The new congressman from the 8th District is Republican Reid Ribble, a political newcomer who defeated two-term Democratic Rep. Steve Kagen in 2010. Read More

The new congressman from the 8th District is Republican Reid Ribble, a political newcomer who defeated two-term Democratic Rep. Steve Kagen in 2010.

Ribble was raised in Appleton and was the youngest of eight children. He told National Journal that he got beaten up a lot as a youth, a consequence of his tendency to say exactly what was on his mind. His father was a World War II-era Marine who started a roofing business that still bears the family name. In high school, Ribble played volleyball and ran track. He also began dating DeaNa, the girl who would become his wife. After high school, Ribble enrolled in Grand Rapids Bible and Music School, planning to join the Baptist ministry. But in 1976, when he was 20 years old, his father asked him to take over the business. Ribble left school and spent the next five years learning the ropes from his father, and in 1981, he became president of the company. He said that his greatest challenges were overcoming his fear of heights and dealing with the volatile nature of the construction industry. Ribble ran the commercial and industrial roofing firm for almost 30 years, until he sold it to his nephew in 2009. An avid reader, he says he has read thousands of books. Another cherished pastime is taking trips with his wife on his BMW touring motorcycle.

In his first run for public office, Ribble got into the contest against Kagen as “just an American who is frustrated with the overall condition of the economy and state of the union,” he said. He added that he was fed up with “out-of-control spending,” the ballooning deficit, and illegal immigration. Ribble campaigned in the mold of Republicans Rep. Mike Pence of Indiana and Sen. Jim DeMint of South Carolina, two of the most conservative members of Congress. His campaign website included detailed position papers, which he said his professional consultants advised against posting. “I decided to go out on a limb and be a different type of candidate, and trust people to make the decision,” Ribble said.

He was an attractive prospect to GOP recruiters because of his lack of a voting record and his ability to self-fund his campaign. In the Republican primary, Ribble dispatched two more-seasoned candidates who served in the Wisconsin House, winning with a hefty 48% of the vote.

In the general-election campaign, Ribble criticized Kagen for his support of President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul and the Democratic energy bill that would put limits on carbon emissions. The northeastern Wisconsin district has a history of giving Democratic representatives the boot after two terms. Kagen had served two terms and never gotten more than 54% of the vote. He raised $2 million and outspent Ribble 2-to-1.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee also stepped in to help with an ad asserting that Ribble’s construction firm had gotten $300,000 in federal stimulus money to replace a school roof, even though the candidate criticized Kagen’s support for the bill. While some endangered Democrats that year ran away from the party’s agenda in Congress, Kagen defended his vote for the health care bill, and he focused on reminding voters that Republican President George W. Bush was in charge when the economy went south in 2007.

Still, Kagen lost the seat to Ribble, 54.7% to 45%. The Oshkosh Northwestern blamed his defeat on high unemployment and voters’ belief that Democrats in the majority in Congress were doing too little to fix the problem. Kagen’s embrace of the health care bill also galvanized conservative voters in the district, the newspaper said.