John Leiber

Last updated

John Leiber
37th Treasurer of Wisconsin
Assumed office
January 3, 2023

John S. Leiber (born 1976/1977) [1] is an American lawyer and Republican politician from Racine County, Wisconsin. He is the current state treasurer of Wisconsin, having been elected in the 2022 election. He previously served as president of the parks and recreation commission in Caledonia, Wisconsin, and served as a legislative aide in the Wisconsin State Assembly.

Contents

Early life and education

Leiber was raised in Racine County, Wisconsin, and graduated from Prairie High School in Wind Point, Wisconsin, in 1996. He went on to attend University of Wisconsin–Parkside and earned his bachelor's degree in history in 2000. He then worked for several years as a teacher in the Racine Unified School District. [2]

He resumed his education later in life, enrolling in the University of Wisconsin Law School after his defeat in the 2018 primary; he earned his J.D. in 2021.

Political career

In 2009, Leiber became president of the parks and recreation commission in the village of Caledonia, Wisconsin, and was then employed as a legislative aide in the Wisconsin State Assembly from 2013 through 2016. During these years, he was active in the Republican Party of Racine County, and worked on behalf of the Caledonia school secession movementan unsuccessful movement that sought to separate Caledonia's schools from the Racine Unified School District. [3]

In 2018, Leiber ran for the Republican nomination for Wisconsin State Assembly in the 62nd Assembly district. He lost the primary to Racine school board president Robert Wittke, who went on to win the general election. [4] [5] After his defeat in the Assembly primary, Leiber worked briefly at the Wisconsin Department of Revenue as a tax representative, and then earn his Juris Doctor from the University of Wisconsin Law School and began practicing law. [3]

Leiber ran for office again in 2022, seeking the Republican nomination for Wisconsin State Treasurer. [2] [3] He defeated Orlando Owens with 67% of the vote in the Republican primary [6] and went on to narrowly defeat the Democratic candidate, Aaron Richardson, in the general election. [7] He was sworn into office on January 3, 2023. [8]

Personal life and family

John Leiber is one of three children born to Thomas F. Leiber and Sharon Lynn Charbogian-Leiber of Racine. Before her marriage, his mother was a personal secretary to U.S. representative Henry C. Schadeberg in Washington, D.C. [9] All of John Leiber's maternal great-grandparents were Armenian American refugees who fled to America during the Armenian genocide. [10] [11]

Leiber and his wife, Diane, live in Cottage Grove, Wisconsin. They have three children. [2]

Electoral history

Wisconsin Assembly (2018)

Wisconsin Assembly, 62nd District Election, 2018 [12]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Republican Primary, August 14, 2018
Republican Robert Wittke 3,931 67.50%
Republican John S. Leiber1,88532.37%
Scattering80.14%
Total votes5,824 100.0%

Wisconsin Treasurer (2022)

Wisconsin State Treasurer Election, 2022
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Republican Primary, August 9, 2022 [13]
Republican John S. Leiber 357,384 65.58%
Republican Orlando Owens186,08434.15%
Scattering1,4550.27%
Total votes544,923 100.0%
General Election, November 7, 2022 [14]
Republican John S. Leiber 1,293,553 49.62% +3.48pp
Democratic Aaron Richardson1,254,94948.14%−3.44pp
Constitution Andrew Zuelke57,3332.20%
Scattering1,2680.05%
Plurality38,6041.48%-3.96pp
Total votes2,607,103 100.0% -2.61%
Republican gain from Democratic

References

  1. "John Leiber, Aaron Richardson on their 2022 run for state treasurer of Wisconsin".
  2. 1 2 3 "Racine Native Running For State Treasurer". Racine County Eye. April 21, 2022. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 Baker, Ben (September 20, 2022). "What to know about John Leiber, GOP candidate for Wisconsin treasurer". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel . Retrieved November 13, 2022.
  4. Sadowski, Jonathon (August 7, 2018). "Leiber, Wittke trade barbs week before Assembly primary". Racine Journal Times .
  5. Sadowski, Jonathon (August 14, 2018). "Wittke prevails in Assembly District 62 GOP primary". Racine Journal Times .
  6. Colton, Dan (August 9, 2022). "John Leiber earns county's approval for Republican state treasurer candidacy". Greater Milwaukee Today. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
  7. Menkes, Ava (November 9, 2022). "Republican John Leiber elected Wisconsin state treasurer". The Daily Cardinal . Retrieved November 13, 2022.
  8. "Governor Tony Evers Sworn in for Second Term as Governor". January 4, 2023.
  9. "Charbogian-Leiber". Racine Journal Times . March 15, 1970. p. 45. Retrieved July 30, 2025 via Newspapers.com.
  10. "Sam Charbogian". Racine Journal Times . July 13, 2014. p. A12. Retrieved July 30, 2025 via Newspapers.com.
  11. "Mary Charbogian". Racine Journal Times . February 14, 2018. p. A9. Retrieved July 30, 2025 via Newspapers.com.
  12. Canvass Results for 2018 Partisan Primary - 8/14/2018 (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. August 31, 2018. p. 81. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
  13. Canvass Results for 2022 Partisan Primary - 8/9/2022 (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. August 26, 2022. p. 4. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
  14. Canvass Results for 2022 General Election - 11/8/2022 (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. November 30, 2022. p. 2. Retrieved July 30, 2025.
Party political offices
Preceded by
Travis Hartwig
Republican nominee for Treasurer of Wisconsin
2022
Most recent
Political offices
Preceded by Treasurer of Wisconsin
2023–present
Incumbent