Republican Melotik defeats Tatterson in special election for Assembly seat

MADISON - Republican Paul Melotik defeated Democrat Bob Tatterson in a special election Tuesday for an Assembly seat in Milwaukee's north suburbs.

Unofficial results show Melotik beat Tatterson 53.69% to 46.31%.

Melotik, who co-owned and operated several businesses and served in Ozaukee County and Town of Grafton government, will represent the 24th Assembly District, which includes Germantown, Grafton, Menomonee Falls and Mequon.

Republican Party of Wisconsin chair Brian Schimming congratulated Melotik following his win, saying his "experience as a successful small business owner combined with his service on local county and town boards will make him an asset to the state Assembly."

"I have no doubt Paul will use his office to fight for the values of his District: fiscal responsibility, smaller government, and quality education to create the best environment possible for Wisconsin families and businesses," Schimming said in a statement.

Tatterson, a retired engineer and adviser to start-up businesses, conceded the race after results were tallied.

"Although I do not believe the results are in the best interests of this district, I completely respect the democratic process and the will of the voters," Tatterson said in a statement. "Our state and country needs unity, that is why I am rooting for Representative-elect Melotik’s success even though we may disagree on how to address some issues facing our district and state."

More: A suburban Milwaukee Assembly seat is open. Meet the candidates running to fill it in July.

Melotik takes the place of Republican Dan Knodl, who won a special election for a seat in the state Senate this spring. Knodl's election gave Republicans a supermajority in the Senate, which allows them to remove state officials impeached in the Assembly.

Melotik will bump Republicans' majority in the Assembly to 64-35. That means if two Democrats are absent, Republicans could successfully vote to override Democratic Gov. Tony Evers' budget vetoes that removed a middle class tax cut and raised school funding limits for four centuries. Melotik last week criticized Evers for vetoing the reductions to the top two tax brackets.

Before winning a seat in the Senate, Knodl defeated Tatterson in a reelection bid for his Assembly seat in November by 22 percentage points.

In 2020, Knodl won the district by three percentage points. The district was reshaped in 2022 to remove the Glendale and Brown Deer communities and stretch farther north into Ozaukee County, including Grafton. Turnout in the Waukesha, Ozaukee and Washington counties that comprise the district ranged between about a quarter and a third of all registered voters.

Melotik, who chairs the finance committee in Ozaukee County, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel he is interested in a spot on the powerful Joint Finance Committee, a sought-after position for state lawmakers. His other priorities include education, including school choice and special education funding, and conservation.

In his campaign, Tatterson promoted abortion access and building the workforce through higher education. Both candidates supported fully funding law enforcement, though Melotik said he supports Second Amendment rights and Tatterson pushed for "common sense gun laws" like red flag laws.

Tatterson raised $103,612, compared to Melotik's $37,251, though Tatterson received $19,806 through outside groups compared to Melotik's $28,411, which included a $1,000 donation from U.S. Rep. Scott Fitzgerald's campaign last week.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Melotik defeats Tatterson in election for Wisconsin Assembly seat