2024 Wisconsin State Assembly election


The 2024 Wisconsin State Assembly election was held on Tuesday, November 5, 2024, alongside elections for the State Senate. All 99 seats in the Wisconsin State Assembly were up for election. The primary election was held on August 13, 2024. The filing deadline to appear on the ballot was June 3, 2024.
Prior to the election, 64 Assembly seats were held by Republicans, 34 seats were held by Democrats, with one seat, formerly held by a Democrat, vacant. The race for chamber control was considered far more competitive in this cycle than at any point in the past decade. Following the 2023 Wisconsin Supreme Court election, the newly-seated liberal majority on the court ordered the drawing of new legislative districts. Many saw the implementation of new maps as undoing one of the most egregious gerrymanders in the entire country. Bolstered by the new competitiveness, both parties ran candidates in more Assembly seats than normal and spent heavily on the races.
Aided by the new districts, Democrats gained 10 seats from the Republicans. They failed to win a majority, but they won their largest seat share in the Assembly since before the 2010 elections. Elected members took office on January 6, 2025, with Republicans entering the 107th Wisconsin Legislature with a reduced majority of 54 out of 99 seats.

Background

This election was significantly affected by the legislative maps drawn as a result of the Wisconsin Supreme Court decision in Clarke v. Wisconsin Elections Commission, which declared the previous legislative district map to be unconstitutional on December 22, 2023. The court was in the process of selecting a remedial plan, when the legislature chose to embrace the map proposed by governor Tony Evers. Evers signed the plan into law on February 19, 2024.
Under the new maps, these were expected to be the first competitive elections for the Assembly since 2010, when Republicans won control of the chamber. Democrats were expected to gain a number of seats, and while the maps were still considered slightly Republican-leaning, either major party could have won a majority of seats if they won a majority of the popular vote in the state. Over 40 incumbent representatives had been drawn into districts with one or more other incumbent, with most of them being Republicans.
Democrats last won a majority of seats in the state assembly in the 2008 elections.

Gerrymandering

In the 2010 elections, Republicans won significant majorities in both houses of the Legislature and the governorship. Republicans used their majorities to pass a radical redistricting plan after the 2010 census which substantially shifted the partisan bias of the state legislative maps. The map itself was the product of a Republican project known as REDMAP, created to maximize the partisan bias of redistricting by utilizing new statistical and mapping software. The maps were first used in the 2012 elections, which saw Democrats win 52% of the statewide vote in the Assembly, but they only won 39% of its seats going into the 2013–2015 session. This disproportionality would only grow with future elections, with Republicans consistently winning a large majority of seats while the statewide vote would remain relatively close.
During the 105th Wisconsin Legislature, Wisconsin was again under divided government. The Wisconsin Supreme Court re-asserted a role in arbitrating redistricting disputes for the first time in 60 years. The conservative 4–3 majority on the Court chose to take original jurisdiction over the redistricting case at the urging of state Republican leadership, breaking from prior precedent of deference to federal courts.
The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled in November 2021, in a 4–3 decision on ideological lines, that the standard they would use to draw new maps would be to seek the "least changes" to the existing maps necessary to comply with the new census data. The standard conferred significant partisan advantage to the Republican Party in this map-making process due to the 2011 map's existing partisan tilt. After initially adopting Democratic governor Tony Evers' "least change" proposal, the United States Supreme Court tossed the decision, and the Wisconsin Supreme Court adopted the Republican "least change" proposal, instead.

''Clarke v. Wisconsin Elections Commission''

In 2022, Republicans won 64% of the seats, three away from a supermajority. The following April, the 2023 Wisconsin Supreme Court election flipped the majority on the Wisconsin Supreme Court to a liberal majority for the first time in over 15 years. The day after Janet Protasiewicz was inaugurated, a lawsuit was filed against the 2022 "least change" map.
The Wisconsin Supreme Court released their decision in the case, Clarke v. Wisconsin Elections Commission, on December 22, 2023, declaring the legislative maps unconstitutional in a 4–3 opinion along ideological lines. The court declared that state legislative districts must be composed of "physically adjoining territory" and pointed out that 50 of 99 existing Assembly districts failed that constitutional criteria. The majority decision also declared that the "least changes" methodology used by the court in 2022 for the Johnson v. Wisconsin Elections Commission case was never properly defined and was without legal or constitutional foundation.
The court was in the process of selecting a remedial plan when the legislature chose to pass the map proposed by governor Tony Evers. Evers signed the plan into law on February 19, 2024. Republicans showed the most favorability towards Evers' proposal due to pairing the fewest incumbents and providing Republicans with the best opportunity to retain a majority in the fall elections.

Outgoing incumbents

Retiring

Seeking other office

Vacated office

Lost renomination

Recall election

Two recall petitions were filed with the Wisconsin Elections Commission, both against Robin Vos.

First recall petition

In January 2024, Matthew Snorek, a resident of Burlington, filed paperwork to recall Robin Vos. In the paperwork, Snorek gave a list of grievances against Vos, which included insufficient support for former president Donald Trump, refusing to impeach Wisconsin Elections Commission administrator Megan Wolfe, and his refusal to [Attempts to overturn the 2020 Wisconsin State Assembly election|2020 United States presidential election|decertify the 2020 presidential election]. Many of the people who were involved in the recall campaign were the same people who were involved in the primary challenge against Vos in 2022. On March 10, the recall campaign claimed to have collected over 10,000 signatures, which would be more than enough to trigger a recall election.
The Wisconsin Supreme Court declined to answer the question of what map would be utilized for the recall election, which was in conflict due to Clarke v. Wisconsin Elections Commission. ''Clarke'' prohibited the use of the old maps in any future state legislative elections, while the law establishing the new legislative maps would not take effect until the November general election. After a review by the Wisconsin Elections Commission staff, it was found the recall organizers did not collect enough signatures within either set of boundaries to trigger a recall.

