Wisconsin Election guide: What to know about Milwaukee area state legislative races

Voters will decide a slate of races for Wisconsin Senate and Wisconsin Assembly on Nov. 5.

Redrawn legislative maps have created more competitive districts and the outcome of the elections will determine which political parties will control the houses of the state Legislature.

Here are the contested races for state Senate and state Assembly in the Milwaukee area, which includes races in Milwaukee, Waukesha, Washington and Ozaukee counties.

STATE SENATE RACES

Senate District 8

The newly drawn district includes Port Washington, Grafton, Cedarburg, Mequon, Brown Deer, Menomonee Falls, River Hills and other nearby communities. According to an analysis by Marquette University Lubar Center research fellow John Johnson, it leans 53% Republican.

Jodi Habush Sinykin, Democrat 

• Residence: Whitefish Bay

• Past political experience: Former judicial clerk to federal district court judge; attorney with Midwest Environmental Advocates Served on Wisconsin Groundwater Advisory Committee and Wisconsin Legislative Council’s Special Committee on the Great Lakes Compact; has testified before state legislative committees and the Department of Natural Resources board; ran in special election for state Senate in 2023 and lost by less than 2 percentage points.

• Occupation: Attorney

• Issues: Habush Sinykin’s campaign website notes her emphasis over the last two decades on “freshwater stewardship and wildlife conservation.” Several of the policy priorities listed on her website include protecting access to abortion, voting rights, funding local law enforcement and funding public education.

Duey Stroebel, Republican

• Residence: Town of Cedarburg

• Political experience: Elected to state Assembly in May 2011 special election; reelected to Assembly in 2012; ran for U.S. Congress in 2014; elected to state Senate in April 2015 special election; reelected to Senate in 2016 and 2020; vice-chair of the Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee; previous experience in Cedarburg local government.

• Occupation: Real estate management and development

• Policies: Stroebel says he’s running for reelection “to preserve opportunity for the next generation and make the state a better place for every Wisconsinite.” He touts his experience in the Legislature having worked to “reduce costs, lower spending, and demand accountability for the use of taxpayer funds.” According to his campaign website, his “personal life, business life and public service is deeply rooted in his faith and commitment to his community.”

— Jessie Opoien

Senate District 28

Senate District 28 includes parts of Waukesha County, including Waukesha, New Berlin, Big Bend, Muskego and Mukwonago, and parts of Racine County, including Waterford.

Julian Bradley, Republican

• Residence: New Berlin

• Past political experience: Elected to the state Senate in 2020 after winning a crowded Republican primary. Bradley is the first Black Republican lawmaker to serve in the Senate.

• Occupation: Former operations manager for Northwestern Mutual, also worked at CenturyLink; former professional wrestler.

• Policies: On his campaign website, Bradley says his top priorities are defending law enforcement, expanding school choice and charter schools, tax relief and phasing in a flat tax, reducing a backlog of professional licenses, and keeping voter ID intact. Bradley says he is pro-life and supports resources like pregnancy resource centers.

Megan Lach, Democrat

• Residence: Waukesha

• Political experience: None

• Occupation: Digital marketing for a software company. Experience in other industries like banking and hospitality.

• Policies: On her campaign website, Lach says her top priorities are protecting school boards from political interference, workforce development and supporting small businesses, addressing the root causes of crime and investing in mental health resources, and ensuring affordable child care. Lach says protecting abortion rights is one of the main reasons she’s running for office.

— Hope Karnopp

STATE ASSEMBLY RACES

Assembly District 7

Assembly District 7 includes parts of Milwaukee’s west side, West Allis and Greenfield.

Karen Kirsch, Democrat

• Residence: Greenfield

• Political experience: This election is Kirsch’s first time running for political office.

• Occupation: Kirsch is the Healthcare for All Campaign Director for Citizen Action of Wisconsin.  She also served on the following boards and committees: Democratic Party of Wisconsin State Administrative Board, Milwaukee County Democratic Board and Milwaukee County Democratic Events Committee, she told the Journal Sentinel via email.

