| James Edming | |
| State: | Wisconsin |
| State Assembly: | Wisconsin |
| District: | 87th |
| Term Start: | January 5, 2015 |
| Predecessor: | Mary Williams |
| Party: | Republican |
| Birth Date: | 22 November 1945 |
| Birth Place: | Ladysmith, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Residence: | Glen Flora, Wisconsin |
| Spouse: | Marty |
| Children: | 3 |
| Profession: | businessman, politician |
| Website: | Official website |
| Nickname: | "Jimmy Boy"[1] |
James W. Edming (born November 22, 1945) is an American businessman and Republican politician. He is a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly since 2015, representing the 87th Assembly district.
From Glen Flora, Wisconsin, Edming graduated from Flambeau High School in Tony, Wisconsin, in 1964. He earned a teaching certificate from the Taylor County Teacher's College in 1967 and attended various other University of Wisconsin System institutions, but did not receive another degree.[2]
He became an entrepreneur and, in 1972, became the owner of Edming Oil Company, a gas station and convenience store.[3] He went on, in 1974, to become the owner of Edming Manufacturing Co., a livestock feed and farm supply company.[4] In the 1980s, he founded OvenWorks Pizza, a manufacturer of frozen pizzas.[5]
He served on the Rusk County Board of Supervisors from 1978 to 1988, and served on the Rusk County Hospital Board from 1980 to 1982, and again from 2010 to 2018.[6]
In 2002 and 2006 Edming was the nominee for Wisconsin's 29th senate district, being defeated both times by incumbent Russ Decker. In 2010, Edming again ran for the nomination, but was defeated by Pam Galloway, who went on to defeat Decker in the general election.
In 2014, he entered the race for Wisconsin State Assembly in the 87th district following the announcement that six-term incumbent Mary Williams would retire at the end of that term.[7] The Republican primary was extremely close, a recount ordered by the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board found Edming the winner by a mere 17 votes over his primary opponent Michael Bub.[8] Edming went on to win the general election with 66% of the vote.[9] He was subsequently reelected in 2016, 2018, 2020 and 2022.[2]
Following the 2024 redistricting, Edming declined to seek re-election.[10]
| Year | Election | Date | Elected | Defeated | Total | Plurality | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | General[11] | Democratic | 38,779 | 68.05% | Rep. | 18,201 | 31.94% | 56,989 | 20,578 | ||||
| 2006 | General[12] | Democratic | 42,139 | 67.68% | Rep. | 20,101 | 32.28% | 62,265 | 22,038 | ||||
| 2010 | Primary[13] | Republican | 10,351 | 70.45% | Rep. | 4,332 | 29.49% | 14,692 | 6,019 | ||||
| Year | Election | Date | Elected | Defeated | Total | Plurality | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Primary[14] | Republican | 1,452 | 28.00% | Rep. | 1,433 | 27.64% | 5,185 | 19 | ||||
| Rep. | 1,339 | 25.82% | |||||||||||
| Rep. | 960 | 18.51% | |||||||||||
| General[15] | Republican | 14,121 | 66.37% | Dem. | 7,098 | 33.36% | 21,277 | 7,023 | |||||
| Rep. | 52 | 0.03% | |||||||||||
| 2016 | General[16] | Republican | 18,179 | 67.97% | Dem. | 8,554 | 31.98% | 26,745 | 9,625 | ||||
| 2018 | General[17] | Republican | 15,682 | 66.12% | Dem. | 8,027 | 33.84% | 23,719 | 7,655 | ||||
| 2020 | General[18] | Republican | 21,595 | 70.83% | Dem. | 8,887 | 29.15% | 30,490 | 12,708 | ||||
| 2022 | General[19] | Republican | 18,532 | 69.49% | Dem. | 8,127 | 30.48% | 26,667 | 10,405 | ||||