Second recall petition

With the failure of the first petition to get the required amount of signatures, Snorek filed a new petition to recall Vos. He argued that Vos was a supporter of the Chinese Communist Party, had refused to help lower prescription drug costs, and derided members of the petition as "whack-jobs, morons and idiots". Wisconsin Elections Commission staff found that the recall petitioners had turned in 6,866 valid signatures, or 16 more signatures than were necessary to trigger a recall, despite the question of what district was to be used remaining unresolved. Despite the staff findings, the Commission itself rejected an additional 188 signatures, leaving the petitions without enough signatures to trigger a recall.

Campaign

In December 2018, following Tony Evers' victory over incumbent governor Scott Walker, the legislature met in a joint lame-duck session and passed legislation to limit the powers of the incoming Governor and Attorney General. The move was widely described as a power grab but was upheld by the courts.
Due to the legislative gerrymander, Democrats were unable to gain a majority in the State Assembly. Beginning in 2020, Wisconsin Democrats launched the "Save the Veto initiative" as a means to preserve Governor Evers' veto power by preventing a Republican legislative supermajority. Despite this, Republicans came within three seats of a veto-proof supermajority in the Assembly in 2022. Due to the newly competitive legislative maps, Democratic campaign rhetoric shifted from protecting the governor's veto to winning a majority in the assembly.
Democrats ran over 120 candidates in 97 districts, the highest number in over a decade. This election also has the fewest uncontested districts since 1982, with 16 races–14 Democratic candidates and two Republican candidates–without a challenger.

Primary elections

Due to redistricting, the primary featured a large number of races with multiple incumbents. 46 Assembly primaries were contested across the state, the most since 2012. Four incumbent legislators lost their primary elections, three of which were races against other incumbents. In the 24th district, election denier Janel Brandtjen, who had been endorsed by then-former president Donald Trump, was defeated by state senator and former representative to this district Dan Knodl. All incumbents with challengers from outside the legislature won their races.
During the Republican primary campaign, a PAC associated with Speaker Vos and state Republican Party leadership spent over $408,000 to support 16 candidates across the state. The PAC supported incumbent legislators facing primary challenges from more conservative opponents, and supported more moderate incumbents in incumbent-on-incumbent races. In the 19th district, democratic socialist incumbent Ryan Clancy faced a primary from moderate Jarrod Anderson, with socialist-endorsed candidates running in the 11th and 14th districts as well.

PFAS Legislation

To combat the threat of PFAS contamination, the Wisconsin legislature included $125 million in the state budget. Despite this, Republicans on the Joint Finance Committee had refused to release the funds to be used by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. On April 9, Evers vetoed a piece of legislation which would have created grants to fight pollution due to PFAS chemicals, in explaining his veto, Evers cited the restrictions the legislation would have placed on the DNR to prosecute polluters. In vetoing the legislation, Evers also continued calling for the release of the $125 million which was set aside in the budget for combatting PFAS contamination. In response to Evers' veto, JFC members said they would hold the funds hostage.
On April 16, Evers called the JFC to session, but its Republican members refused to attend, denying the committee a quorum to do business. In response to this inaction, Wisconsin Democrats launched a six-figures campaign called "No More Games" which served the purpose to pressure and target members of the Committee. Among their targets included Assembly Republicans Mark Born, Jessie Rodriguez, and Shannon Zimmerman, from the 37th, 21st, and 30th districts respectively.

Results summary

Close races

Seats where the margin of victory was under 10%:

Detailed results

District 1

Incumbent Republican Joel Kitchens ran for re-election. Kitchens faced one opponent in the Republican primary, Milt Swagel, a former Kewaunee County Board supervisor and candidate for this district in 2022. During the campaign, Swagel campaigned to the right of Kitchens and attempted to paint his opponent as insufficiently conservative and as part of the establishment. Kitchens defeated Swagel in the primary election. He went on to defeat Democrat Renee Paplham in the general election by 24 points. Swagel, who had been defeated in the primary, waged a write-in campaign in the general but only gained 5 votes.

District 2

Incumbent Republican Shae Sortwell ran for re-election. In the general election he defeated Democrat Alicia Saunders, a former navy officer.

District 3

Incumbent Republican Ron Tusler ran for re-election. He defeated Democrat and electrician Jason Schmitz in the general election.

District 4

Incumbent Republican David Steffen ran for re-election. Due to redistricting Elijah Behnke was placed into this district but decided to run in the 6th district. Instead, Steffen faced Darwin Behnke, vice chair of the Oconto County Republican Party and father of Elijah. Behnke justified his bid in alleging that Steffen was insufficiently conservative and a "RINO" and argued that he did not want to see Steffen run unopposed in the primary. Steffen defeated Behnke by 33 points and defeated Democrat Jane Benson in the general election.
In the Democratic primary two candidates announced campaigns to take on Steffen, Jane Benson, the nominee for the 89th district in 2022 and fellow Suamico resident Alexia Unertl. In the primary both candidates held similar views to each other, differing primarily in their backgrounds and political history, with Benson running for state assembly in the past and organizing for the League of Women Voters and Unertl serving as the vice chair for the Brown County Conservation Congress. In the primary, Benson defeated Unertl by 57 points and was defeated by David Steffen in the general election.

District 5

Incumbent Republican Joy Goeben ran for re-election. In the general election she defeated Democrat Greg Sampson.

District 6

Incumbent Republican Peter Schmidt ran for re-election. Previously Schmidt had been subject to controversy due to being censured by the Shawano County GOP and being criminally convicted for abuse of a migrant worker on his farm, and was seen as vulnerable to a primary challenge. Elijah Behnke had been previously drawn into the 4th Assembly district due to redistricting but decided to run in the 6th against Schmidt. Behnke defeated Schmidt by a 17 point margin in the primary and defeated Democrat Shirley Hinze in the general election.

District 7

Incumbent Democrat Daniel Riemer declined to seek re-election, leaving this district open. Instead of seeking re-election in this district, fellow incumbent Republican Bob Donovan ran in the 61st district after redistricting placed his residence in the 7th. Democrat Karen Kirsch defeated perennial candidate and Republican Lee Whiting in the general election.

District 8

Incumbent Democrat Sylvia Ortiz-Velez ran for re-election unopposed. In the primary she defeated 2020 candidate for this district Enrique Murguia by a 62-point margin.

District 9

Incumbent Democrat Marisabel Cabrera resigned on August 1 after being elected to the Wisconsin Circuit Court in the Spring general election, leaving this district open. Two Democrats ran to succeed Cabrera, Priscilla Prado, a business owner and treasurer for the Wisconsin Latino Chamber of Commerce, and Deisy España, a student at Milwaukee Area Technical College and organizer for Voces de la Frontera. Both candidates are Hispanic. During the campaign España positioned herself as the progressive candidate, calling for expansions to BadgerCare, strengthening public schools, and restoring workers' rights, among other positions, while Prado focused on public safety, affordable housing and access to healthcare, and police reform. Prado defeated España by a 39 point margin and went on to defeat Republican Ryan Antczak, a corrections officer, in the general election.

District 10

Incumbent Democrat Darrin Madison ran for re-election unopposed.

District 11

Incumbent Democrat Dora Drake won a special election to the 4th Senate district to succeed Lena Taylor, leaving this district open. In the primary, Milwaukee County supervisor Sequanna Taylor defeated University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee student Amillia Heredia. Taylor was unopposed in the general election.

District 12

Incumbent Democrat LaKeshia Myers declined to seek re-election, instead making an unsuccessful run for Wisconsin Senate in the 4th district, leaving this district open. In the primary, former Milwaukee County supervisor Russell Goodwin Sr. faced off against UW-Madison law school student and first-time candidate Katrina Morrison, and community organizer Brandon Williford. In the campaign, the three candidates offered broadly similar platforms, but differed on certain key issues. On abortion, Goodwin and Morrison declined to support eliminating the ban on abortion in Wisconsin, while Williford supported eliminating the ban. Another major issue was trans women in sports, with Goodwin supporting the issue being put to a referendum, while Morrison opposed any ban on trans women in sports. Additionally, Morrison was endorsed by then-incumbent legislators Alex Joers and LaKeshia Myers, while Williford was endorsed by various progressive groups, as well as Democratic legislator Ryan Clancy and Senator Chris Larson. A fourth candidate initially ran for the nomination, Decorah Gordon, but later withdrew and endorsed Williford. Goodwin won the crowded primary with under one third of the vote. In the general election, Goodwin defeated Independent and fellow Milwaukee County supervisor Deanna Alexander by a wide margin.

District 13

Incumbent Republican Tom Michalski ran for re-election. In the primary, Michalski faced Patti Granger, a single mother who campaigned as a moderate conservative. Michalski defeated Granger by a wide margin. The 13th district, alongside the neighboring 14th district, were drawn in 2011 to give Republicans two elected representatives. But over time the Milwaukee suburbs have become more liberal due to the election of Donald Trump in 2016. In 2020, Democrats won the two districts, but the 13th district was redrawn in 2022 to return it to the Republican Party, and in the 2024 redistricting, the 13th district gained a Democratic lean. In the general election Michalski was defeated by Democrat and fellow legislator Robyn Vining after she was moved from the neighboring 14th district into the 13th due to redistricting.

District 14

Incumbent Democrat Robyn Vining was moved into the neighboring 13th district due to redistricting, leaving this district open. In the primary, Angelito Tenorio, a candidate for State Treasurer in 2022 and former West Allis alderman, defeated business owner Brady Coulthard and social worker Nathan Kieso. Tenorio defeated Republican Jim Engstrand and Independent perennial candidate Steven Shevey in the general election.

District 15

Incumbent Republican Dave Maxey was moved into the 83rd district due to redistricting. Fellow Republican Adam Neylon ran for re-election after being moved into this district due to redistricting. In the general election he defeated Democrat Sarah Harrison.

District 16

Incumbent Democrat Kalan Haywood ran for re-election unopposed.

District 17

Incumbent Democrat Supreme Moore Omokunde ran for re-election unopposed.

District 18

Incumbent Democrat Evan Goyke declined to seek re-election after being elected Milwaukee city attorney in the 2024 spring election, leaving this district open.In the primary, Wauwatosa Common Councilmember Margaret Arney faced perennial candidate Angela Kennedy. During her campaign, Arney supported removing restrictions on unions and increasing access to abortion, and was endorsed by Goyke as well as other Milwaukee-area Democrats such as congresswoman Gwen Moore. She defeated Kennedy by a 30-point margin. Arney then defeated Republican Kevin Andre Anderson in the general election by a wide margin.

District 19

Incumbent Democrat Ryan Clancy ran for re-election. In the primary Clancy faced activist Jarrod Anderson. Clancy, one of the two members of the Wisconsin Democrat's Socialist Caucus, faced opposition due to his criticism of the Biden Administration and support for Uncommitted in the presidential primary, positions on the Gaza war, and his maverick position within the Democratic caucus more generally. This stood in contrast with Anderson, who campaigned as a "pragmatic progressive," that would be more collaborative with the broader Democratic caucus than Clancy. During the campaign, Anderson garnered endorsements from numerous Democrats in the Assembly and Milwaukee political landscape opposed to Clancy's campaign. Clancy defeated Anderson by 9 points in the primary election and was unopposed in the general election.

District 20

Incumbent Democrat Christine Sinicki ran for re-election. In the general election she defeated Republican Mike Moeller.

District 21

Incumbent Republican Jessie Rodriguez ran for re-election. In the general election she defeated Democrat David Marstellar.

District 22

Incumbent Republican Janel Brandtjen was moved into the 24th district due to redistricting, where she unsuccessfully attempted to gain the Republican nomination. Fellow Republican Paul Melotik ran for re-election after being moved into this district due to redistricting. In the general election he defeated Democrat Dana Glasstein.

District 23

Incumbent Democrat Deb Andraca ran for re-election. In the general election she defeated Republican Laurie Wolf.

