Tim Carpenter

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Tim Carpenter is an American politician, and currently a member of the Wisconsin State Senate from Wisconsin's Third Senate district. He looks set to be elected president pro tempore of the senate for the 2007-8 Legislature.^[1]

Carpenter was born in Milwaukee and graduated from Pulaski High School. He received a bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and a master's degree from University of Wisconsin-Madison after studying at its La Follette Institute. ^[2]

Carpenter was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly in 1984 and served nine terms until 2002, holding the post of Speaker Pro Tempore in 1993. He was elected to the Wisconsin Senate in 2002. He currently sits on the Committee on Health, Children, Families, Aging and Long-Term Care, the Committee on Labor and Election Process Reform, and the Committee on State and Federal Relations. He was re-elected to a second senate term in 2006.

In 2004, mid-way through his first term in the senate, Carpenter decided to seek the U.S. House seat being vacated by retiring Congressman Jerry Kleczka. In the heavily-Democratic fourth congressional district, the primary election was the deciding contest and Carpenter faced state senator Gwen Moore and former state party chair Matt Flynn. Moore won almost two-thirds of the vote and Carpenter came in third with 10%.

Carpenter is a supporter of LGBT issues and is, along with Assemblyman Mark Pocan (D-Madison), one of two out gay elected officials in the Wisconsin legislature.^[3] He is a member of the Sierra Club and has been named Legislator of the Year by both Shepherd Express in 2003 and the Wisconsin Professional Fire Fighters in 2002.