Wisconsinites will vote for state Assembly candidates in the general election Nov. 3, 2026.
This is the second election under more competitive district maps.
What do the Wisconsin Senate and Assembly do?
The Wisconsin Legislature is made up of 99 Assembly representatives and 33 senators from across Wisconsin. Together, they have the power to create, amend and repeal laws.
The Legislature plays a major role in deciding how to use taxpayer-funded state revenue every two years in the biennial budget. Whether more or less money is spent on education, economic development, tax relief — that is decided by the majority in the Legislature, along with Wisconsin's governor, who has to sign the budget, and other bills, into law.
What's at stake?
The Wisconsin Legislature has been firmly controlled by Republicans for more than a decade, under gerrymandered legislative maps.
Those maps were thrown out by the liberal-majority Wisconsin Supreme Court in 2023, which prompted the Legislature to approve new maps proposed by Gov. Tony Evers.
Democrats now have a chance of winning the majority in the state Senate, if they win a handful competitive districts.
Republicans are likely to maintain their majority in the Assembly. According to JR Ross with WisPolitics.com, Democrats would have to sweep almost all of the "swing" seats and hold on to a few they won by the skin of their teeth in 2024, to have a chance of gaining a majority in the Assembly.
The Republican-held swing seats include Assembly District 21.
Assembly District 21
Wisconsin Assembly District 21 includes Oak Creek, parts of Milwaukee, and a small part of Greenfield. Current Rep. Jessie Rodriguez, a Republican, is not running for reelection.
Republican Dylan Pfaffenbach and Democrat Daniel J. Bukiewicz will face each other in the Nov. 3 election. Bukiewicz beat Democrat David Liners in the Aug. 11 primary.
WUWM sent a questionnaire to the candidates. Their responses below may be edited for length and clarity.
Meet the candidates
Dylan Pfaffenbach (Republican)
Dylan Pfaffenbach did not respond to WUWM's candidate questions. The information below is from his campaign website.
Pfaffenbach's campaign website says he is a seventh-generation Wisconsinite who will "bring a fresh perspective to the state Assembly."
He says his top priorities are:
- Addressing rising costs by lowering the tax burden, including property taxes.
- Prioritizing quality and affordable healthcare by requiring hospitals to be transparent with their pricing, supporting postpartum care for mothers, and protecting people with pre-existing conditions.
- Empowering parents and putting kids first by "prioritizing additional resources directly to the classroom paired with accountability to ensure students are learning and succeeding."
Daniel J. Bukiewicz (Democrat)
Daniel J. Bukiewicz did not respond to WUWM's candidate questions. The information below is from his campaign website.
According to Bukiewicz's campaign website, he was elected president of the Milwaukee Building and Construction Trades Council in 2014, representing more than 15,000 union tradeswomen and tradesmen. He is also mayor of Oak Creek.
Bukiewicz says his top priorities if elected to the Legislature are: keeping our communities safe, lowering costs for families and supporting public education.
Support for WUWM's Voter Guide is provided by Milwaukee Turners.