District 24

Incumbent Republican Paul Melotik was moved into the 22nd district due to redistricting. Fellow Republican Janel Brandtjen was running for re-election after being moved into this district due to redistricting. She faced Dan Knodl, state senator and former representative for this district in the primary. Brandtjen had previously represented the 22nd district prior to redistricting and had run against Knodl in the 2023 special election for the 8th Senate district. Brandtjen has been subject to controversy due to her combative relationship with the Republican Caucus and repeated attempts to decertify Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 United States presidential election. Due to her controversies she was barred from attending Assembly Republican closed caucus meetings in November 2022. Additionally, she was charged with a felony by the Wisconsin Ethics Commission for an alleged plot to skirt campaign finance laws, though charges have not yet been brought. In May 2024 Brandtjen was endorsed by Donald Trump. Knodl, having originally represented this district from 2009 to 2023, claimed a desire to run again to give the assembly "a conservative who is respected by his colleagues," as Brandtjen had been barred from closed caucus meetings due to a lack of trust. Knodl also ran again as to avoid a primary in the Senate with fellow state senator Duey Stroebel. Knodl defeated Brandtjen by a 30 point margin. He defeated Democrat William Walter, head of Our Wisconsin Revolution, in the general election.

District 25

Incumbent Republican Paul Tittl ran for re-election. He faced business owner David Wage in the primary election. During the campaign the two candidates agreed on several policies, such as the legalization of medical marijuana and using the state surplus for tax cuts. The candidates differed on the finer details of certain policies, such as the time after which abortion is banned, with Wage also arguing the district needed new representation. Tittl defeated Wage by a 19-point margin. He defeated Democrat Stephen Welch in the general election by a wide margin.

District 26

Incumbent Republican Terry Katsma declined to seek re-election, leaving this district open. Fellow Republican Amy Binsfeld sought re-election in this district after being moved from the 27th district into the 25th due to redistricting. Early in the campaign, Binsfeld distanced herself from the Sheboygan County Republican Party due to their positions on abortion and the 2020 United States presidential election. This led to the party refusing to support her campaign and distribute campaign materials. Due to this lack of support, the chair of the county party, Russ Otten, predicted that Binsfeld would fail to be re-elected. Binsfeld was defeated by Democrat Joe Sheehan, a former superintendent of Sheboygan schools and executive director of the Sheboygan County Economic Development Corporation, in the general election.
Prior to 2011, the 26th district had encompassed the city of Sheboygan and some surrounding villages and had leaned towards the Democratic Party. Following the 2011 gerrymander, which had divided Sheboygan between an altered 26th and 27th districts, Democratic voting power was diluted as a means to produce two Republican leaning districts. Sheboygan and its split between two districts had been the example of gerrymandering in Wisconsin used in the case Gil v. Whitford. Under the new maps, the district is one of the most politically competitive districts in the state, being rated as a tossup with a slight Democratic lean in the election.

District 27

Incumbent Republican Amy Binsfeld was moved into the 25th district due to redistricting, leaving this district open. Two candidates filed to succeed Binsfeld, marketing professional Lindee Brill, and Oostburg village president Brian Hilbelink. The primary tested the influence of Vos, as Brill positioned herself as an outsider while Hilbelink was supported by Vos and his allies. During the campaign, the Stronger Wisconsin Fund and other PACs ran ads claiming Brill would vote to strip overseas military voters of their ability to vote. Brill came out on top in the primary by a slim two-point margin, and defeated Democrat Kay Ladson by a wide margin in the general election.

District 28

Incumbent Republican Gae Magnafici declined to seek re-election, leaving this district open. In the primary Robin Kreibich, a former representative for the Wisconsin's 93rd Assembly district, faced off against Brady Penfield, a student at the University of Wisconsin–River Falls and defeated him by a margin of 45 votes. During the campaign, Penfield had run to the right of Kreibich and had the support of the St. Croix County Republican Party. Kreibich defeated Democrat Danielle Johnson, a veterinarian, in the general election by a 33-point margin.

District 29

Incumbent Republican Clint Moses was moved into the 92nd district due to redistricting. Fellow Republican Treig Pronschinske ran for re-election after being moved into this district due to redistricting. In the general election he defeated Democrat Terrance Schoonover by a 29-point margin.

District 30

Incumbent Republican Shannon Zimmerman ran for re-election. He defeated Democrat and former hospital administrator Alison Page in the general election by a nine-point margin. This race was expected to be one of the closest in the cycle, and Zimmerman was targeted by Democrats as part of the "No More Games" campaign for his inaction on the Joint Finance Committee and his positions on abortion.

District 31

Incumbent Republican Ellen Schutt declined to seek re-election, leaving this district open. There was no primary election for either party in this district. Republican majority leader Tyler August moved into this district to avoid a primary election with a fellow incumbent in the 32nd district. He defeated Democrat John Henderson in the general election.

District 32

Incumbent Republican Tyler August sought re-election in the 31st district after fellow Republican Amanda Nedweski was moved into this district due to redistricting. Nedweski defeated Democrat Michael Dhindsa in the general election.

District 33

Incumbent Republican Scott Johnson was moved into the 97th district due to redistricting. Fellow Republican and Speaker of the Wisconsin State Assembly Robin Vos ran for re-election after being moved into this district due to redistricting. In the primary Vos was unopposed after his opponent dropped out of the race, despite this, Cegielski still managed to get 30% of the vote. Vos defeated Democrat Alan Kupsik and Independent Kelly Clark in the general election by a wide margin.

District 34

Incumbent Republican Rob Swearingen ran for re-election. He defeated Democrat Dennis Nitzel in the general election by a 29-point margin.

District 35

Incumbent Republican Calvin Callahan ran for re-election. He defeated Republican Todd Mayr in the primary and defeated Democrat Elizabeth McCrank in the general election.

District 36

Incumbent Republican Jeffrey Mursau ran for re-election. He defeated Democrat Benjamin Murray in the general election.

District 37

Incumbent Republican William Penterman was moved into the neighboring 42nd district due to redistricting, leaving this district open. Fellow Republican Mark Born ran for re-election after being moved into this district due to redistricting. He first defeated Republican challenger Steve Rydzewski in the primary election and then defeated Democrat LaToya Bates in the general election.

District 38

Incumbent Republican Barbara Dittrich was moved into the neighboring 99th district due to redistricting, leaving this district open. Fellow Republican William Penterman sought re-election in this district after being moved from the 37th district into the 42nd due to redistricting. Penterman defeated Democrat Izzy Nevarez in the general election.

