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Patrick Snyder
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
from the 85th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 3, 2017
Preceded byDave Heaton
Member of the City Council of Schofield, Wisconsin
In office
May 2015 – 2017
Personal details
Born (1956-10-10) October 10, 1956 (age 68)
Boone, Iowa, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
SpouseShawn
Children2
ResidenceSchofield, Wisconsin
Alma materUniversity of Iowa (BA)
OccupationRadio host, politician

Patrick James Snyder (born October 10, 1956) is an American Republican politician and former radio host from Schofield, Wisconsin. He is a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing Wisconsin's 85th Assembly district since 2017. He also previously served as a member of the Schofield City Council, and worked as a legislative aide to U.S. Representative Sean Duffy.[1]

Early life and education

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Patrick Snyder was born in Boone, Iowa, in October 1956. He spent much of his youth in Milwaukee, Wisconsin,[2] but graduated from Oelwein Community High School in Oelwein, Iowa, in 1974.[3] He went on to attend the University of Iowa, where he earned his bachelor's degree in communications in 1978.[3]

Political career

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After returning to Wisconsin in 2000, Snyder was hired as an on-air radio host for WSAU (AM) in Wausau, Wisconsin. During these years he settled in Schofield, Wisconsin, just outside of Wausau. He worked twelve years in radio before announcing in 2012 that he would leave the radio station to run for Wisconsin State Assembly as a Republican in the 85th Assembly district.[2] The 85th district incumbent, Democrat Donna J. Seidel, had announced her plans to retire, creating an open seat opportunity. Snyder faced no opposition in the primary[4] and went on to face Democratic grade school teacher Mandy Wright in the general election. The 85th district was one of the closest general election races in the state that year, but Snyder fell 900 votes short, receiving 46.5% to Wright's 49.7%.[5]

After losing the 2012 election, Snyder was hired as a district representative by his representative in Congress, Sean Duffy.[3][2] While working for Duffy, Snyder ran for Schofield City Council in April 2015, challenging 16-year incumbent Jim DeBauchen. DeBauchen won the election with 57 votes to Snyder's 31.[6] After the election, the new mayor Kregg Hoehn, vacated his seat in the city council, and Snyder was appointed as his replacement.

In January 2016, incumbent state representative Dave Heaton, who had defeated Mandy Wright in the 2014 election, announced he would not run for re-election.[7] Snyder entered the race to succeed him in the Assembly; he again faced no opposition in the primary[8] and a general election rematch with Mandy Wright, who was seeking to return to office. This time Snyder prevailed by a healthy margin, boosted by rural turnout for Republican Party presidential candidate Donald Trump.[9] Snyder went on to win re-election in 2018 and 2020 by nearly identical margins, receiving 55% in both elections.[10][11]

After the 2020 United States census, the Wisconsin Legislature and governor were unable to compromise on a new legislative map and the issue was sent to the Wisconsin Supreme Court. The new map significantly redrew the 85th Assembly district, adding more of southeast Marathon County to the district and removing suburban areas nearer to Wausau. Snyder won re-election on the new map by a slightly improved margin, receiving 56% of the vote.[12]

In 2023, the majority of the Wisconsin Supreme Court flipped due to the election of justice Janet Protasiewicz. The new court took up a new redistricting lawsuit in 2023 and struck down the legislative maps that the Court had adopted in 2022. Under pressure from the court, the Legislature and governor agreed on a new map in early 2024. The new map returned the 85th Assembly district to something closer to its shape prior to 2022, but removed Snyder's home, Schofield, from the district. Snyder accused Democratic governor Tony Evers of gerrymandering him out of his district. Under the new map, Snyder resided in the 87th Assembly district, along with fellow Republican incumbent James W. Edming. Rather than running for election in the new district, Snyder announced he would rent an apartment in Wausau in order to maintain residency in the district.[13]

Under the new maps, the 85th Assembly district is projected to be one of the most competitive districts in the state. In the general election, Snyder faces Democratic county supervisor Yee Leng Xiong, a leader in Wausau's Hmong community.[13]