• Policies: According to her campaign website, Kirsch plans to address the “broken healthcare system.” She backs abortion rights and supports expanding BadgerCare and making it a public option. Kirsch also supports unions and “fully funding” public schools.

Lee Whiting, Republican

• Residence: Milwaukee

• Political experience: Whiting ran for the District 11 seat on the Milwaukee Common Council earlier this year but earned only 12% of the vote. He’s served nearly three years on the city’s Safety and Civic Commission. His term expires in October.

• Occupation: Whiting says his occupation is serving on the city’s Safety and Civic Commission and running for office.

• Policies: On his campaign website, Whiting said he supports law enforcement officers and strengthening laws to “keep violent offenders off our streets” and addressing “the reckless driving epidemic.” Whiting says he seeks to reduce taxes for the middle class and advocate in Madison for tax dollars to be “not be wasted on unnecessary bureaucracy.”

— Gina Castro

Assembly District 9

Assembly District 9 includes West Milwaukee and much of the southwestern portion of the city of Milwaukee. It spans from Interstate 94 on the north to West Layton Avenue on the south and from South 6th Street at its farthest east point to South 56th Street on the farthest west point.

Ryan Antczak, Republican

• Residence: Milwaukee

• Political experience: Antczak has previously run for office. He ran as a Republican for the Assembly District 9 seat in 2022 and earlier this year was bumped off the ballot over a paperwork error in his race for the District 12 seat on the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors. In April, he also sought unsuccessfully to oust Milwaukee Ald. JoCasta Zamarripa from the south side seat she won in 2020. Antczak failed to win the seat and was criminally charged with knowingly making a false statement against Zamarripa in his bid to unseat her.

• Occupation: Antczak previously told the Journal Sentinel he was retired.

• Policies: Antczak did not respond to requests for specific policies he would want to implement if elected to the Assembly. However, in a statement to Urban Milwaukee when he was running for office earlier this year, he listed supporting police, rejecting new and additional sales taxes implemented by the City of Milwaukee and Milwaukee County to help address deep fiscal crises, and advocating in support of “universal school choice.”

Priscilla Prado, Democrat

• Residence: Milwaukee

• Past political experience: None

• Occupation: Small-business owner and accountant. She is also the past treasurer on the executive board of directors for the Wisconsin Latino Chamber of Commerce.

• Policies: Prado's campaign website focuses on public safety, health care access and affordable housing. Under public safety, she references strengthening community policing, implementing violence prevention programs and enhancing police accountability and transparency through measures like body cameras, civilian oversight boards and regular audits of police practices. On health care, she said she would want to expand access to underserved communities, prioritize services that address mental health and substance abuse disorders, and support workforce development. Finally, on affordable housing, Prado would back policies like inclusionary zoning to increase the housing stock, invest in programs aimed at preventing homelessness and providing rental assistance, and prioritize community land trusts and tenant protections.

– Alison Dirr

Assembly District 12

Assembly District 12 is situated on the northwest corner of Milwaukee County, which includes the City of Milwaukee and some parts of Brown Deer and Wauwatosa.

Deanna Alexander, Independent

• Residence: Milwaukee

• Political experience: Milwaukee County Board supervisor, 2012-2018.

• Occupation: Milwaukee County Board supervisor for District 18 after being elected in 2022 and was re-elected to her seat in 2024. She previously served on the County Board between 2012 and 2018. In May, she said she was also the hired clerk for the Town of Brookfield. She previously worked as the village administrator, clerk and treasurer for the Village of Newburg as a choice school auditor and served in the military through the Wisconsin Army National Guard.

• Policies: On announcing her run for the District 12 seat, Alexander said she is guided by the “principle of prioritizing people over politics.”

Russell Goodwin, Democrat

• Residence: Milwaukee

• Past political experience: Milwaukee County Board supervisor for District 18, serving between 2020 and 2022.

