Brent Jacobson
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Brent Jacobson | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the 87th district | |
| Assumed office January 6, 2025 | |
| Preceded by | James W. Edming |
| Mayor of Mosinee, Wisconsin | |
| In office April 21, 2015 – December 9, 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Alan Erickson |
| Succeeded by | Peter Nievinski |
| Member of the Board of Supervisors of Marathon County, Wisconsin, from the 26th district | |
| In office April 2020 – April 2022 | |
| Preceded by | John Durham |
| Succeeded by | Jean R. Maszk |
| Personal details | |
| Born | April 26, 1984 |
| Party | Republican |
| Spouse | Tessa Marie |
| Children | 1 |
| Parent |
|
| Education | |
| Profession | Lawyer |
| Website | Campaign website |
Brent William Jacobson (born April 26, 1984) is an American lawyer and Republican politician from Mosinee, Wisconsin. He is a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly, and represents Wisconsin's 87th Assembly district in the 2025–2026 term. He served as mayor of Mosinee, from 2015 until 2025, and was formerly a member of the board of supervisors of Marathon County, Wisconsin.
His father, James B. Jacobson, also served as mayor of Mosinee and a member of the city council.
Brent Jacobson was born in Wausau, Wisconsin, in April 1984.[1] He was raised and educated in neighboring Mosinee, Wisconsin, graduating from Mosinee High School in 2002.[2] He went on to attend Saint Cloud State University, earning his bachelor's degree in business management in 2006. He immediately went on to law school, obtaining his J.D. from West Virginia University College of Law in 2009. After working for a short time as a commercial litigator in Pennsylvania, Jacobson returned to Wisconsin in 2011, joining the law firm Anderson, O'Brien, Bertz, Skrenes, & Golla (now Anderson O'Brien LLP).[3][4]
Political career
Jacobson made his first bid for public office in 2015, challenging 10-year incumbent Mosinee mayor Alan Erickson. Jacobson stunned Erickson in the general election, taking 71% of the vote.[5] He was re-elected without opposition in 2017, 2019, 2021, and 2023.[6]
After winning his second term as mayor, Jacobson announced that he would run for Wisconsin State Assembly, launching a primary challenge against three-term incumbent John Spiros in the 86th Assembly district. The 86th district then comprised much of central Marathon County, excluding the city of Wausau.[7] Jacobson said he was running to protest the wasteful spending policies of his own party, and highlighted what he saw as deficiencies in the state's Foxconn in Wisconsin project.[8] Spiros won the primary with nearly 65% of the vote.[9]
The following year, after Wisconsin U.S. representative Sean Duffy announced his early resignation from office, Jacobson openly considered a run to succeed him in Congress, but ultimately did not enter the race.[10] Instead, he ran for an open seat on the board of supervisors of Marathon County, Wisconsin, and won the seat without opposition in the spring 2020 election.[11]
In 2022, state senator Jerry Petrowski announced he would not run for re-election to the Wisconsin Senate. Jacobson announced in March 2022 that he would run to succeed Petrowski in the 29th Senate district.[12] Two other Republicans entered the race, and Jacobson ultimately lost the primary to businessman Cory Tomczyk.[13]
In 2024, the Wisconsin Legislature adopted a dramatic redistricting act, after the Wisconsin Supreme Court struck down the decade-old Republican gerrymander. Legislative districts in Marathon County were significantly affected by the redistricting; Mosinee was drawn into the new 87th Assembly district, along with the southeast quadrant of Marathon County and parts of neighboring Shawano, Waupaca, and Portage counties. The 85th district incumbent, Patrick Snyder, was drawn into the new 87th district, but announced quickly that he would relocate in order to maintain residency in the redrawn 85th district, leaving an open seat in the 87th. Jacobson announced in February 2024 that he would run for state Assembly in the open 87th district seat.[14] Once again he faced a contested primary in the overwhelmingly Republican district, but this time he prevailed by a wide margin against Wausau School Board member Cory Sillars.[15] He won the general election with 66% of the vote.[16] He took office in January 2025.