Aug11
Primary Election Day
Polls open 7:00 AM – 8:00 PM · Find your polling place at MyVote.WI.gov
Wisconsin Senate District 1
Hard-Working American Running for State Senate
Jake's running for one reason: to show up for the people of Northeast Wisconsin — making life more affordable, fixing what's broken, and keeping government honest.
Combat Veteran
Farmer
Business Owner
About the Candidate
Meet Jake
Jake came home from deployment and put down roots — literally. He started farming, founded DC Farm for Vets to help fellow veterans heal through agriculture, and built a life in the same Northeast Wisconsin soil his neighbors call home.
Now he's asking to serve again — this time in Madison, standing up for the families, farmers, and workers who make this district what it is.
Wisconsin Senate District 1 is home to some of the most hardworking, community-minded people in this state — from the fishermen and hospitality workers of Door County to the manufacturers and farmers of Kewaunee, Calumet, Manitowoc, and Brown County. These communities deserve a senator who shows up, listens, and delivers on the issues that actually affect daily life. That is what this campaign is about.
— Jake VandenPlas
The Fight Ahead
The Issues
Issue 01 / 06
Supporting Veterans & Mental Health
As a combat veteran who returned home with injuries and PTSD, Jake understands the challenges service members face.
- 1Address the veteran suicide crisis through proactive outreach and expanded community-based resources.
- 2Expand access to mental-health care and support for veterans and first responders navigating PTSD and reintegration.
- 3Fund and strengthen programs such as therapeutic agriculture and peer-support networks that help veterans heal outside traditional clinical settings.
- 4Reduce barriers to VA healthcare and state veteran benefits so Wisconsin keeps its promises to those who served.
- 5Support the families of veterans who carry the weight of service-related challenges every day.
Issue 02 / 06
Relief & Protection for Wisconsin Farmers
Family farms built District 1. As a farmer himself, Jake will fight to protect rural communities from policies that favor large developers and foreign interests over local voices.
- 1Protect prime farmland from corporate giveaways, industrial data centers, and large-scale solar/wind projects that permanently remove Class 1 and 2 soils from food production.
- 2End state subsidies and tax credits that incentivize converting productive agricultural land into industrial or energy projects.
- 3Support local-control legislation giving towns and counties veto power over projects that override community interests.
- 4Draw a hard line against foreign-adversary (including Chinese) ownership of Wisconsin farmland — no more acres under adversarial control near our food supply, military bases, or Great Lakes ports.
- 5Advocate for energy and land-use policies that lower utility bills while preserving the rural character and agricultural businesses in Door, Kewaunee, Calumet, Manitowoc, and Brown counties.
Issue 03 / 06
Standing with Hunters & Rural Sportsmen
Wisconsin hunters and farmers are living with a wolf crisis that state and federal policy has failed to resolve. Livestock losses, attacks on hunting dogs, and impacts on deer herds affect rural families across the district.
- 1Push for science-based management and the delisting of Wisconsin's wolves so the state can responsibly control a population that currently exceeds 1,000 wolves in more than 300 packs.
- 2Work across the aisle to give hunters, farmers, and rural communities practical tools to protect livestock, hunting dogs, and healthy deer herds.
- 3Ensure rural voices — not bureaucrats — shape wildlife policy that affects daily life in Northeast Wisconsin.
Issue 04 / 06
Lowering Everyday Costs & the Tax Burden
Groceries, childcare, health care, housing, and energy bills should not break working families. Jake is focused on policies that help people get ahead, not just get by.
- 1Fight to reduce the overall tax burden on Wisconsin families and small businesses.
- 2Support policies that keep grocery prices, housing costs, and everyday essentials in check.
- 3Advocate for energy policies that lower utility bills for homeowners and businesses.
- 4Oppose taxpayer-funded subsidies and special deals that raise costs for ordinary citizens while benefiting large developers or out-of-state interests.
- 5Prioritize fiscal responsibility and accountability in Madison so government lives within its means and returns value to the people who pay the bills.
Issue 05 / 06
Election Integrity
Everyone deserves to trust that their vote counts. Free, fair, and secure elections — no shortcuts, no games.
- 1Support free, fair, and secure elections with common-sense safeguards that protect every legal vote.
- 2Back transparency in election administration so results are trusted by voters across the political spectrum.
Issue 06 / 06
Independent of PACs, NGOs & Special Interests
Jake's campaign is deliberately structured to remain independent of the influence of political action committees, large non-governmental organizations, and special-interest money.
- 1Contributions fund the practical work of campaigning — gas, yard signs, town halls — rather than national consultants or outside agendas.
- 2By refusing PAC and NGO money, Jake remains accountable only to the voters of Northeast Wisconsin, free from the financial pressures that often shape legislation in Madison.
- 3The campaign runs on grassroots support from veterans, farmers, small-business owners, and local residents who want a senator who answers to them — not to distant organizations.
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Growing Support
Endorsements
Support is growing from the people who know Jake best — neighbors, veterans, farmers, and small business owners who want someone in Madison who actually picks up the phone.
Local Farmers & Ag LeadersStanding with District 1 agriculture
Northeast Wisconsin Veterans GroupsBacking one of their own
Small Business OwnersAcross all of District 1
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Got an hour to knock doors? A kitchen table for a neighborhood conversation? An idea worth hearing? There's a place for you on this team.
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