• Occupation: Pastor

• Policies: Goodwin said he plans to prioritize transparent policing to create safe neighborhoods as well as tackle the issue of reckless driving, according to his campaign website. Beyond that, his hope is to improve road infrastructure, including safety measures and repairs, bring more jobs, financial management and education resources to Milwaukee.

— Vanessa Swales

Assembly District 13

Assembly District 13’s newly drawn boundaries include parts of Brookfield, Elm Grove and Wauwatosa.

Tom Michalski, Republican

• Residence: Elm Grove

• Political experience: Michalski was elected to Assembly District 13 in 2022. He has served as an Elm Grove village trustee and a Waukesha County Board supervisor.

• Occupation: Incumbent 13th Assembly District Representative, firefighter with the Elm Grove Volunteer Fire Department.

• Policies: According to his website, Michalski is “fighting for the conservative values of the 14th Assembly District.” He wants to prioritize the reduction of taxes, community safety through stronger laws that “hold criminals accountable” and “support law enforcement,” and STEM-focused education. On the Assembly, Michalski worked to provide state funding for developments at Wisconsin’s technical colleges and Marquette University School of Dentistry, the state’s only dental school. He supported two vetoed bills that would have prevented gender-transition medical treatment for minors and barred transgender girls and women from competing in women’s sports.

Robyn Vining, Democrat

• Residence: Wauwatosa

• Political experience: Vining was elected to represent Wisconsin’s 14th Assembly District in 2018. She is running for the 13th Assembly District seat after new legislative maps put her in the 13th.

• Occupation: Current 14th Assembly District Representative, owner of a photography business.

• Policies: Vining advocates for mental healthcare, reproductive rights and violence prevention, among other priorities on her campaign website. Vining supports policies to expand Medicaid for postpartum patients and small businesses, introducing legislation to make it easier for Wisconsin business owners to start, manage and grow their businesses. In the Assembly, Vining introduced legislation to give more state funding for special education, for students and to get more qualified teachers into classrooms in hopes districts and their taxpayers wouldn't have to rely as much on referendums.

— Bridget Fogarty

Assembly District 14

The 14th Assembly District is currently held by State Assembly Robyn Vining. She is running for the 13th Assembly District seat after new legislative maps put her in that district. The 14th Assembly District now includes West Allis, with the Milwaukee County line as the western border.

Jim Engstrand, Republican

• Residence: Milwaukee

• Political experience: None

• Occupation: Realtor, independent contractor and business owner. Engstrand also served in the United States Army, earning the rank of colonel.

• Policies: Not provided

Steven Shevey, Independent

• Residence: West Allis

• Past political experience: None

• Occupation: A Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article listed his occupation as an electrician

• Policies: On his campaign website, Shevey's policies include pushing for financial literacy education, free college programs for teachers, finding solutions for the opioid epidemic, handling environmental concerns, mandating body cams for law enforcement officers and offering solutions for undocumented citizens. He is also a supporter of legalizing marijuana.

Angelito Tenorio, Democrat

• Residence: West Allis

• Past political experience: Former West Allis alderman

• Occupation: Current teaching assistant at the University of Madison-Wisconsin

• Policies: On his campaign website, Tenorio's policies include: issues regarding environment and climate changes, including clean drinking water, investment in public education, expanding healthcare access, economy issues regarding jobs and small business owners, increasing minimum wage,  labor and union worker concerns and better gun safety laws.

— Adrienne Davis

Assembly District 15

Assembly District 15 includes Pewaukee and parts of Brookfield and Waukesha in Waukesha County.

Sarah Harrison, Democrat

• Residence: Brookfield

• Past political experience: Various positions on local boards and in the state Democratic Party.

• Occupation: Small-business owner of a logistics startup specializing in operational improvement.

• Policies: Harrison supports protecting reproductive rights in Wisconsin, lowering child care and health care costs, and enacting gun violence prevention measures. She wants to strengthen public schools and believes they should “continue to teach an honest version of our great country's history.”

