Jess King

Jessica J. King (born July 21, 1975) is a former Democratic member of the Wisconsin Senate, representing the 18th Wisconsin District when elected in 2011. She defeated incumbent Republican Senator Randy Hopper in a special recall election on August 9, 2011, and took office August 25, 2011; but lost the seat to another Republican, Rick Gudex, in the November 2012 general election, which reverted that chamber back to Republican control.

King was born and raised in Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin. Her parents were disabled, and she became a ward of the state at age 15. She put herself through the University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh, working in a juicebox factory and doing similar work, and went on to earn a law degree from Thomas Jefferson School of Law in California. In 2004, she returned to Wisconsin to care for her aging parents. She opened a small business, and served as an adjunct professor at University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh. King was elected to the Oshkosh Common Council, eventually becoming deputy mayor, In 2008, she ran against Hopper for the Senate losing by only 163 votes(41,741 to 41,904).

In the wake of the 2011 Wisconsin protests, King was one of two Wisconsin Democratic challengers successful in unseating Republican incumbent senators who had supported Governor Walker. The 18th District includes Fond du Lac, Oshkosh, and Waupun. She narrowly defeated Hopper by 1254 votes (28,191 votes to 26,937) amid a scandal in March 2011 regarding Hopper's reported marital infidelity

On November 13, 2012, King conceded to Republican Rick Gudex, current Fond du Lac City Council president. As a result of this race, the Wisconsin State Senate reverted to Republican control by a two-vote majority in January 2013.