On January 5, 2021, Knodl and 14 other Wisconsin lawmakers signed a letter to Vice President Mike Pence asking him to delay certification of the 2020 United States presidential election. In the letter, they claimed that "The 2020 election witnessed an unprecedented and admitted defiance of state law and procedural irregularities raising questions about the validity of hundreds of thousands of ballots."[2]
On December 2, 2022, Knodl announced that he was running in the special election for the 8th state senate district after incumbent Alberta Darling resigned.[3] On February 21, 2023, Knodl beat Janel Brandtjen and Van Mobley in the Republican primary race. He defeated Democrat Jodi Habush Sinykin on April 4.[4] Knodl was sworn in as a state senator on May 3, 2023.[5]
A year after his election, however, the 2024 redistricting act re-drew the 8th Senate district so that Knodl no longer resided within its boundaries. He announced he would not seek re-election to the Senate, and instead opted to run for his old seat in the 24th Assembly district.[6]