Search articles from thousands of Examiners
Write for us
Washington DC Society and Culture Milwaukee History Examiner
Milwaukee History Examiner

Thompson wins historic fourth term

November 3, 8:10 AMMilwaukee History ExaminerEd Pahule
Comment Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe


Get alerts when there is a new article from the Milwaukee History Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.
Email Address


  Include other special offers from Examiner.com
Terms of Use

Tommy Thompson
Tommy Thompson

On November 3, 1998 Republican Governor Tommy Thompson won a historic fourth term as Wisconsin governor by defeating Democrat Ed Garvey by a margin of 60% to 39%.

Born in Elroy, Wisconsin on November 19, 1941, Thompson began his political career in 1966 when he was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly. In 1973 he became the assistant Assembly minority leader and in 1981, the minority leader.

He was elected the 42nd governor of Wisconsin in 1987 and served through 2001, for an unprecedented four terms. While governor, he created BadgerCare, a program that provided health coverage to families whose employers didn't provide health insurance but who made too much money for Medicaid.

He left the office when he was appointed Health and Human Services Directory by President George W. Bush.

He ran a brief presidential campaign for the 2008 election, announcing his candidacy in April 2007 and dropping out by October 2007 when he endorsed Rudy Giuliani. After Giuliani withdrew, Thompson threw his endorsement to Senator John McCain.

In April of 2009, Tommy Thompson announced that he is considering another run for Wisconsin governor. A recent poll by St. Norbert College found that of likely candidates,Thompson garnered the highest rating with 57%.

Questions, comments, or suggestions: Contact Ed at milwaukeehistory@gmail.com.

 

Add a Comment

Name:


Comments:
characters left

NOTE: Do Not Alter These Fields:

Recent Articles

Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Mason Street is one of the oldest named streets in Milwaukee. It was named after Stevens Thomson Mason, who had been born near Leesburg, Virginia on …
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Edward William Proxmire was born on November 11, 1915 in Lake Forest, Illinois. He was well-educated, graduating from Yale in 1938, Harvard Business …

Things to see and do

Wine Tastings at Chrysalis Vineyards
22 Nov 2009 - 10 am
Chrysalis Vineyards
More special event »
Bird Walk
George Washington Memorial Parkway