Wisconsinites will vote for state Assembly and Senate candidates in the general election Nov. 5, 2024.
This is the first election under newly-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 last year, which prompted the Legislature to approve new maps proposed by Gov. Tony Evers.
Democrats now have a chance of winning the majority in the Assembly, if they win a handful competitive districts.
In the Senate, only half of the seats are up for election, which means Republicans are likely to hold a majority in that chamber for the next two years at least. But Democrats are still working to flip some of the seats.
Assembly District 62
Wisconsin Assembly District 62 includes the northern half of the city of Racine, parts of southern Caledonia and northeast Mount Pleasant, along with the villages of North Bay and Wind Point.
According to WisPolitics, Republican Rep. Robert Wittke was drawn into the new District 62. He is now running in a different district.
Democrat Angelina Cruz is running uncontested for the seat.
The district leans approximately 61% Democratic.
WUWM sent a questionnaire to the candidate. Responses below may be edited for length and clarity.
Meet the candidates
Angelina Cruz (Democrat)
What motivated you to run for this office?
My motivation for running for Assembly District 62 is grounded in my lived experience as a public educator and labor activist. My career as an educator began with the Racine Unified School District, where I just completed my 20th year in service to the children and families of the Racine area. As a lifelong educator, I never aspired to run for public office. However, after having been actively involved for over a decade as a local activist in defense of public goods being systematically dismantled, I recognize the opportunity new maps present to every day Wisconsinites and look forward to being part of much needed change.
What concerns are you hearing from constituents, and how do you plan to address those if elected?
Some specific recurring concerns being raised by constituents include issues related to public education, the cost of living and access to affordable housing and women’s reproductive rights. More broadly, many people express concern about the general dysfunction of the political climate and whether this landscape allows for meaningful work to be done to better the lives of those being underserved by government actors. It is my intention to listen to my constituents and work with my Assembly colleagues to identify and prioritize issues and solutions to maximize positive impact on the lives of Wisconsinites across the state.
What would success look like for you at the end of your term?
At the end of my term, success would not be limited to a safe and prosperous Assembly District 62 but would extend across the entire State of Wisconsin. Public schools will be fully funded, given the tools to deliver on the state constitutional guarantee that every child receives a free public education as “nearly uniform as practicable." The school choice fallacy will have been exposed and all voucher programs siphoning off taxpayer money will be eliminated. Workers' rights will be restored, guaranteeing a voice at the table to secure financial stability and family-sustaining jobs and also working conditions. Women will have bodily autonomy.
What distinguishes your experience from the other candidate(s) in this race?
In addition to experience as a classroom teacher, I am also the current president of the local educators’ union. Having just been elected to serve a fifth term, I am the longest serving and first Latina educator elected to be President of Racine Educators United, composed of the Racine Education Association and the Racine Educational Assistants Association. This lived organizing and advocacy experience coupled with my degree in educational policy puts me in a unique position to speak expertly to specific issues and also work collaboratively and effectively with other legislators to execute common sense solutions.
Please list any notable endorsements you’ve received in this race.
- Wisconsin Education Association Council (WEAC)
- UAW Region 4
- WI Working Families Party
- WI Muslim Civic Alliance
- LPAC
- LGBTQ+ Victory Fund
- Former Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes
- Racine Mayor Cory Mason
- Senator Bob Wirch
- Former Senator John Lehman and Cathy Lehman
- Representative Tip McGuire
- