Meet the 61st Assembly District candidates in the Republican primary in Tuesday's election

Two candidates are running in the Republican primary for the 61st Assembly District seat of the state Legislature in the Aug. 13 primary election.

Bob Donovan faces Martin Tontoe Gomez in the primary, with the winner taking on Democrat LuAnn Bird in the Nov. 5 election. Bird is unopposed in the Democratic primary.

Donovan is the 84th Assembly District representative but is running in the 61st District after legislative map changes put him in that district.

The 61st District includes areas in the western part of Milwaukee County, like Greendale, Hales Corners and parts of Greenfield.

See the new state Assembly districts

This map shows Wisconsin state Assembly districts under the previous 2022 map on the left, and the new 2024 map on the right. Each district is colored according to whether itleans Democrat, leans Republican, or is acompetitive district (within 5%).

Old maps (2022)

New maps (2024)

Note: The partisan lean of districts is calculated based on voting data from national and local elections from 2016 to 2022. Districts with less than 5% difference in Republican and Democratic votes are considered competitive districts.

Map by Andrew Hahn and Eva Wen / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Here's what to know about the candidates:

Bob Donovan

Residence: Greenfield

Political experience: Current 84th Assembly District representative, former Milwaukee alderman from 2000 to 2020, unsuccessfully ran for Milwaukee mayor in 2022

Occupation: State Assembly representative

Policies: On his campaign Facebook page, Donovan pitches himself as a candidate fighting for "common sense." He highlights his work in the Assembly addressing driver education and shared revenue. Donovan has staked previous mayoral runs on public safety issues, calling for more police and tougher criminal penalties.

Martin Tontoe Gomez

Residence: Greenfield

Political experience: None

Occupation: MMA instructor

Policies: On his campaign Facebook page, Gomez has pledged to increase tech and vocational educational programs and lower the tax rate. He says he "will fight for the preservation of girls sports" and vote against red flag laws, which are laws that permit a state court to order the temporary seizure of firearms from a person they deem dangerous.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Meet 61st Assembly District candidates in Republican primary election