Ron Kind
Ronald James Kind is an American lawyer and politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 1997 to 2023. He is a member of the Democratic Party. His former district is in western Wisconsin, anchored by La Crosse, Eau Claire, Platteville, Stevens Point, Wisconsin Rapids, Prescott, and River Falls. Kind was the dean of Wisconsin's congressional delegation when he chose not to seek re-election in 2022.
Early life, education, and career
Kind was born and raised in La Crosse, the third of five children born to Greta and Elroy Kind. His is the fifth generation of his family to live in the area. Kind's mother formerly worked as the assistant director of personnel in the La Crosse School District. His father had a 35-year career as a telephone repairman and union leader at the La Crosse Telephone Company.Kind attended La Crosse schools and was a student athlete at Logan High School in both football and basketball. He accepted a scholarship to Harvard College and graduated with honors in 1985. At Harvard, Kind played quarterback on the football team and worked during the summer for Wisconsin Senator William Proxmire in Washington. While working for Proxmire, he took part in investigations that helped determine the "winners" of the Golden Fleece Awards, presented by Proxmire to those responsible for government waste.
Kind received a master's degree from the London School of Economics and a J.D. degree from the University of Minnesota Law School. He practiced law for two years at Quarles and Brady, a law firm in Milwaukee.
Kind returned to La Crosse to become an assistant district attorney. He later served as a state special prosecutor in several western Wisconsin counties.
U.S. House of Representatives
Elections
While campaigning for an eighth term in Congress in 1994, Republican Representative Steve Gunderson announced that it would be his last. Kind, then an assistant district attorney in La Crosse, moved quickly to set up a campaign operation. In April 1995, he took a leave of absence from the district attorney's office and by June he boasted an extensive campaign operation across the district. In September 1995, Kind announced his candidacy. A yearlong, five-way Democratic primary contest ensued; Kind won the September 1996 primary election with 46% of the vote. In the general election, he faced Republican James Harsdorf, a former Wisconsin state senator. At the time of the 1996 election, only two Democrats had represented Wisconsin's 3rd congressional district during the 20th century and only one in the last 88 years; the election was hotly contested with national political figures appearing in support of both candidates. Kind's campaign attacked Harsdorf for his stated support for polarizing national Republican leaders such as Newt Gingrich and Dick Armey, and used it to link him to unpopular Republican policies such as cutting Medicare; Harsdorf bashed Kind as "another lawyer running for Congress." Kind defeated Harsdorf with 52% of the vote. He didn't face another contest nearly that close until 2010.2006
In 2006, Kind faced a surprise primary challenge from La Crosse activist Charles "Chip" DeNure, who ran unsuccessfully for mayor in 2001 and had flirted with several other mayoral campaigns. He challenged Kind over the Iraq War, with DeNure declaring his support for a timetable to withdraw American forces. DeNure also claimed the September 11 attacks were "an inside job by terrorists within the U.S. government." Kind won 83% of the primary vote and went on to defeat Republican Paul R. Nelson with 65% of the vote in the general election.2010
In late 2009, Kind considered running for governor of Wisconsin in 2010 but ultimately said that instead he would push in Congress for health care reform. Of his decision to run for reelection, Kind said: "My first responsibility must be to get affordable and accessible health care reform passed this year for all Wisconsin families. That is why I cannot run for governor. I have a responsibility and duty to the people of Wisconsin to continue work on the health care reform agenda ahead of us." The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that he had given up on running for governor "after a poll showed that few Wisconsinites knew him."Amid the difficult and controversial passage of the Affordable Care Act and the Tea Party protests of 2009 and 2010, Wisconsin media described Kind as facing "what is widely considered his toughest re-election challenge." His Republican opponent, state senator Dan Kapanke, who represented much of the central portion of the district, "focused almost exclusively on three core Republican issues—less spending, lower taxes, and smaller government." Kapanke also criticized Kind for allegedly soliciting thousands of dollars in 2007 from a group of Eau Claire doctors. Despite a national Republican wave, which also saw Republicans win every statewide office in Wisconsin, Kind survived the challenge from Kapanke with just over 50% of the vote.
2012
There was talk that Kind might run for the U.S. Senate in 2012 to replace the retiring Herb Kohl, but he decided not to mount a primary challenge to fellow U.S. Representative Tammy Baldwin, who had already announced her candidacy. There was also a push to draft Kind to run for governor against Scott Walker in the 2012 gubernatorial recall election.Kind ultimately decided to run for reelection to Congress. He faced retired U.S. Army Colonel Ray Boland in the November election and won with 64% of the vote.
2016
In 2016, seeking his 11th term in Congress, Kind faced a primary challenge from Eau Claire teacher Myron Buchholz. Buchholz was an outspoken supporter of U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, who had been defeated in the 2016 Democratic Party presidential primaries but had carried Kind's congressional district in the Wisconsin presidential primary. Kind said, "I think that people have gotten to know me. I will not apologize for trying to find common ground in divided government", and defended his support for the Trans-Pacific Partnership, an issue that was polarizing working-class voters. Kind defeated Buchholz, 81% to 19%, in the primary, and faced no Republican challenger in the general election.2018
In April 2017, The Hill reported that Kind was a "prime target" for Republicans in the 2018 elections. The article cited a number of concerns for Kind, including that President Donald Trump had carried his district in the 2016 presidential election. The Cook Political Report also cited Kind's district as the 25th most Republican-trending district held by a Democrat. Kind was also facing criticism over the fact that a veteran who had died after taking an off-label mixture of pills prescribed to him by the Tomah VA had previously contacted Kind's congressional office.Kind also faced a potential primary challenge in 2018 from LGBTQ advocate Juliet Germanotta, who described herself as transgender, HIV positive, and a democratic socialist, but in February 2018, she was charged on an outstanding warrant in New York City for the theft of a $4,800 ring. Germanotta ultimately failed to gather enough signatures to appear on the primary ballot, and Kind avoided a primary.
Despite Republican hopes for the district, Kind was easily reelected, defeating Republican Steve Toft with 59% of the vote.
Tenure
Kind was the House Democrats' Chief Deputy Whip under Steny Hoyer. He was co-founder of both the Upper Mississippi River Congressional Caucus and the Congressional Wildlife Refuge Caucus, and chair of the New Democrat Coalition. He voted with his party 87% of the time in the 112th Congress and 94% of the time in the 111th Congress. During the 114th Congress Kind was ranked the 19th most bipartisan member of the U.S. House of Representatives and the most bipartisan member of the House from Wisconsin in the Bipartisan Index created by The Lugar Center and the McCourt School of Public Policy. The index ranks members of Congress by bipartisanship by measuring how often their bills attract co-sponsors from the opposite party and how often they co-sponsor bills by members of the opposite party.After the failed effort to unseat Governor Scott Walker in a June 2012 recall election, Kind said that Democrats should be proud of forcing recall elections despite the outcome. He said that his conversations with voters had convinced him that the only reason that Democrats lost was that people didn't think it was a proper use of the recall process.
Kind opposed Nancy Pelosi's bids for Speaker of the House in both 2006 and 2018. After winning control of the House in 2006, Pelosi asked Kind to resign from his position as Chief Deputy Whip. In 2018, as Democrats were again poised to win a majority, he again noted his opposition, saying to The Hill: "I've been consistent in saying we're in desperate need of new leadership on both sides, as we move forward in the new Congress." Kind followed through on his election pledge to oppose Pelosi and voted instead for Congressman John Lewis in the election for Speaker in 2019.
On December 18, 2019, Kind voted for both articles of impeachment against President Trump.