Chris Larson
Encyclopedia
Christopher J. “Chris” Larson (born November 12, 1980) is a Democratic member of the Wisconsin Senate, representing the 7th District
Wisconsin Senate, District 7
The 7th District of the Wisconsin Senate is located in Southern Wisconsin, and is composed of parts of Milwaukee County.-Current elected officials:Chris Larson is the senator serving the 7th district...

 since 2011. He was previously a member of the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors from 2008 through 2010.

Early life, education and career

Larson graduated from Thomas More High School in Milwaukee in 1999 and earned a Bachelor’s degree in finance
Finance
"Finance" is often defined simply as the management of money or “funds” management Modern finance, however, is a family of business activity that includes the origination, marketing, and management of cash and money surrogates through a variety of capital accounts, instruments, and markets created...

 from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, with a minor in political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...

. During his freshman year at UWM, the 19-year-old was ticketed for shoplifting
Shoplifting
Shoplifting is theft of goods from a retail establishment. It is one of the most common property crimes dealt with by police and courts....

 food from a Milwaukee grocery store. As part of a plea bargain
Plea bargain
A plea bargain is an agreement in a criminal case whereby the prosecutor offers the defendant the opportunity to plead guilty, usually to a lesser charge or to the original criminal charge with a recommendation of a lighter than the maximum sentence.A plea bargain allows criminal defendants to...

, Larson agreed to take a course in exchange for having the charges dropped. The arrest has been repeatedly brought up whenever he runs for office.

Before being elected to the County Board in 2008, he was business manager
Business manager
In a general context, a business manager is a person who manages the work of others in order to run a business efficiently and make a large profit...

 of a sporting goods store.
Larson is an avid runner, and has completed many marathon
Marathon
The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres , that is usually run as a road race...

s. He is married to Jessica; they live near Humboldt Park in Milwaukee.

Wisconsin Senate

On September 14, 2010 Larson defeated incumbent Senator Jeff Plale
Jeffrey Plale
Jeffrey T. 'Jeff' Plale is a Democratic politician and former member of the Wisconsin Senate, representing the 7th District from 2003 until 2011...

 in the Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...

 Democratic primary election
Primary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....

, contending that Plale was far too conservative for the district. Larson won by 7,962 (60.7%) to 5,148 (39.3%) for Plale.

Larson subsequently won against Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

 Jesse Ripp in the November 2, 2010 Senate race, in an election that saw four Wisconsin Democratic seats fall to Republicans. He turned 30 the week after the election, and is the youngest member of the Senate.

2011 Wisconsin protests

During the protests in Wisconsin, Larson, along with the 13 other Democratic State Senators, fled the state to deny the State Senate a quorum on Governor Scott Walker
Scott Walker (politician)
Scott Kevin Walker is an American Republican politician who began serving as the 45th Governor of Wisconsin on January 3, 2011, after defeating Democratic candidate Tom Barrett, 52 percent to 47 percent in the November 2010 general election...

's controversial "Budget Repair" legislation. All 14 returned on March 12.

External links

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