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With the August 9th Primary fast approaching, Michael Best Strategies will be providing three separate updates on the Legislative Primary Elections. This week we will be focusing on “open seat” primaries in the State Assembly. Next week we will provide an update on “open seat” primaries in the State Senate and the following week we will focus on incumbent lawmakers being challenged by members of their own party.

Open Seat Primaries in the State Assembly

  • Assembly District 5: Four candidates are vying to succeed retiring Assembly Majority Leader Jim Steineke (R-Kaukauna). Joy Goeben (R-Hobart) is a former middle school teacher who currently operates a family-run carpet cleaning business. Tim Greenwood (R-Kaukauna) is an attorney who primarily works in family law and estate planning. Kraig Knaack (R-Freedom) is a realtor who works in the Appleton area. The winner of the Republican primary will face Joey Van Deurzen (D-De Pere), an undergraduate studying computer science at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities.
  • Assembly District 6: There are a total of nine candidates seeking to replace Rep. Gary Tauchen (R-Bonduel). David Kohn (R-Bonduel) is a veteran of the U.S. Coast Guard. Dean Neubert (R-Hortonville) is the owner of A-1 Professional Supply, a distributor of maintenance and janitorial products. Nathan Michael (R-Tigerton) is the owner of an HVAC contracting business who has been endorsed by Timothy Ramthun, a candidate in the Republican gubernatorial primary. Matthew Albert (R-Grand Chute) is the former Chairman of the Outagamie County Republican Party. Peter Schmidt (R-Bonduel) is a former member of the Shawano County Board and owner of Schmidt’s Ponderosa. Craig Arrowood (R-Shawano) served as a staffer to Rep. Tauchen from 2007 until earlier this year. William Switalla (D-Wittenberg), who unsuccessfully ran in the Democratic primary for the 6th District in 2020, is the lone Democrat in the race. Two independents are also running: Marcus Gruenstern (I-Shiocton), a chef, and Jacob Tarlton (I-Seymour), a food export specialist at The Stone Group.
  • Assembly District 10: Two candidates are competing in the Democratic primary after Rep. David Bowen (D-Milwaukee) briefly sought the Democratic nomination for Lt. Governor. Byran Kennedy (D-Glendale) is the Mayor of Glendale and has been endorsed by Rep. Dianne Hesselbein (D-Middleton). Darrin Madison (D-Milwaukee) is a former Program Coordinator for Youth Justice Milwaukee who has been endorsed by both Bowen and Sen. Chris Larson (D-Milwaukee).
  • Assembly District 13: Three candidates are seeking to succeed Rep. Sara Rodriguez (D-Brookfield), who is running for Lt. Governor. The lone Democrat is Sarah Harrison (D-Brookfield), who works in logistics and narrowly lost a seat on the Waukesha County School Board in April 2022. She will face either Tom Michalski, a supervisor on the Waukesha County Board, or Erik Ngutse, an Army veteran and refugee of the Rwandan genocide.
  • Assembly District 15: One candidate is running to replace retiring Rep. Joe Sanfelippo (R-New Berlin). Dave Maxey serves on the New Berlin City Council and is endorsed by both Sanfelippo and Sen. Dale Kooyenga (R-Brookfield).
  • Assembly District 19: Ryan Clancy (D-Milwaukee), a supervisor on the Milwaukee County Board, is the sole candidate to succeed Rep. Jonathan Brostoff (D-Milwaukee).
  • Assembly District 27: Amy Binsfeld (R-Sheboygan), who works at her family-run appliance and furniture store, is the only candidate who is running to replace Rep. Tyler Vorpagel (R-Plymouth).
  • Assembly District 31: Three Republicans are running to succeed Rep. Amy Loudenbeck (R-Clinton), who is running for Secretary of State. Maryann Zimmerman (R-Whitewater) is a member of the Whitewater Unified School District School Board. Ellen Schutt (R-Clinton) is a former staffer for both Loudenbeck and Rep. Tony Kurtz (R-Wonewoc). Jason Dean (R-Whitewater) is a Marine Corps veteran and a former field director for Congressman Bryan Steil. The winner will face Brienne Brown (D-Whitewater), a member of the Whitewater Common Council and founder of the Whitewater Grocery Cooperative, and Christopher Hansen (I-Lake Geneva), a candidate affiliated with the American Solidarity Party.
