State Sen. Chris Kapenga (R-Delafield) announced Monday that he is running for Waukesha County Executive in the special election to replace the late Paul Farrow. He made the announcement live in studio on the Dan O’Donnell Show.
Farrow, a longtime Republican who served as county executive since 2015, died July 7 at age 61 after a courageous public battle with a rare cancer diagnosed in September 2024. The Waukesha County Board has scheduled the special general election for Dec. 15, with a primary, if needed, on Nov. 17.
Kapenga, a certified public accountant and former Senate president, has represented the heavily Republican 33rd Senate District since winning a 2015 special election for the seat Farrow vacated to become county executive, said he would resign his Senate seat in January if he wins both re-election in November and the county executive race in December.
“I am running for Waukesha County Executive,” Kapenga told O’Donnell during the live interview. The special election follows Farrow’s death, creating an opening for the county executive position in one of Wisconsin’s most prosperous and reliably conservative counties. Kapenga shared stories of campaigning with Farrow and the positive impact he had.
Kapenga has been a fixture in Waukesha County Republican politics for over a decade, first elected to the state Assembly in 2010 before moving to the Senate. He previously owned a technology company specializing in timekeeping systems and has positioned himself as a fiscal conservative focused on limited government and taxpayer protection.
Other potential Republican candidates include former state Sen. Rob Hutton and state Rep. Scott Allen. No Democrats have announced plans to run in the solidly Republican county.
The Dec. 15 special election will fill the remainder of Farrow’s term. If there are enough candidates, a primary will be held on November 17. An interim county executive is currently serving. Kapenga is the first high-profile candidate to formally enter the race.
