State Senator Kathy Bernier (R-Chippewa Falls) announced on Friday that she won’t be running for another term. Bernier served 12 years in the State Senate and 13 years before that as a county clerk in Chippewa County. She says she will be stepping back from politics to focus on her family and grandchildren.
Bernier, who chairs the Senate Elections commas most recently been an outspoken critic of the ongoing partisan probe into the 2020 presidential election overseen by former state Supreme Court Justice Mike Gableman. That’s a stance that has put her at odds with other members of her caucus. Bernier said that didn’t factor into her decision not to run.
“The choice to retire was a difficult one to make, but I have been contemplating this decision for some time now and I decided ‘now is the time,” Bernier said in a statement. “I want to make it perfectly clear that no one has forced me out and politics has not played a role in my decision.”
“Senator Bernier has been a tremendous asset to our caucus, and I thank Kathy for her 25 years of public service. Her expertise, knowledge, and good humor will be missed in the Senate,” said Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu.