Khary Penebaker
Born (1977-10-22) October 22, 1977
Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.
Alma materUniversity of Wisconsin–Milwaukee (BA)
Political partyDemocratic

Khary D. Penebaker (born October 22, 1977) is an American businessman, political candidate, and member of the Democratic National Committee.

Personal life

Penebaker was born in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1977.[1][2][3] Penebaker's mother Joyce committed suicide by self-inflicted gunshot on September 9, 1979.[4][5] He graduated from Marquette University High School in 1996 and received a degree in marketing from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee in 2001, where he was a successful athlete in track and field.[6][7]

Career

Penebaker is an American businessman and entrepreneur in the roofing industry. He has received industry awards such as 2004 Supplier of the Year Award from the Wisconsin Supplier Development Council, Madison FAAIR Award Recipient (Focused Affirmative Action Initiative and Results); Recognizing Accomplishments in Workforce Diversity (2010)[8] and the 2010 Minority Business Contractor of the Year Award from Wisconsin's Daily Reporter.[9][10] He has volunteered as a spokesperson for several crime and safety-oriented organizations, including Moms Demand Action[11] and Everytown for Gun Safety, and he is a strong advocate for suicide prevention.[12][13]

2016 US Congressional campaign

As a member of the Democratic Party, Penebaker ran for the United States House of Representatives in Wisconsin's 5th congressional district.[14][15] The district includes the entirety of Washington and Jefferson counties, and portions of Waukesha, Dodge, Milwaukee, and Walworth counties. Penebaker faced Republican incumbent Jim Sensenbrenner.[16] Penebaker lost to Sensenbrenner, receiving 29.29% of the vote to Sensenbrenner's 66.7%, with 390,844 votes cast.[17]


Wisconsin's 5th Congressional District Election, 2016[18]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
General Election, November 8, 2016
Republican F. James Sensenbrenner (inc.) 260,706 66.70% -2.75%
Democratic Khary Penebaker 114,477 29.29% -1.11%
Libertarian John Arndt 15,324 3.92%
Scattering 337 0.09%
Plurality 146,229 37.41% -1.64%
Total votes 390,844 100.0% +17.43%
Republican hold

Gun ownership background checks

Penebaker is an advocate for universal background checks for gun sales, including private and online sales. According to Penebaker, coordinating the federal, state, and local governments with healthcare professionals and insurance providers to establish better long-term mental health care for those who need it. During his campaign, Penebaker pushed to model federal legislation off Wisconsin's recently passed bipartisan domestic violence law, the SAFE Act, to keep guns away from domestic abusers. Penebaker also pushed for firearm restrictions for suspected persons on the federal no-fly list and other terror watch lists, while supporting an appeal process in case a name has been added to such lists in error.[19]

DNC Representative

Penebaker was elected as a Representative to the Democratic National Committee in a June 2017 Special Election. He succeeded fellow Democrat Jason Rae who was appointed Secretary of the Democratic National Committee. Penebaker stepped down June 2023, as was succeeded by Alex Lasry.

References

  1. ↑ "Joyce Penebaker". www.sodina.org. 2016.
  2. ↑ "New Discoveries Years after a Mother's Suicide". Precious Lives. 2015.
  3. ↑ "Joyce Penebaker". Say Enough. 2016. Archived from the original on 2017-09-26. Retrieved 2017-01-26.
  4. ↑ Khary Penebaker [@kharyp] (April 29, 2016). "Joyce Penebaker Death Certificate" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  5. ↑ "The Loneliest Club". CNN. 2015.
  6. ↑ "Gun control groups emphasize suicides in bid for more public support". CNN. January 12, 2016.
  7. ↑ "Wisconsin Congressional Candidate Highlights Mother's Suicide As Need For More Gun Control". Wisconsin Public Radio. November 7, 2016.
  8. ↑ "City of Madison Announces 2010 Public Works Contractor Awards". City of Madison, Wisconsin. January 29, 2010.
  9. ↑ Justin Kern. "Quiet confidence". The Daily Reporter. Retrieved 2017-01-26.
  10. ↑ "Penebaker Enterprises: Wins another award". Wisconsin Business. September 23, 2010.
  11. ↑ "I Wish She Would've Held Me Rather than That Gun". Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense In America. 2015-03-18. Archived from the original on 2017-02-02. Retrieved 2017-01-26.
  12. ↑ Khary Penebaker - End Gun Violence. Everytown for Gun Safety. December 25, 2015. Retrieved 2017-01-26 – via YouTube.
  13. ↑ Khary Penebaker (September 9, 2015). "We know how to prevent gun violence, so why don't we?". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
  14. ↑ "Political newcomer squares off with Rep. Sensenbrenner". NBC15 WMTV. 20 April 2016. Archived from the original on 10 May 2017. Retrieved 17 July 2016.
  15. ↑ Keith, Theo (6 March 2016). "Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner draws challenger in Wisconsin's 5th congressional district". FOX6 Now.
  16. ↑ Keith, Theo (6 March 2016). "Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner draws challenger in Wisconsin's 5th congressional district". FOX6 Now.
  17. ↑ "Canvass Results for 2016 General Election" (PDF). Wisconsin Elections Commission. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-01-08. Retrieved 2017-01-08.
  18. ↑ Canvass Results for 2016 General Election - 11/8/2016 (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. December 22, 2016. p. 4. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 7, 2020. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
  19. ↑ "Congress Fails to Protect America" (PDF). The Wheeler Report. June 23, 2016. Retrieved 2016-09-30.
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