
5. "Sajan goes public, stays local, targets growth". Republican Eagle. March 12, 2010. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
6. Fristed, Sam (December 23, 2024). "Belle Vinez winery sold; new owners plan minor changes". River Falls Journal. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
7. "Welcome". Dean Knudson for State Assembly. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved November 30, 2020 – via Wayback Machine.
8. Longaecker, Mike (August 17, 2024). "Assembly candidate Zimmerman moves on". Republican Eagle. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
9. Marley, Patrick (November 20, 2017). "Legislator Shannon Zimmerman joked in video that women don't say what they mean". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
10. "State of Wisconsin Elections Commission Complaint Form - Shannon Zimmerman". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. August 25, 2020. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
11. Mentzer, Rob (January 28, 2021). "Documents Suggest Assembly Lawmaker Lives Outside District In Violation Of State Law". Wisconsin Public Radio. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
12. Bice, Daniel (February 5, 2021). "Elections commission rejects complaints accusing state lawmaker of living outside his district".
13. Schafer, Dan (September 19, 2024). "2024 Wisconsin State Legislature Voter Guide: Assembly District 30". Civic Media. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
14. "Assembly District 30". Wisconsin Watch. September 6, 2024. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
15. Claflin, Hallie (September 30, 2024). "GOP incumbent faces Democratic challenger in western Wisconsin toss-up district". Wisconsin Watch. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
16. "Republicans maintain control of the Assembly". Battleground Wisconsin, WisPolitics. November 6, 2024. Retrieved November 18, 2024.
17. "Zimmerman campaign: Announces run for WI State Senate". WisPolitics. November 13, 2017. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
18. "10th SD GOP candidates differ on Foxconn, budget, taxes". WisPolitics. December 15, 2017. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
19. Canvass Results for 2017 Special Primary State Senate District 10 - 12/19/2017 (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. December 27, 2017. p. 1. Retrieved October 2, 2024.
20. Canvass Results for 2016 Primary Election - 8/9/2016 (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. August 23, 2016. p. 33. Retrieved October 2, 2024.
21. Canvass Results for 2016 General Election - 11/8/2016 (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. December 22, 2016. p. 15. Retrieved October 2, 2024.
22. Canvass Results for 2018 General Election - 11/6/2018 (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. February 22, 2019. p. 17. Retrieved October 2, 2024.
23. Canvass Results for 2020 General Election - 11/3/2020 (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. November 18, 2020. p. 14. Retrieved October 2, 2024.
24. Canvass Results for 2022 General Election - 11/8/2022 (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. November 30, 2022. p. 15. Retrieved October 2, 2024.
25. County by County Report - 2024 General Election (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. November 27, 2024. p. 30. Retrieved November 30, 2024.

External links

• Official website
• Representative Shannon Zimmerman (2023) at Wisconsin Legislature

Wisconsin State Assembly
Preceded by Dean Knudson	Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the 30th district January 3, 2017 – present	Incumbent