Ronald James Kind OBE (born March 16, 1963) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the U.S. representative for Wisconsin's 3rd congressional district from 1997 to 2023.

At Harvard, Kind played quarterback on the football team and worked during the summer for Wisconsin Senator William Proxmire in Washington.

[1][non-primary source needed] While campaigning for an eighth term in Congress in 1994, Republican Representative Steve Gunderson announced that it would be his last.

[8][9] In late 2009, Kind considered running for governor of Wisconsin in 2010 but ultimately said that instead he would push in Congress for health care reform.

Of his decision to run for reelection, Kind said: "My first responsibility must be to get affordable and accessible health care reform passed this year for all Wisconsin families.

"[11] Amid the difficult and controversial passage of the Affordable Care Act and the Tea Party protests of 2009 and 2010, Wisconsin media described Kind as facing "what is widely considered his toughest re-election challenge."

[14] There was talk that Kind might run for the U.S. Senate in 2012 to replace the retiring Herb Kohl, but he decided not to mount a primary challenge to fellow U.S. Representative Tammy Baldwin, who had already announced her candidacy.

[17] In 2016, seeking his 11th term in Congress, Kind faced a primary challenge from Eau Claire teacher Myron Buchholz.

I will not apologize for trying to find common ground in divided government", and defended his support for the Trans-Pacific Partnership, an issue that was polarizing working-class voters.

[21] The article cited a number of concerns for Kind, including that President Donald Trump had carried his district in the 2016 presidential election.

[21] Kind also faced a potential primary challenge in 2018 from LGBTQ advocate Juliet Germanotta, who described herself as transgender, HIV positive, and a democratic socialist,[22] but in February 2018, she was charged on an outstanding warrant in New York City for the theft of a $4,800 ring.

[29] In 2018, as Democrats were again poised to win a majority, he again noted his opposition, saying to The Hill: "I've been consistent in saying we're in desperate need of new leadership on both sides, as we move forward in the new Congress.

[32] Representing some of the country's most productive dairy farms, Kind has for many years supported reforms to U.S. agricultural subsidy programs.

[33] In 2007, he upset Democratic House leaders by co-sponsoring—with Republican congressman Jeff Flake—a bill that would have eliminated subsidies for those earning over $250,000 while increasing funding for conservation and rural development.

Pelosi, who had worked to make the original bill accommodating for those rural Democratic interests, was upset with Kind's proposal.

The act would require school districts to report on students' physical activity and to give youngsters health and nutritional information.

"[41] WIZM reported in February 2018 that Kind was one of a relatively small number of Democrats who had received contributions from the National Rifle Association of America.

[42] Kind was one of two Democrats to vote against HR 1446: Enhanced Background Checks Act of 2021, designed to close the so-called Charleston loophole.

[43] In June 2022, Kind was the only Democrat to vote against a measure establishing AMBER Alert-like systems for active shooter events.

[45] In a statement, Kind said he is "concerned that a system like this could generate more chaos and cause armed civilians to rush to the scene, potentially interfering with law enforcement efforts.

"[49] In October 2014, Kind said he supported "comprehensive immigration reform that secures our borders, helps our farmers and businesses meet their labor needs, and fairly addresses the millions of undocumented individuals in the shadows.

[52] In January 2017, Kind issued a statement in which he maintained that "President Trump's Executive Order blocking refugees and people from select Muslim countries from entering the United States does not reflect who we are as a nation.

[56][57] The La Crosse Tribune reported in January 2014 that Kind was coming "under increasing criticism from those on the left who say his support of new free-trade agreements will kill jobs."

In a January 2007 letter to President Bush, Kind and a dozen-odd other members of Congress wrote that success in Iraq "requires regional cooperation and positive engagement from all neighboring states.

The history of the Middle East is too vast, too complex and too tumultuous to expect progress without an integrated diplomatic effort and multinational support from all of Iraq's neighbors.

"[63][64] In September 2014, Kind said that he opposed "sending any military combat troops in order to deal with ISIS," but expressed support for President Obama's "decisions to use targeted airstrikes in Syria and Iraq to degrade and destroy ISIS, and to send service members to assist Iraqi and Kurdish forces with training and intelligence.

Having won the 2020 general election by only about three percentage points, compared to a 20-point win in 2018, and facing a rematch with his 2020 Republican opponent (and ultimate successor) Derrick Van Orden, Kind told reporters, "I've run out of gas.

[citation needed] On February 6, 2023, Kind joined the law firm Arnold & Porter as a senior policy advisor.

[75] Kind was appointed an Honorary Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2023 Special Honours for services to UK/US relations.

"[77] In October 2010, two doctors at the OakLeaf Surgical Hospital in Eau Claire charged that Kind had demanded campaign donations before meeting them to discuss the Children's Health and Medical Protection Act.