  • Assembly District 43: Two Democrats are competing to replace Rep. Don Vruwink (D-Milton), who was redistricted to the 33rd Assembly District. Jenna Jacobson (D-Oregon) is a trustee for the Village of Michigan and a housing program specialist for the Dane County Housing Access and Affordability Division. Matt McIntyre (D-Edgarton) is an alderman and the former Mayor of Edgerton. The winner will face Marisa Voelkel (R-Janesville), a registered nurse who currently works as a physical environment specialist at The Joint Commission.
  • Assembly District 45: Two Democrats seek to succeed Rep. Mark Spreitzer (D-Beloit), who is running for State Senate. Clinton Anderson (D-Beloit) is the President of the Beloit City Council. Ben Dorscheid (D-Belleville) teaches social studies at a public high school. The winner will face Jeff Klett (R-Beloit), a past president of both the Beloit District Board of Education and and the Beloit Economic Development Corporation.
  • Assembly District 46: Five Democrats are running to replace Rep. Gary Hebl (D-Sun Prairie). Andrew Hysell (D-Sun Prairie) is a principal at CTA Strategies, a public policy consulting firm. Syed Abbas (D-Madison) serves as the president of the Madison Common Council. Melissa Ratcliff (D-Cottage Grove) and Analiese Eicher (D-Sun Prairie) are both supervisors on the Dane County Board. Mike Jacobs (D-Sun Prairie) serves on the Sun Prairie City Council. The winner will face Andrew McKinney (R-Cottage Grove), a veteran and member of the Monona Grove School Board.
  • Assembly District 52: Four candidates are running in the Republican primary after Rep. Jeremy Thiesfeldt (R-Fond du Lac) opted not to seek re-election. Donald Hannemann (R-Fond du Lac) is an Army veteran and the owner of H-D Welding. Robert Thresher (R-Fond du Lac) is a former manufacturer and non-profit president. Lawrence Foster (R-Fond du Lac) is the president of REVCOM, a website design company. Jerry O’Connor (R-Fond du Lac) is the current board chair of the Charis Pregnancy Help Center. The winner will face Joe Lavrenz (D-Fond du Lac), who last ran for Assembly in 2018 against Rep. Michael Schraa (R-Oshkosh) and garnered about 37% of the vote.
  • Assembly District 54: Two candidates will face off to succeed former Assembly Minority Leader Gordon Hintz (D-Oshkosh). Lori Palmeri (D-Oshkosh) is the Mayor of Oshkosh and works for a medical courier service. Donnie Herman (R-Oshkosh) is the owner of several small businesses in the Oshkosh area.
  • Assembly District 55: Two candidates are running to succeed Rep. Rachael Cabral-Guevara (R-Appleton), who is running for State Senate. Nate Gustafson (R-Neenah) was the manager for Cabral-Guevara’s campaign for Assembly in 2020 and recently established Winnebago County for Freedom, a conservative grassroots organization. Stefanie Holt (D-Neenah) serves on the Board of Education for Neenah Joint School District and owns a consulting business.
  • Assembly District 59: Two Republicans are running to replace Rep. Timothy Ramthun (R-Campbellsport), who is running in the Republican gubernatorial primary. Ty Bodden (R-Hilbert) is the current Chairman of the Republican Party of Calumet County and has been endorsed by both Ramthun and former Governor Scott Walker. Vinny Egle (R-Kewaskum) is a tavern owner, machinist, and welder.
  • Assembly District 61: Two Republicans seek to succeed Rep. Samantha Kerkman (R-Salem Lakes), who was recently elected as Kenosha County Executive. Mike Honold (R-Union Grove) is the owner of Rival Sports Pub and Grille and is backed by the Tavern League of Wisconsin. Amanda Nedweski (R-Pleasant Prairie) is a supervisor on the Kenosha County Board and is endorsed by Wisconsin Right to Life. The winner will compete against Max Winkels, a retired healthcare manager and executive who currently serves as the Sergeant-at-Arms of the Kenosha County Democrats.
