Douglas J. La Follette is an American academic, environmental scientist, and politician who served as the 30th secretary of state of Wisconsin from 1983 to 2023. He is a member of the Democratic Party. At the time of his retirement, La Follette was the longest-serving statewide elected official in the United States; he was narrowly re-elected in 2022 to an unprecedented 12th term in office, but retired shortly after the start of the new term. He previously served as the 28th secretary of state from 1975 to 1979, and in the Wisconsin Senate from 1973 to 1975.

The 22nd Senate District of Wisconsin is one of 33 districts in the Wisconsin Senate. Located in southeast Wisconsin, the district comprises parts of eastern Kenosha County and southeast Racine County, including most of the city of Kenosha and the south side of the city of Racine, along with the villages of Somers and Sturtevant, most of the village of Mount Pleasant, and the northern half of the village of Pleasant Prairie. The district also contains Kenosha Regional Airport, Johnson Wax Headquarters, the Foxconn in Wisconsin industrial park, Regency Mall, Carthage College, and the University of Wisconsin–Parkside campus.