District 39

Incumbent Republican Mark Born was moved into the neighboring 37th district due to redistricting, leaving this district open. Fellow Republican Alex Dallman ran for re-election after being moved into this district due to redistricting. He defeated Democrat Chris Gordon in the general election.

District 40

Incumbent Republican Kevin David Petersen was moved into the neighboring 57th district due to redistricting, leaving this district open. Only one Republican, Sauk County Republican Party chair Jerry Helmer, filed to succeed Petersen. Three Democrats filed to challenge Helmer, former CEO of Boys and Girls Club Karen DeSanto, engineer Kyle Kunicki, and realtor Brad Cook. After declining to seek re-election, Democrat Dave Considine, who had been moved into the 40th district due to redistricting, looked to recruit several Democratic candidates to succeed him, one of which had been DeSanto. During the campaign, the three candidates attempted to differentiate themselves on their experience and qualifications. Cook campaigned as a representative of rural constituents in the district, Kunicki emphasized his voter-outreach, while DeSanto campaigned on her ability to work with other legislators. Additionally, the three candidates faced criticisms of their candidacies, with some criticizing DeSanto online for her past work as a clown. Cook faced criticism for past posts online where he suggested "finding intelligent life forms in the City of Portage today is more of a struggle than normal," while DeSanto and Cook both criticized Kunicki for his youth and perceived inexperience. DeSanto defeated both Kunicki and Cook by a wide margin, winning an outright majority of the vote. DeSanto then defeated Republican Jerry Helmer in the general election by a 9-point margin.

District 41

Incumbent Republican Alex Dallman was moved into the 39th district due to redistricting, leaving this district open. Fellow Republican Tony Kurtz ran for re-election after being moved into this district due to redistricting. He defeated Democrat Julia Henley in the general election.

District 42

Incumbent Republican Jon Plumer declined to seek re-election, leaving this district open. Democrat Maureen McCarville, a Dane County supervisor, defeated Republican Rebecca Witherspoon in the general election by an 11-point margin.

District 43

Incumbent Democrat Jenna Jacobson was moved into the neighboring 50th district due to redistricting, leaving this district open. Republican Scott Johnson sought re-election in this district after being moved from the 33rd district into the 97th due to redistricting. In the Republican primary, Johnson faced Dylan Kurtz and defeated him by a wide margin. He was defeated by Democrat Brienne Brown, an educator and Whitewater Common Council member, in the general election by a three-point margin.

District 44

Incumbent Democrat Sue Conley declined to seek re-election, leaving this district open. In the Democratic primary, two former congressional candidates, Ann Roe, and Cathy Myers, faced off against one another. During the primary, the two candidates had broadly similar platforms, but had policy focuses on education due to their background as educators. Both campaigns advocated for parts of the budget surplus to go towards funding public education in the state. Additionally, both campaigns supported legalizing marijuana in the state. Roe's campaign supported repealing the state's abortion ban, while also reforming the state school funding formula, expanding medicaid, and addressing PFAS contamination. Myers' campaign supported repealing 2011 Wisconsin Act 10, pulling funding from the state's school voucher program, and putting portions of the budget surplus towards housing. Roe defeated Myers by a 10-point margin. Roe went on to defeat Republican Bruce Danielson by a 13-point margin in the general election.

District 45

Incumbent Democrat Clinton Anderson ran for re-election unopposed.

District 46

Incumbent Democrat Melissa Ratcliff declined to seek re-election, instead running for Wisconsin Senate in Wisconsin's 16th Senate district, leaving the district open. Democrat and Jefferson County Board of Supervisor Joan Fitzgerald faced Republican and Waterloo mayor Jenifer Quimby in the general election. Duing the campaign, the two candidates differed on their experiences, the former a former educator and county supervisor, and the latter a business owner and nonpartisan municipal official. Fitzgerald's campaign centered around the issues of affordability, a repeal of Wisconsin's abortion restrictions, gun control, and funding for local public schools. Quimby centered her campaign around affordability and a lack of housing in the district, as well as providing tax cuts to the region. Both candidates expressed support for providing funding to local services. Fitzgerald defeated Quimby by a five-point margin.

District 47

Incumbent Democrat Jimmy Anderson declined to seek re-election, instead making an unsuccessful run for Wisconsin Senate in Wisconsin's 16th Senate district, leaving this district open. Two Democrats filed to succeed him, Fitchburg alderman Joe Maldonado and former Fitchburg alderman Randy Udell. During the primary, the two ran distinct campaigns with Maldonado running on his experience at the Verona Area School District, supporting the legalization of cannabis in the state, and to use funding generated from legalization to fund public schools. Udell ran a campaign on expanding broadband for southwestern Dane County, citing his exeprience as a former engineer for AT&T. Udell defeated Maldonado in the primary by a two-point margin and was unopposed in the general election.

District 48

Incumbent Democrat Samba Baldeh declined to seek re-election, instead making an unsuccessful run for Wisconsin Senate in Wisconsin's 16th Senate district, leaving this district open. Five Democrats joined the race to succeed him, with those five being Bill Connors, nonprofit leader; Andrew Hysell, attorney; Goodwill Obieze, Human Resources manager; Avery Renk, attorney; and Rick Rose, Dane County supervisor. Five days before the primary, Connors, Obieze, Renk, and Rose released a joint statement urging voters to reject Hysell, in the statement they alleged Hysell was not a progressive and had donated to Republicans dating back to 2014. In a response to the statement, he reaffirmed his support for progressive policies and condemned mudslinging in the campaign. In the primary, Hysell placed first, defeating his four other opponents. He advanced to the general election where he defeated Republican Lisa Rubrich, an orthodontist, by a wide margin.

District 49

Incumbent Republican Travis Tranel ran for re-election. In the general election he defeated Democrat Scott Walker.

District 50

Incumbent Republican Tony Kurtz was moved out of this district due to redistricting. Incumbent Democrat Jenna Jacobson ran for re-election after being moved into this district due to redistricting. In the general election she defeated Republican Richard Johnson by a 13-point margin.