Adam Neylon, Republican

• Residence: Pewaukee

• Past political experience: Current Assembly representative.

• Occupation: Full-time legislator; small-business owner

• Policies: On his campaign website, Neylon said he supports parental rights policies, southern border protection, inflation relief and tough-on-crime policies. In the Legislature, he supported ending a COVID-19 mask mandate in the fall of 2020 and recently co-authored a bipartisan law requiring political ads with content generated by artificial intelligence to include disclaimers.

– Kelly Meyerhofer

Assembly District 18

The 18th Assembly District includes many portions of Milwaukee west of the 16th Assembly District, with Washington Park near the center.

Margaret Arney, Democrat

• Residence: Wauwatosa

• Past political experience: Wauwatosa District 2 alderwoman, Wauwatosa Neighborhood Association Council president.

• Occupation: Consultant for the African American Leadership Alliance of Milwaukee.

• Policies: On her campaign website, Arney writes she is “100% pro-choice” and 100% pro-union.” She also writes that she “pledges to fight for IVF and reproductive healthcare rights” and to protect the environment. Her other priorities include advocating for seniors, schools and improving health care in Wisconsin.

Kevin Anderson, Republican

• Residence: Milwaukee

• Political experience: Not provided

• Occupation: Sociology teacher

• Policies: A campaign manager said in an email Anderson holds conservative views and is “committed to policy reform to empower the people of the community.” On his campaign website, Anderson writes that his three main focuses are education, family and crime. He calls for responsible investment in “schools, teachers, and students” and for people to work together to address “the root causes of crime by prosecuting those responsible for committing these acts.”

— David Clarey

Assembly District 21

Assembly District 21 includes all of Oak Creek and parts of southern Milwaukee.

David Marstellar, Democrat

• Residence: Milwaukee

• Political experience: In 1976 volunteered to do phone banking for the Ford-Dole campaign. In 2007, Marstellar joined the Obama for America campaign in Des Moines and moved to Wisconsin in 2008 and became involved in the state Democratic Party.

• Occupation: retired due to a medical condition

• Policies: Marstellar is in favor of expanding Medicaid and BadgerCare. He wants to reduce drunken and reckless driving. He supports public education, legalizing marijuana, and is in favor of property tax moratoriums for low-income residents.

Jessie Rodriguez, Republican

• Residence: Oak Creek

• Political experience: Rodriguez was elected to the Assembly in 2013 and re-elected each cycle since 2014.

• Occupation: Full-time legislator, member of State Fair Park board and Wisconsin Center District Board.

• Policies: According to the campaign website, Rodriguez supports an increase in funding for local governments to fund police, fire and EMS. She supports bail reform and increasing penalties for reckless drivers. Rodriguez is in favor of increasing funding for schools and cutting taxes.

— Ricardo Torres

Assembly District 22

Assembly District 22 includes several suburbs north of Milwaukee, including Port Washington, Grafton, Cedarburg and parts of Mequon.

Dana Glasstein, Democrat 

• Residence: Mequon

• Past political experience: None

• Occupation: Educator in the Wisconsin Technical College System, working with English language learners and students entering the health care industry. Volunteer with Mequon-area and Ozaukee County organizations, including the Ozaukee County Democratic Party.

• Policies: On Glasstein’s campaign website, she lists reproductive rights, well-funded public education, access to voting, background checks for gun purchases, expanded access to mental health services and affordable health care as key priorities. Glasstein was a plaintiff in the 2023 lawsuit that resulted in the state’s legislative maps being redrawn.

Paul Melotik, Republican

• Residence: Grafton

• Past political experience: Melotik was first elected to represent the Assembly’s 24th district in a July 2023 special election. In the Legislature, he serves as vice chair of the Committee on Government Accountability and Oversight. He’ll run for his first full term in the new 22nd district.

• Occupation: Small-business owner who has previously served in local government in the Town of Grafton and Ozaukee County.