  • Assembly District 68: Three Republicans are competing to replace Rep. Jesse James (R-Altoona), who is running for State Senate. Hillarie Roth (R-Altoona) is a member of the School Board for the School District of Altoona and the Altoona Police and Fire Commissioner. Chris Connell (R-Eau Claire) is an Eau Claire-area mechanic and conservative activist. Karen Hurd (R-Fall Creek) is an Army veteran and a trustee for the Village of Fall Creek. The winning Republican will face Nate Otto (D-Altoona), a supervisor on the Eau Claire County Board and an adjunct professor at Chippewa Valley Technical College.
  • Assembly District 73: One Democrat is campaigning to succeed retiring Rep. Nick Milroy (D-South Range). Laura Gapske (D-Superior) is a member of the school board for the Superior School District and the director of a domestic violence prevention organization. She will face either Angie Sapik (R-Lake Nebagamon), a produce saleswoman who claims to have been approached by the Republican Assembly Campaign Committee (RACC) to run for the seat, or Scott Luostari (R-Poplar), the Chair of the Town of Lakeside and a supervisor on the Douglas County Board.
  • Assembly District 74: A single Democrat is running to replace retiring Rep. Beth Meyers (D-Bayfield). John Adams (D-Washburn) is a vegetable grower and distributor for Bayfield Foods Cooperative and an organizer for the Wisconsin Farmers Union (WFU). He will face either Chanz Green (R-Mason), the former utilities manager for the City of Ashland, or John Schey (R-Glidden), an technician working in the electronics industry.
  • Assembly District 79: Two Democrats are campaigning to succeed Rep. Dianne Hesselbein (D-Middleton). Alex Joers (D-Middleton) is a supervisor on the Dane County Board and a former staffer for Hesselbein, who endorsed his candidacy. Brad Votava (D-Madison) is the owner of Archer Geographic, a GIS company. The winner will face Victoria Fueger (R-Waunakee), who ran against Hesselbein in 2020 and received just under 33% of the vote.
  • Assembly District 80: Five Democrats are competing to succeed retiring Rep. Sondy Pope (D-Mt. Horeb). Mike Bare (D-Verona) is a former aide to U.S. Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI) and supervisor for the Dane County Board. Dale Yurs (D-Belleville) is a special education teacher who serves as the Village Board President for Belleville. Anna Halverson (D-Mt. Horeb) is a community organizer and a supervisor for Progressive Community Services. Chad Kemp (D-Verona) is a civil rights and personal injury attorney. Doug Steinberg is a production technician. The winner will face either Nathan Graewin (R-Verona), a small business owner, or Jacob Luginbuhl, an associate director for Heartland Credit Union, and former candidate for the Dane County Board of Supervisors.
  • Assembly District 83: Two Republicans are running to replace Rep. Chuck Wichgers (R-Muskego), who was redistricted to the 82nd Assembly District. Nik Rettinger (R-Mukwonago) is the Chief of Staff for Sen. Andre Jacque (R-De Pere) and has been endorsed by former Governor Scott Walker and Wichgers. Pat Goldammer (R-Waterford) is a former airline captain and a trustee for the Village of Waterford.
  • Assembly District 84: Three Republicans are campaigning to succeed Rep. Mike Kugltisch (R-New Berlin). Bob Donovan (R-Greenfield) is a former Milwaukee alderman and a run-off candidate for Mayor of Milwaukee in April 2022. David Karst (R-Greenfield) is the chairman of the Republican Party of Milwaukee County and was endorsed by former Governor Scott Walker. Laura Barker (R-Greenfield) is an office manager for Epikos Church. The winner will face LuAnn Bird (D-Hales Corners), the former executive director for the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin.
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Michael Best Strategies
Michael Best Strategies (Strategies) helps companies accelerate their success through a combination of strategic business consulting, lobbying, government relations, public affairs, and communications. The firm has thrived by providing a diverse team of professionals with the experience, skills, and relationships necessary to help each client achieve their goals more quickly and fully.

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