District 51

Incumbent Republican Todd Novak ran for re-election. He faced Democrat Elizabeth Grabe in the general election. Historically, this district had been a Republican leaning competitive district throughout much of the 2010s, electing Republicans Howard Marklein, and then Todd Novak, by slim margins. In 2021 the district was redrawn to be more Republican, and it gave Novak a 12 point victory in the election. Due to the 2023–2024 redistricting, the district shifted to be more Democratic leaning, where it now is Democratic leaning by an eight-point margin. During the campaign, Novak declined to interact with his opponent, and avoided participating in candidate debates and forums. Novak defeated Grabe by a three-point margin.

District 52

Incumbent Republican Jerry L. O'Connor was moved into the 60th district due to redistricting, where his district was effectively renumbered. Incumbent Democrat Lee Snodgrass was moved into the 52nd district due to redistricting, as her district had been effectively renumbered. She defeated Republican Chad Cooke in the general election by a 15-point margin.

District 53

Incumbent Republican Michael Schraa was moved into the 55th district due to redistricting, where he attempted to gain the Republican nomination, leaving this district open. There was no primary election for either party in this district. Republican Dean Kaufert, a former mayor of Neenah, defeated Democrat and union leader Duane Shukoski in the general election by a margin of 364 votes.

District 54

Incumbent Democrat Lori Palmeri ran for re-election. She defeated Republican Tim Paterson in the general election by a five-point margin.

District 55

Incumbent Republican Nate Gustafson ran for re-election. He faced fellow Republican legislator Michael Schraa, who had been moved into this district due to redistricting, and defeated him by ten points. Gustafson defeated Democrat Kyle Kehoe in the general election.

District 56

Incumbent Republican Dave Murphy ran for re-election. He defeated Democrat Emily Tseffos in the general election.

District 57

Incumbent Democrat Lee Snodgrass was moved into the 52nd district due to redistricting, as her district had been effectively renumbered. Incumbent Republican Kevin David Petersen was moved into this district due to redistricting, as his district had been effectively renumbered. Peterson insurance agent Duane Wilson in the primary. During the campaign the two ranon similar conservative platforms, but Wilson took positions to Peterson's right on abortion, the attempted impeachment of Wisconsin Elections Commission chair Meagan Wolfe, and the legitimacy of the 2020 United States presidential election. Petersen defeated Wilson by a wide margin. Peterson defeated Democrat Ruth Caves and Independent Dylan Testin in the general election.

District 58

Incumbent Republican Rick Gundrum ran for re-election. He defeated Democrat Deb Anderson in the general election.

District 59

Incumbent Republican Ty Bodden declined to seek re-election, leaving this district open. Fellow Republican Robert Brooks ran for re-election after being moved into this district due to redistricting. He defeated Democrat Jack Holzman in the general election.

District 60

Incumbent Republican Robert Brooks was moved into the 59th district due to redistricting. Fellow Republican Jerry L. O'Connor ran for re-election after moved into the 60th district due to redistricting, where his district was effectively renumbered. In the general election O'Connor defeated Democrat Joe Lavrenz in a rematch of the 2022 race.

District 61

Incumbent Republican Amanda Nedweski was moved into the 32nd district due to redistricting, leaving this district open. Fellow Republican Bob Donovan sought re-election in this district after being moved from the 82nd district into the 7th due to redistricting. Donovan defeated Martin Gomez by a wide margin in the Republican primary. Donovan then faced Democrat LuAnn Bird in the general election, in a rematch from 2022. In the 2022 race, Bird had been part of Democratic efforts to protect Governor Evers' veto, and this time was part of the Democratic push for a majority thanks to this district's narrow margins. Donovan defeated Bird by a three-point margin

District 62

Incumbent Republican Robert Wittke moved into the neighboring 63rd district, leaving this district open. The only candidate to file was Racine teachers' union president Angelina Cruz, who won the election without opposition.

District 63

Incumbent Republican Robin Vos was moved into the neighboring 33rd district due to redistricting, leaving this district open. Fellow Republican Robert Wittke moved from the neighboring 62nd district to the 63rd and ran for re-election unopposed.

District 64

Incumbent Democrat Tip McGuire ran for re-election. He defeated Republican Ed Hibsch in the general election by an 11-point margin in a rematch of 2022.

District 65

Incumbent Democrat Tod Ohnstad declined to seek re-election, leaving this district open. Educator Ben DeSmidt defeated Kyle Flood in the Democratic primary and Republican Brian Gonzales in the general election.

District 66

Incumbent Democrat and Minority Leader Greta Neubauer ran for re-election. She defeated Republican David DeGroot, the village president of Mount Pleasant, in the general election.

District 67

Incumbent Republican Rob Summerfield was moved into the 68th district due to redistricting. Fellow Republican David Armstrong ran for re-election after being moved into this district due to redistricting. In the primary, Armstrong defeated challenger Jimmy Swenson. In the general election Armstrong defeated Democrat Jeffrey Foster.

District 68

Incumbent Republican Karen Hurd was moved into the 69th district due to redistricting. Fellow Republicans James W. Edming and Rob Summerfield were moved into this district due to redistricting. Edming, who had represented the 87th district since 2014, retired and Summerfield ran for re-election in this district. Summerfield faced Ladysmith business owner Cliff Taylor in the primary. Summerfield defeated Taylor by a wide margin, and defeated Democrat Richard Pulcher in the general election by a wide margin.

District 69

Incumbent Republican Donna Rozar was moved into the 86th district due to redistricting, where she attempted to gain the Republican nomination, leaving this district open. Fellow Republican Karen Hurd sought re-election in this district after being moved from the 68th district into the 91st due to redistricting. Hurd faced Abbotsford mayor Lori Voss in the primary. The two capaigns differed on how to use the state budget surplus, marijuana legalization, and abortion access, but agreed on eliminating diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in the state and banning transgener athletes from playing in women's sports. Hurd defeated Voss by a 15-point margin. Hurd went on to defeat Democrat Roger Halls and Independent Joshua Kelley in the general election.

District 70

Incumbent Republican Nancy VanderMeer ran for re-election. She defeated Democrat Remberto Gomez in the general election.

