Kristina Marie Sandherr (formerly Shelton; born June 2, 1980) is an American educator and former Democratic politician from Green Bay, Wisconsin. She is a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing Wisconsin's 90th Assembly district since 2021. She previously served on the Green Bay Area School Board.
Kristina Shelton | |
|---|---|
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| Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the 90th district | |
| Assumed office January 4, 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Staush Gruszynski |
| Member of the Green Bay Area School Board | |
| In office August 14, 2018 – January 4, 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Christopher Wagner |
| Succeeded by | Laura Laitinen-Warren |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Kristina Marie Sandherr June 2, 1980 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse |
Jon Shelton
(m. 2006; div. 2023) |
| Children | 2 |
| Residence(s) | Green Bay, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Pennsylvania State University (BS) Marymount University (MS) |
| Profession | educator, politician |
| Website | Campaign website |
Early life and career
editSandherr was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on June 2, 1980.[1] She attended Pennsylvania State University from 1998 until 2002, graduating with a B.S. in kinesiology, physical and health education. She later attended Marymount University from 2008 until 2010, earning a master's degree in science and health promotion management. She then taught in the Health and Physical Education department at Northern Virginia Community College from 2010 until 2013. Sandherr worked for Action for Healthy Kids from 2012 until 2019, when she became a program director at a Green Bay area YWCA.[1][2]
Political career
editSandherr's political career began as an appointee to the Green Bay Area Public School Board in 2018, chosen by the other members of the board from a list of applicants.[3] She then won a three-year term in the 2019 spring election,[4] and was serving as the board's vice president when she was elected to the state Assembly.[5]
In December 2019, Green Bay's state representative, Staush Gruszynski, was the subject of sexual harassment accusations from an Assembly staffer. As a result, Gordon Hintz, Democratic leader in the Assembly, stripped Gruszynski of all committee assignments.[6] Two months later, in February 2020, Sandherr announced she would launch a challenge against Gruszynski in the Democratic primary, with the hope of replacing him in the Wisconsin State Assembly.[7][8] Sandherr defeated Gruszynski in the primary with nearly 80% of the vote,[9] and went on to face Republican Drew Kirsteatter, a 21-year-old airline employee and college student, whom she defeated in the general election.[10]
In February 2024, Sandherr announced she would not run for re-election that year and would retire from the Assembly to focus on her family and career.[11]
Personal life
editSandherr was married to Jon Shelton, a professor of history and Democracy & Justice Studies at the University of Wisconsin–Green Bay, until 2023.[12] They have two children, Sara and Keith. Sandherr is a certified yoga instructor.[13][5]
Electoral history
editGreen Bay School Board (2019)
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Election, April 2, 2019 (choose three) | |||||
| Nonpartisan | Eric Vanden Heuvel | 13,756 | 25.16% | ||
| Nonpartisan | Kristina Shelton (incumbent) | 12,675 | 23.18% | ||
| Nonpartisan | Brenda Warren (incumbent) | 12,415 | 22.71% | ||
| Nonpartisan | John Jahnke | 9,950 | 18.20% | ||
| Nonpartisan | Paul Boucher | 5,877 | 10.75% | ||
| Plurality | 1,084 | 1.98% | |||
| Total votes | 54,676 | 100.0% | |||
Wisconsin Assembly (2020, 2022)
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic Primary, August 11, 2020 | |||||
| Democratic | Kristina Shelton | 3,620 | 78.83% | ||
| Democratic | Staush Gruszynski (incumbent) | 971 | 21.15% | ||
| Scattering | 1 | 0.02% | |||
| Plurality | 2,649 | 57.69% | |||
| Total votes | 4,592 | 100.0% | |||
| General Election, November 3, 2020 | |||||
| Democratic | Kristina Shelton | 12,756 | 60.14% | −36.20% | |
| Republican | Drew Kirsteatter | 8,429 | 39.74% | ||
| Scattering | 25 | 0.12% | |||
| Plurality | 4,327 | 20.40% | -72.29% | ||
| Total votes | 21,210 | 100.0% | +57.26% | ||
| Democratic hold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Election, November 8, 2022 | |||||
| Democratic | Kristina Shelton (incumbent) | 9,885 | 59.10% | −1.04% | |
| Republican | Micah J. Behnke | 6,818 | 40.77% | +1.02% | |
| Scattering | 22 | 0.13% | |||
| Plurality | 3,067 | 18.34% | -2.06% | ||
| Total votes | 16,725 | 100.0% | -21.15% | ||
| Democratic hold | |||||
References
edit- ^ a b "Meet Kristina". Kristina for Assembly. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
- ^ "Kristina Shelton on LinkedIn". Retrieved 13 November 2020.
- ^ Hernandez, Samantha (August 15, 2018). "Green Bay School Board chooses Kristina Shelton as new board member". Green Bay Press-Gazette. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
- ^ Hernandez, Samantha (April 2, 2019). "Vanden Heuvel tops Green Bay school board race, incumbents win reelection". Green Bay Press-Gazette. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
- ^ a b "Board of Education - Kristina Shelton". Green Bay Area Public School District. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
- ^ Beck, Molly (December 19, 2019). "Green Bay lawmaker accused of sexually harassing staff member in Legislature". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
- ^ BeMiller, Haley (February 20, 2020). "Green Bay School Board member to run for Assembly seat held by Democrat who sexually harassed staffer". Green Bay Press-Gazette. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
- ^ "Gruszynski faces Shelton in 90th Democratic primary". The Press. 2020-07-28. Retrieved 2020-11-13.
- ^ a b Canvass Results for 2020 Partisan Primary - 8/11/2020 (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. August 26, 2020. pp. 51–52. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
- ^ a b Canvass Results for 2020 General Election - 11/3/2020 (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. November 18, 2020. p. 29. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 15, 2021. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
- ^ Voight, Sophia (February 28, 2024). "Green Bay Rep. Kristina Shelton won't seek reelection to the 90th Assembly District". Green Bay Press-Gazette. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
- ^ "Wisconsin Circuit Court Access". wcca.wicourts.gov. Retrieved 2024-11-05.
- ^ "Kristina Shelton - Wisconsin State Assembly, District 90". Democracy for America. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
- ^ Brown County, Wisconsin - Nonpartisan Office (PDF) (Report). Office of the Clerk of Brown County, Wisconsin. April 8, 2019. p. 8. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
- ^ Canvass Results for 2022 General Election – 11/8/2022 (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. November 21, 2022. pp. 29–30. Retrieved December 11, 2022.