Evan Goyke (born November 24, 1982) is an American lawyer, academic, and Democratic politician from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He is a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing Wisconsin's 18th Assembly district since 2013. He is also city attorney of Milwaukee, since April 2024. His father is former Wisconsin state senator Gary Goyke.
Evan Goyke | |
|---|---|
| City Attorney of Milwaukee | |
| Assumed office April 16, 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Tearman Spencer |
| Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the 18th district | |
| Assumed office January 7, 2013 | |
| Preceded by | Tamara Grigsby |
| Personal details | |
| Born | November 24, 1982 Neenah, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Parent |
|
| Residence | Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
| Alma mater | St. John's University (BA) Marquette University (JD) |
| Profession | Lawyer, politician |
| Website | Official website |
Early life and education
editGoyke was born in Neenah, Wisconsin, the son of former state senator Gary Goyke. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science from St. John's University and a Juris Doctor from the Marquette University Law School.
Career
editAfter graduating from law school, Goyke worked as an attorney in the Milwaukee office of the State Public Defender. He also became an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Marquette University Law School, where he has worked on the Milwaukee Street Law Project, in which Marquette second- and third-year law students participate in a weekly seminar; go on to teach an "introduction to law" course at local high schools; and finally conduct a citywide mock trial competition.[1]
When incumbent Grigsby was forced to decline re-nomination in the wake of her cancer problems, this heavily-Democratic district saw an eight-way primary election. Goyke faced a seven opponents in the crowded Democratic primary field. His opponents included Jarett Fields, an employee of the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee and brother of Democratic incumbent Jason Fields of the neighboring 11th District.[2] With 1,637 votes out of 4,399 (more than twice that of Fields, his nearest competitor), he achieved a plurality of 37.2%.[3] In the November general election, he faced only Libertarian Melba Morris-Page, winning with 16,245 to Morris-Page's 2,133.[4] Goyke went on to win re-election five times in this Assembly district.
In the 2024 Spring election, Goyke was elected city attorney of Milwaukee with 63% of the vote. He defeated incumbent Tearman Spencer, whose one term as city attorney was plagued by scandal and controversy. Goyke took office April 16; he has announced that he will not run for re-election to the State Assembly but will serve out the remainder of the 2023–2024 term.[5]
References
edit- ^ "Evan Goyke biography". Marquette University Law School. Archived from the original on September 4, 2011. Retrieved 2016-07-20.
- ^ Bauter, Alison (August 14, 2012). "Goyke takes Rep. Tamara Grigsby's open Assembly seat in eight-way primary". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved April 6, 2024.
- ^ Wisconsin Department of Elections - Official Primary Results
- ^ "Nov. 6 general election results: Assembly Dist. 18" JSonline November 7, 2012
- ^ "Evan Goyke elected Milwaukee city attorney, finishing Assembly term". WITI (TV). April 5, 2024. Retrieved April 6, 2024.