GOP Rep. Petri wins, extends 33-year US House run

Petri was first elected to Congress in 1979

November 7, 2012 3:05 AM

Site staff,

Posted: November 7, 2012 3:05 AM

Updated: December 31, 2019 6:32 PM

by Site staff

FOND DU LAC, Wis. — Republican Rep. Tom Petri has extended his 33-year career in the U.S. House by winning re-election in east-central Wisconsin.

The 72-year-old Petri was first elected to Congress in 1979. He won another two-year term Tuesday in Wisconsin’s 6th District by holding off a token challenge by Democrat Joe Kallas.

Petri is regularly listed among the wealthiest members of Congress. The Associated Press determined in September that he was the only member of Wisconsin’s House delegation who didn’t pay state income taxes from 2002 to 2005. His spokesman said it was because of investment losses related to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Petri sits on House committees dealing with education and infrastructure. In 2009 he pushed legislation to make more schools eligible for a program that recruits veterans as teachers.