District 71

Incumbent Democrat Katrina Shankland declined to seek re-election, leaving this district open. Democrat Vinnie Miresse defeated Republican Robert Pahmeier in the general election.

District 72

Incumbent Republican Scott Krug ran for re-election. He defeated Democrat Suzanne M. Campbell in the general election.

District 73

Incumbent Republican Angie Sapik declined to seek re-election, leaving this district open. Educator Angela Stroud defeated farmer John Adams in the Democratic primary and Republican Frank Kostka in the general election.

District 74

Incumbent Republican Chanz Green ran for re-election. He faced and defeated Scott Harbridge, a veteran from Radisson in the primary election. Prior to redistricting, the town of Summit, Wisconsin was placed within the 73rd assembly district, but it was moved into the 74th assembly district. On the day of the primary, county officials learned that ballots contained candidates for the 73rd, and not the 74th, district. Under current Wisconsin law, there is no procedure to handle votes cast for a different district's candidates, and it is up to the discretion of local officials to decide a course of action. Harbridge called for a new primary election in the 74th district as a result of the error. Regardless, Green advanced to the general election, where he defeated Democrat Jeanne Bruce.

District 75

Incumbent Republican David Armstrong was moved into the 67th district due to redistricting, leaving this district open. The first candidate to announce a campaign was Jay Calhoun, who had previously announced a primary against Republican Gae Magnafici in the old 28th district. Following Magnafici's retirement, Burnett County supervisor Duke Tucker and family support provider Neil Kline jumped into the race. All three candidates ran on platforms which included rolling back the size of the government, with Tucker having a more standard conservative platform on issues such as immigration, the 2nd Amendment, and fiscal conservatism, while Kline also focused on issues of rural advocacy and housing. Tucker defeated Calhoun in the primary with a 19-point margin, with Kline garnering 19% of the vote. Tucker then faced Democrat Jane Kleiss in the general election. During the campaign, Tucker called for a lessening of political division, and, like his Democratic opponent, expressed support for Democratic-led efforts to combat pollution from PFAS in the region.

District 76

Incumbent Democrat Francesca Hong ran for re-election unopposed.

District 77

Incumbent Democrat Shelia Stubbs was moved into the neighboring 78th district due to redistricting, leaving this district open. Dane County Board member Chuck Erickson and Nonprofit executive Renuka Mayadev first announced campaigns for the open district, with pharmacist Thad Schumacher soon following. The three candidates differentiated themselves based on their backgrounds, as all three supported similar policies on reproductive healthcare, abortion, and healthcare accessibility. Erickson, who is gay, centered his campaign on issues such as reproductive rights and access to healthcare for transgender people, funding education and childcare, and repealing Act 10. Mayadev centered her campaign around women's rights, and supported issues such as access to reproductive healthcare, funding for public education, climate change, preventing gun violence, and extending medicaid coverage to new mothers. Schumacher ran a campaign focused on accessible healthcare, and advocated for policies to expand medicaid and repeal the state abortion ban. Mayadev defeated Schumacher by a 20-point margin, with Erickson drawing roughly 22% of the vote. Mayadev was unopposed in the general election.

District 78

Incumbent Democrat Lisa Subeck was moved into the neighboring 79th district due to redistricting. Fellow Democrat Shelia Stubbs ran for re-election after being moved into this district due to redistricting. Stubbs, Madison's first black representative, first ran into controversy in 2022 when she was removed as chair of the Wisconsin Legislative Black Caucus for breaking confidentiality rules. She ran into controversy the following year when she sought the nomination to be director of Dane County Human Services. During the course of her nomination, she criticized the board for calling upon her to resign her assembly seat and was criticized for refusing to condemn racist rhetoric from her supporters. The result was that her nomination for the position was unanimously rejected by the Dane County Board of Supervisors. Some pundits speculated that these controversies could have aided a primary challenger. While she did face a primary challenger, Madison school board member Maia Pearson ultimately ran due to the new maps which had been implemented and to provide a different voice to the incumbent. Pearson ran on a progressive platform, supporting programs like universal 4-year-old kindergarten, providing free school lunches to students, and repealing Act 10. Stubbs defeated Pearson in the Democratic primary by 31 points and was unopposed in the general election.

District 79

Incumbent Democrat Alex Joers was moved into the neighboring 80th district due to redistricting. Fellow Democrat Lisa Subeck ran for re-election unopposed after being moved into this district due to redistricting.

District 80

Incumbent Democrat Mike Bare ran for re-election. He defeated Madison Common Council member Nasra Wehelie in the Democratic primary and Republican Robert Relph in the general election.

District 81

Incumbent Democrat Dave Considine declined to seek re-election, leaving this district open. Fellow Democrat Alex Joers sought re-election in this district after being moved from the 79th district into the 80th due to redistricting. Joers was unopposed in the primary and general elections.

District 82

Incumbent Republican Chuck Wichgers was moved into the 84th district due to redistricting. Fellow Republican Scott Allen ran for re-election after being moved into this district due to redistricting. In the Democratic primary Kevin Reilly defeated Samuel N. D'Amico. Allen defeated Reilly in the general election.

District 83

Incumbent Republican Nik Rettinger declined to seek re-election, leaving this district open. Fellow Republican Dave Maxey ran for re-election after being moved into this district due to redistricting. He defeated Democrat Jill Schindler in the general election.

District 84

Incumbent Republican Bob Donovan was moved into the 7th district due to redistricting. Fellow Republicans Nik Rettinger and Chuck Wichgers were moved into this district due to redistricting. Rettinger, who had represented the 83rd district since 2022, retired and Wichgers ran for re-election in this district, where he defeated Democrat Zach Roper in the general election.

District 85

Incumbent Republican Patrick Snyder was moved into the neighboring 87th district due to redistricting, but relocated in order to maintain residence in the 85th district and run for re-election. There was no primary election for either party in this district. In the general election, Snyder defeated Democrat Yee Leng Xiong, a Marathon County supervisor and executive director of the Hmong American Center in Wausau.

