[8] From June 2019 until the present day, Kooyenga has served as a board member and consultant for Alligator Holdings,[8] an early stage investor group that tries to bring products to market through strategic investments.

[9] In 2005, Kooyenga and his two brothers joined the United States Army, a decision they made as a result of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

[10] His experience in Iraq overseeing the construction of roads and bridges, as well as the death of a friend at the hands of a suicide bomber, inspired his interest in politics.

[11] The group's work led to the discovery of a previously unreported $650 million surplus within the books of University of Wisconsin System institutions.

[15] In May 2017, Kooyenga removed a protester's sign, which had a valid permit, from a public area of the Wisconsin State Capitol which was critical of President Donald Trump and Republicans.

[18] Kooyenga announced his campaign for Wisconsin State Senate's 5th District in September 2017, seeking to fill the seat left vacant by Leah Vukmir, who was running for the U.S.

During his time in the Senate, Kooyenga worked on a range of issues related to education, tax cuts and budgeting, professional licensure and healthcare.

[20] In August 2019, he and Republican Amy Loudenbeck introduced telehealth legislation[21] that was signed into law months before the COVID-19 pandemic began.

[26] In April 2022, Kooyenga announced he would not seek re-election to the State Senate, citing his commitments to the U.S. Army, his private sector career, and his four children as reasons for stepping down from public service.