• Policies: Melotik said he would advocate for lower taxes, increased funding for K-12 schools and teacher retention, and environmental protections including clean water and reduced pollution. He also supports law enforcement recruitment and retention, making it easier for businesses to establish and expand in Wisconsin and promoting Wisconsin tourism.

– Madeline Heim

Assembly District 23

Assembly District 23 includes suburbs north of Milwaukee including Whitefish Bay, Fox Point, Bayside, River Hills, Brown Deer, part of Mequon and Thiensville east of N. Wauwatosa Road and south of W. Pioneer Road. It also includes Concordia University.

Deb Andraca, Democrat

• Residence: Whitefish Bay

• Past political experience: Andraca has served as a Democratic assembly representative since she was elected in 2020, ousting 14-year incumbent Republican Jim Ott.

• She serves on the Joint Finance, Education, and Forestry, Parks and Outdoor Recreation committees. Andraca was appointed to the 2022 Blue Ribbon Commission on Veteran Opportunity by Governor Evers.

• Occupation: Before getting elected, Andraca was a substitute teacher in the Whitefish Bay School District and at Bruce Guadalupe Community School in Milwaukee. Before that, Andraca worked as a communications director and lobbyist for the Environmental Law and Policy Center of the Midwest and press secretary for U.S. representative Lynn Rivers of Michigan. She also served as Vice President of FleishmanHillard, a public relations firm.

• Policies: In her campaign’s social media posts, Andraca expresses support for safer gun policies, including background checks. In an interview, she said she also hopes to help the legislature better fund public school systems, particularly increasing public schools’ reimbursement for special education. She has also expressed support for protecting reproductive freedoms, combatting reckless driving by allowing municipalities to use red light cameras, preserving access to medical systems and expanding Medicaid. She has written a few op-eds published by the Journal Sentinel on the subject of gun violence and gun policies.

Laurie O’Brien Wolf, Republican

• Residence: Fox Point

• Political experience: Wolf has not held an elected office before, but she has served in executive positions for the Republican Party and has worked with Republican campaigns including former President Donald Trump’s. She attended the 2024 Republican National Convention as a Wisconsin delegate, her fourth time doing so.

• Occupation: Wolf is an accredited asset management specialist.

• Policies: According to Wolf’s campaign website, she supports increasing the starting pay for teachers, addressing the mental health and fentanyl crises and guaranteeing parents’ rights in their children's education. She also supports women’s reproductive freedom “with reasonable limits including abortion up to 18 weeks” with exceptions for rape and incest. To improve the economy, she wants to lower taxes and invest in affordable housing.

Assembly District 24

Assembly District 24 includes southeast Washington County and northeast Waukesha County, including Menomonee Falls and Lannon and the southern half of Germantown.

Dan Knodl, Republican

• Residence: Germantown

• Political experience: Knodl served in the 8th State Senate district since 2023.  Prior, he served 14 years in the Wisconsin State Assembly District 24 from 2009 to 2023.

• Occupation: Knodl has been a small-business owner. He was most recently the owner and operator of Reef Point Resort on Pike Lake.

• Policies: According to Knodl’s campaign website, he supports lowering the tax burden, property tax reform where he led the campaign to eliminate personal property tax in Wisconsin, supports the police department and combatting reckless driving. He also wants to tackle school truancy, protecting girls’ sports by “requiring student-athletes to participate on teams corresponding to their biological sex” and to address the teaching shortage.

William Walter, Democrat

• Residence: Germantown

• Political experience: Walter served in the 5th Congressional District of Wisconsin as a national delegate for Senator Bernie Sanders for the 2020 Democratic National Convention.

• Occupation:  Walter serves as the Executive Director of Our Wisconsin Revolution. Previously, he was the Policy Research Director and Lead Training Organizer for the same organization.

• Policies: On his campaign website, Walter supports a “progressive agenda” that includes reproductive rights and accessible healthcare. He wants to implement BadgerCare for all and wants to protect public education, climate justice and enact cannabis legalization.

— Cathy Kozlowicz

Assembly District 58

Assembly District 58 includes West Bend, Slinger, Newburg and the Town of Jackson.

