Scott Fitzgerald
Scott Fitzgerald, a Republican who has represented Wisconsin's 5th congressional district since 2021 and previously led Republicans in the Wisconsin State Senate, faces Democrat Andrew Beck in the 2026 general election.
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- Born
- November 16, 1963
- Birthplace
- Chicago
- Education
- Hustisford High School (1981)
University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh (Bachelor of Science, 1985)
United States Army Command and General Staff College
Biography & Campaign Analysis
Background
Scott Fitzgerald was born on November 16, 1963, in Chicago and moved with his family to Hustisford, Wisconsin, at age 11. He graduated from Hustisford High School in 1981 and earned a Bachelor of Science from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh in 1985.
His father, Stephen Fitzgerald, was sheriff of Dodge County for 14 years, and his younger brother, Jeff, was speaker of the Wisconsin State Assembly during the 2011 to 2012 session. Fitzgerald and his wife, Lisa, have three sons.
Career
Fitzgerald joined the U.S. Army Reserve in 1981 and was commissioned as a lieutenant in the Armor Branch in 1985. He completed the United States Army Command and General Staff College and served in assignments including battalion commander over 27 years, retiring as a lieutenant colonel in 2009.
He also worked as a newspaper publisher, buying the Dodge County Independent News in Juneau, Wisconsin, in 1990 and selling it in 1996 to the Watertown Daily Times, where he remained as associate publisher for several years.
In 1994 Fitzgerald won the 13th district seat in the Wisconsin Senate by unseating Republican incumbent Barbara Lorman in a three-way primary, and he served from 1995 to 2021.
His Republican colleagues elected him majority leader for the 2011 to 2012 session, and he led the chamber's Republicans for the rest of his time in the legislature.
After incumbent Jim Sensenbrenner announced his retirement, Fitzgerald ran for the 5th congressional district in 2020 and won the Republican primary with 77% of the vote. He has served on the committees on the Judiciary, Education and Labor, and Small Business.
2026 race
Scott Fitzgerald is the incumbent in Wisconsin's 5th congressional district, which takes in the northern and western suburbs of Milwaukee, including Washington County, Jefferson County, and most of Waukesha County. He was reelected with 64.4% of the vote in 2024 and is the Republican nominee again in 2026. His Democratic opponent is Andrew Beck, who won the Democratic primary with 99.72% of the vote. The general election takes place on November 3, 2026.