District 86

Incumbent Republican John Spiros ran for re-election. Fellow Republican Donna Rozar was moved into this district due to redistricting, however she did not gain the Republican nomination after finishing 2nd in the party primary. Both candidates ran for the Republican nomination, with a third candidate, farmer Trine Spindler, also joining the race. The three candidates had major differences in focus, with Spiros focusing on issues of law enforcement and policing, Rozar focusing on issues relating to healthcare and restricting abortion rights, and Spindler campaigning on farm-issues.

District 87

Incumbent Republican James W. Edming declined to seek re-election, leaving this district open. Two Republicans filed for the primary, Mosinee mayor Brent Jacobson, and Wausau school board member Cory Sillars. In the campaign, Jacobson ran with the backing of Robin Vos and his allies, with financial support coming from the Stronger Wisconsin Fund. Running against Jacobson, Sillars campaigned as an outsider who would not be beholden to party leadership. Similar to other Republican primary challengers across the state, the Stronger Wisconsin Fund ran campaign material against him.

District 88

Incumbent Republican John Macco declined to seek re-election, leaving this district open. Two candidates filed to succeed Macco, small business owner Ben Franklin and perennial candidate, and 2020 Prohibition nominee for president, Phil Collins. The campaign itself garnered some controversy when a group called the "Stronger Wisconsin Fund," a PAC supporting Republican allies of Robin Vos, sent out mailers claiming Collins supported banning the sale of alcohol, and opposed former president Donald Trump. Franklin eventually defeated Collins by a 35 point margin. Going into the general election, the 88th district was projected to be one of the most competitive in the state, and had the potential to decide what party would control the state assembly in the 107th Wisconsin Legislature. Franklin defeated Democrat Christy Welch in the general election by a margin of 220 votes, in what became one of the closest contests in the whole state.

District 89

Incumbent Republican Elijah Behnke was moved into the neighboring 4th district due to redistricting, leaving this district open. Democrat and attorney Ryan Spaude defeated Republican and chair of the Brown County Board Patrick J. Buckley in the general election.

District 90

Incumbent Democrat Kristina Shelton declined to seek re-election, leaving this district open. Democrat Amaad Rivera-Wagner, chief of staff to Green Bay mayor Eric Genrich, defeated Republican Jessica Henderson in the general election.

District 91

Incumbent Democrat Jodi Emerson ran for re-election. She defeated Republican Michele Skinner.

District 92

Republican Treig Pronschinske was moved into the 29th district as a result of redistricting. Republican Clint Moses ran for re-election after being moved into this district as a result of redistricting. Two candidates filed for the Democratic nomination, former representative Joe Plouff and former member of the Chippewa County Board of Supervisors Caden Berg. In the primary the two candidates differed on issues such as the projected state surplus, with Plouff wanting to put funds towards gun safety initiatives and tax breaks, while Berg supported putting funds towards funding education. The two candidates also differed on the issue of trans rights, with Plouff wanting to leave the issue of trans women in sports up to individual school districts, while Berg opposed restricting trans women in sports. Plouff defeated Berg by a narrow 0.76% margin. Following the primary, Berg joined Plouff's campaign as his campaign manager. The district, while Republican-leaning was projected to be competitive and a tossup for either party. During the campaign, both candidates differed on major issues. On the issue of medicaid expansion, Moses opposed expanding Medicaid in the state, while Plouff supported it. The candidates also differed on the issue of rural childcare, with Moses supporting increased apprenticeship programs while Plouff wanted to increase spending. Moses defeated Plouff by a 6.57% margin.

District 93

Incumbent Republican Warren Petryk declined to seek re-election, leaving this district open. Educator Christian Phelps defeated author Nickolas Butler in the Democratic primary and went on to defeat Republican James Rolbiecki in the general election, thus flipping the seat.

District 94

Incumbent Democrat Steve Doyle ran for re-election. In the general election Doyle narrowly defeated Republican Ryan Huebsch, an executive director of the Wisconsin Conservative Energy Forum, in a rematch of 2022.
During his tenure, Doyle has been described as the most bipartisan member of the Assembly, having authored the most bipartisan pieces of legislation of any member of his caucus. Huebsch previously ran for this district in 2022, and his father, Michael Huebsch, previously represented this district before resigning to join the cabinet of Scott Walker in 2011. Controversy emerged in the campaign when offensive social media posts Huebsch made as a teenager emerged, after which he apologized and took down the posts. This district's race had become the most expensive state assembly election in Wisconsin in 2024. Under the new maps, the district was broadly unchanged, remaining one of the most politically competitive districts in the state, being rated as a tossup with a slight Democratic lean.

District 95

Incumbent Democrat Jill Billings ran for re-election. She defeated Republican Cedric Schnitzler.

District 96

Incumbent Republican Loren Oldenburg ran for re-election. Retired non-profit executive Tara Johnson and businessman Steve Campbell both announced campaigns to unseat Oldenburg. During the Democratic Primary, the two candidates diverged on ideology, with Campbell describing himself as a moderate and Johnson being described as a progressive, while both touted their qualifications to represent the district. Both candidates also shared similar concerns about funding for public schools and support for abortion-access. Johnson defeated Campbell by a wide margin in the primary. The race between Oldenburg and Johnson became a test of the new maps, as despite the Democratic lean of the new district, Oldenburg was the incumbent and had a previous moderate record during his tenure. During the general election campaign, Johnson supported increased funding for public schools, expanding access to abortion, and expanding medicaid in the state. Oldenburg in his campaign for re-election continued his focus on agricultural issues. Johnson defeated Oldenburg in the general election by a two-point margin, flipping the seat.

District 97

Incumbent Republican Cindi Duchow ran for re-election, having been moved into this district from the 99th district due to redistricting. She defeated Democrat Beth Leonard by a wide margin.

District 98

Incumbent Republican Adam Neylon was moved into the neighboring 15th district due to redistricting, leaving this district open. Jim Piwowarczyk defeated former state assembly member Don Pridemore in the Republican primary and Democrat Del Schmechel in the general election.

District 99

Incumbent Republican Cindi Duchow was moved into the neighboring 97th district due to redistricting. Fellow Republican Barbara Dittrich ran for re-election after being moved into the district due to redistricting. She defeated Hartland Village President Jeffrey Pfannerstill in the Republican primary and was unopposed in the general election.