Deb Anderson, Democrat

• Residence: West Bend

• Past political experience: Previously served as the alderperson for West Bend’s 7th district

• Occupation: Retired; previously served as the executive director of Senior Citizens Activities, Inc. and Citizen Advocacy, now called Citizens Advocates of Washington County; she also served as the property manager for River Bend Senior Village and as a volunteer coordinator for Friends Inc.

• Policies: In an interview with WisEye, Anderson said she wanted an increase in health care funding to include mental health and child care. She also said she supports the right to choose regarding abortion, as well as more funding for public K-12 and higher education, for example. See www.deb4assembly58.com/ and https://wiseye.org/2024/09/18/campaign-2024-deb-anderson-d-west-bend-candidate-for-58th-assembly-district/ for more information.

Rick Gundrum, Republican

• Residence: Slinger

• Political experience: Elected to the state Sssembly in a special election in Jan. 2018 to succeed representative Bob Gannon, who passed away in 2017, and has been reelected since. He also served in local government roles, including as a Washington County Board Supervisor from 2006 to 2018 and as the county board’s chair from 2016 to 2018, as well as the Slinger Village Board from 2009 to 2023.

• Occupation: Owner of McKay Enterprises, a broadcast media business

• Policies: On his campaign website, Gundrum focuses on his support for parental rights, election integrity, 2nd Amendment rights, school choice, abortion bans with no exceptions, cutting taxes, supporting youth apprenticeship programs in high schools and expanding them to middle schools. More information can be found here: www.rickgundrum.com/key-issues. To see what bills he’s authored or co-sponsored, as well as any amendments he’s offered and his votes, visit docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2023/legislators/assembly/2467.

— Alec Johnson

Assembly District 59

The largely rural, new 59th Assembly District includes parts of Dodge, Fond du Lac, Ozaukee, Sheboygan and Washington counties.

Robert Brooks, Republican 

• Residence: Saukville

• Political experience: Elected to the Ozaukee County Board in 2002 and served as chairman of the board for nine years, starting in 2004. Elected to the state Assembly in 2014, representing District 60. According to his website, he serves as chairman of the Committee on Housing and Real Estate and as the Vice Chair on the Committee on Ways and Means. He also serves on the Health, Aging and Long-Term Care Committee; Committee on Sporting Heritage; Committee on State Affairs and Committee on Corrections.

• Occupation: Self-employed businessman who owns a real estate company, rental properties and restaurants.

• Policies: According to his campaign website, Brooks is “fighting for conservative values,” and his policies focus on reducing taxes, protecting gun rights and blocking multiple gun-control measures, and parental rights. He also focuses on creating “greater access to quality, affordable housing" and wants to strengthen voter ID requirements and enact other measures he believes will “secure” Wisconsin’s elections.

Jack Holzman, Democrat

• Residence: Belgium

• Past political experience: None

• Occupation: Retired teacher. Worked for 36 years in the Oak Creek-Franklin Joint School District.

• Policies: On his campaign website, Holzman says he supports “women’s right to reproductive freedom, a right to quality education which includes adequate funding for our public schools, affordable healthcare for all," and preserving natural resources, including clean air and water. He supports tax cuts for families making less than $400,000 per year but opposes extending tax cuts or restoring tax breaks for those making more. He is also focused on mental health care and awareness and making it “easier for Americans to vote.”

— Claire Reid

Assembly District 61

Assembly District 61 includes parts of Greendale, Hales Corners, Greenfield, Franklin and Milwaukee.

LuAnn Bird, Democrat

• Residence: Hales Corners

• Past political experience: Whitnall School Board, Oshkosh Area School District Board of Education, State Assembly District 84 candidate in 2022.

• Occupation: Primary caregiver for her husband, Phil, a Vietnam veteran who was paralyzed in a construction accident in 1990.  She is the former executive director of the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin and a school board governance consultant.

