Max Wise is a member of the Kentucky State Senate, representing District 16. He assumed office on January 1, 2015. His current term ends on January 1, 2027. The Republican primary for this office on May 19, 2026, was canceled. Senate Republicans elected Wise majority leader of the Kentucky State Senate in November 2024. Wise was born and raised in Campbellsville, Kentucky. He earned bachelor's degrees in political science and history from Campbellsville University in 1997 and a master's in international politics and national security from the University of Kentucky in 1999. Wise received a certificate in homeland security from Texas A&M in 2008. Before entering politics, Wise worked as an intelligence analyst for the FBI from 2003 to 2008. Beginning in 2007, Wise began teaching courses as an assistant professor on American government and international relations at Campbellsville University. In 2011, Wise joined the University of Kentucky's Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce, where he taught graduate courses on intelligence and national security. Wise was still teaching at the University of Kentucky at the time he was elected Senate Majority Leader.