The district was also at the middle of a controversy over ballot drop boxes—optional stationery bins similar to mail boxes offered for voters to drop off their completed absentee ballots prior to election day. New Wausau mayor Doug Diny had campaigned against the use of ballot drop boxes, but he had no direct authority over the program. The city clerk, Kaitlyn Bernarde, supported by the city council president, decided to implement a new ballot drop box outside Wausau's city hall. Within 24 hours, Diny personally removed the drop box from the grounds. After a series of accusations, a new drop box was installed a week later and bolted to the ground. The incident is being investigated by the sheriff's department from neighboring Portage County.[14] Snyder's 2024 Democratic opponent, Xiong, noted that Snyder contributed to Diny's campaign; he has called on Snyder to denounce Diny for his unilateral action.[15]

Personal life and family

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Patrick Snyder married his wife, Shawn, in 1981; she works as a registered nurse. They have two adult children.[2]

Electoral history

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Wisconsin Assembly (2012)

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Year Election Date Elected Defeated Total Plurality
2012 General[5] Nov. 6 Mandy Wright Democratic 13,930 49.70% Patrick Snyder Rep. 13,025 46.47% 28,026 905
Jim Maas Ind. 1,047 3.74%

Wisconsin Assembly (2016–present)

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Year Election Date Elected Defeated Total Plurality
2016 General[9] Nov. 8 Patrick Snyder Republican 14,722 53.35% Mandy Wright Dem. 12,837 46.52% 27,594 1,885
2018 General[10] Nov. 6 Patrick Snyder (inc) Republican 13,791 55.25% Alyson Leahy Dem. 11,150 44.67% 24,962 2,641
2020 General[11] Nov. 3 Patrick Snyder (inc) Republican 16,599 55.09% Jeff Johnson Dem. 13,515 44.85% 30,132 3,084
2022 General[12] Nov. 8 Patrick Snyder (inc) Republican 13,689 56.20% Kristin Conway Dem. 10,659 43.76% 24,358 3,030

References

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  1. ^ "Representative Patrick Snyder".
  2. ^ a b c d "About Patrick - Biography". Patrick Snyder - 85th Assembly District. Archived from the original on May 1, 2017. Retrieved September 30, 2024 – via Wayback Machine.
  3. ^ a b c "Representative Patrick Snyder". Wisconsin Legislature. 2023. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
  4. ^ Canvass Results for 2012 Partisan Primary - 8/14/2012 (Report). Wisconsin Government Accountability Board. August 28, 2012. p. 59. Retrieved September 30, 2024 – via Wisconsin Historical Society.
  5. ^ a b Canvass Results for 2012 Presidential and General Election - 11/6/2012 (Report). Wisconsin Government Accountability Board. December 26, 2012. p. 29. Retrieved September 30, 2024 – via Wisconsin Historical Society.
  6. ^ Lawder, Melanie (April 7, 2015). "Longstanding incumbent wins Schofield City Council seat". Wausau Daily Herald. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
  7. ^ "Heaton Won't Seek Re-election to Assembly". Wausau Daily Herald. January 12, 2016. p. A3. Retrieved September 30, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ Canvass Results for 2016 Partisan Primary - 8/9/2016 (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Government Accountability Board. September 30, 2016. p. 64. Retrieved September 30, 2024 – via Wisconsin Elections Commission.
  9. ^ a b Canvass Results for 2016 General Election - 11/8/2016 (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. December 22, 2016. p. 28. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
  10. ^ a b Canvass Results for 2018 General Election - 11/6/2018 (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. February 22, 2019. p. 29. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
  11. ^ a b Canvass Results for 2020 General Election - 11/3/2020 (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. November 18, 2020. p. 28. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
  12. ^ a b Canvass Results for 2022 General Election - 11/8/2022 (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. November 30, 2022. p. 28. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
  13. ^ a b "New, compacted political maps in Marathon County boot long-time legislator from old district". The Badger Project. May 13, 2024. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
  14. ^ Pfantz, Erik (September 30, 2024). "Clerk's office drop box that had been removed by Wausau mayor returns outside City Hall". Wausau Daily Herald.
  15. ^ "Representative Patrick Snyder Silent on Mayor Diny's Improper Tampering of City of Wausau Absentee Drop Box" (PDF). Yee for Wisconsin (Press release). September 25, 2024. Retrieved September 30, 2024 – via Wispolitics.com.
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Wisconsin State Assembly
Preceded by Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the 85th district
January 3, 2017 – present 		Incumbent
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