• Policies: Bird is an advocate for ADA accommodations to make sure “programs and facilities are accessible," she told the Journal Sentinel. She has backed policies that support LGBTQ+ individuals to “ensure our public schools serve all students,” her website said. She supports various gun safety legislation including background checks on all firearms sales, requiring gun locks in homes where children are present and red flag laws.

Bob Donovan, Republican

• Residence: Greenfield

• Political experience: Current representative for Wisconsin State Assembly District 84, Milwaukee Common Council (2000-2020), candidate for mayor of Milwaukee in 2022.

• Occupation: Wisconsin State Assembly.

• Policies: Donovan says on his campaign website “the chaos of the city (is) bleeding into our community.” He is focused on the “interests of the common man, woman, and child” with a desire to “bridge the gap between Madison and local governments.” His official Facebook page highlights how he has "championed important bipartisan issues like shared revenue, driver education, and combating reckless driving, all of which were historic legislative victories." He also supported additional policing during his run for Milwaukee Mayor in 2022.

— Erik Hanley

Assembly District 82

Assembly District 82 includes most of the city of Waukesha (except for the easternmost segment) and the western half of the village of Waukesha.

Scott Allen, Republican

• Residence: Waukesha

• Political experience: Assembly representative since 2014; former Waukesha alderman.

• Occupation: Realtor; sales and leadership speaker, trainer, and coach; co-owner of a printing and promotional products business. Former home builder and risk management analyst.

• Policies: On his campaign website, Allen says he favors regulatory reduction and permanent tax relief for Wisconsin, supports strategic funding of evidence-based early childhood education initiatives and expanded school choice opportunities, and wants to prioritize “public safety infrastructure” by funding firefighters, emergency medical services, and law enforcement personnel.

Kevin Reilly, Democrat

• Residence: Waukesha

• Political experience: None as elected official; served as campaign manager to brother Shawn’s three mayoral races

• Occupation: Professional career in health services, including 16 years as a psychiatric technician with Waukesha County Mental Health

• Policies: On his campaign website, Reilly says he is a staunch supporter of women’s health care rights and keeping government out of their medical choices and favors Medicaid expansion and marijuana legalization. He is critical of political gridlock that wastes public dollars and impacts funding for public services, and calls himself a defender of democracy.

– Jim Riccioli

Assembly District 83

Assembly District 83 includes New Berlin.

Dave Maxey, Republican

• Residence: New Berlin

• Political experience: Incumbent Representative in Assembly District 15.  He is also a member of the New Berlin Common Council and a former member of the New Berlin Board of Education.

• Occupation: Sales and marketing.

• Policies: According to campaign information, Maxey describes himself as a "fiscal and family values conservative." He takes an anti-abortion stance, according to information on his campaign Facebook site, and "recognizes the personhood of the preborn baby" with a "no-exceptions pro-life position." He also says he supports policies focused on lowering taxes, maintaining "law and order," securing elections and ensuring public schools report information on finances, performance, and curriculum to parents.

Jill Schindler, Democrat 

• Residence: New Berlin

• Past political experience: None

• Occupation: Corporate information technology

• Policies: According to her campaign website, Schindler supports abortion access. She wants to reduce health care costs, make housing more affordable, enforce state environmental laws, reduce crime and increase funding for public education.

— Cleo Krejci

Assembly District 84

Assembly District 84 includes parts of Muskego, Mukwonago, and Waterford in Waukesha, Racine and Walworth counties.

Zachary Roper, Democrat

• Residence: Muskego

• Past political experience: None

• Occupation: Student at Carthage College

• Policies: In a statement to the Journal Sentinel, Roper said he is “young, and we need new ideas to keep our state from going backward.” If elected, Roper said he’s committed to working with all sides to pass bills. “We need to work with both sides, so I’m going to reach across the aisle.” During his campaign, he highlighted the importance of restoring women’s rights to abortion and increasing funding for teachers and schools. “Our teachers help make the future leaders of tomorrow, so we need to help them out.”

Chuck Wichgers, Republican

• Residence: Muskego

• Past political experience: Member of Wisconsin State Assembly, District 82 (2023 - present), District 83 (2017 - 2022). First elected to the City of Muskego Common Council and Waukesha County Board of Supervisors in 1999.

• Occupation: Telecommunications company based in Waukesha.

• Policies: According to his website, Wichgers is a “staunch supporter of the right to life and believes in protecting human life at all levels. Faith, family, protection of inalienable rights and service to his community is part of who he is as a man and what he will continue to bring to the table as a legislator”. In 2023, Wichgers introduced an impeachment resolution against Meagan Wolfe, the nonpartisan administrator of the Wisconsin Election Commission. In 2021, he was one of 15 state legislators to ask former Vice President Mike Pence to delay the certification of the 2020 presidential election.  In 2021, he joined a group of lawmakers pushing to give parents more control over their children’s education. “Children should not face state-sanctioned discrimination or psychological distress in an education environment based on immutable characteristics,” he said at a news conference.

— Alex Groth

Assembly District 98

Jim Piwowarczyk, Republican

Assembly District 98 includes portions of Waukesha and Washington Counties, including — at least in part — Hartford, the Village of Merton, the Village of Sussex, Richfield, Hubertus and the Town of Erin.

• Residence: Town of Erin

• Political experience: None

• Occupation: According to Piwowarczyk, he's a Wisconsin licensed real estate broker and owner of Realty Solutions Group, an investor, and co-founder of the conservative news site Wisconsin Right Now.

• Policies: According to Piwowarczyk's campaign website, he supports eliminating the state income tax, reducing burdens/regulations on small businesses and reducing the tax burden on retirees. Regarding public safety, Piwowarczyk supports qualified immunity for law enforcement officers, fully funding police departments and tougher penalties for reckless driving and repeat felons. He calls for legislation to have mental health mobile crisis units in every county and funding to build mental health facilities statewide. He believes that illegal immigrants who commit crimes should be deported. He opposes granting driver's licenses and voting rights to illegal immigrants, his campaign site says. Piwowarczyk is a "staunch" supporter of the 2nd Amendment and constitutional carry. Piwowarczyk believes transgender surgeries and puberty blockers should be banned for minors, according to his website. Piwowarczyk wants the Wisconsin Election Commission abolished. He opposes dropboxes, Democracy in the Park and indefinitely confined voting, and wants absentee ballot rules tightened, according to his website. His full list of positions can be found here.

Del Schmechel, Democrat

• Residence: Hubertus

• Past political experience: None

• Occupation: According to Schmechel, he retired in 2010 after 42 years as an International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 494 electrician; he was also a foreman. Schmechel was a volunteer firefighter for 10 years with the Richfield Volunteer Fire Company and spent time as an EMT, a Basic Trauma Life Support instructor and a HazMat Team member. During six years with the 128 Tactical Control Squadron, Schmechel was a radar operator, staff sergeant and non-commissioned officer, according to a bio he shared with the Journal Sentinel.

• Policies: "When I was working, quite often, I was managing the work on the job site," Schmechel said. "Never once did I have a book tell me the questions that were going to come up tomorrow ... All I can say is, whatever would drop in my lap, I would research it, make an honest judgment, talk to my fellow people and come up with an answer and see if it flies." Having always been around strong women, Schmechel said, he believes "very strongly" in women having equal rights. "In fact, there's nobody that I don't think that should have equal rights," he said. "Color, race, gender, political position, anything — we're all equal. We should all be honest, fair with each other, respect each other's views." Having responded to several car crashes caused by drunken drivers during his time as a volunteer first responder, he said, he takes drunken driving, as well as safety in general, very seriously. "It's nice for everybody to consider what they can do for society's sake," he said. "Everything isn't about me, it's about we." Schmechel's campaign Facebook page can be found here.

— Hannah Kirby

(This story was updated to add new information.)

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Voter guide for Wisconsin Senate, Assembly seats in Milwaukee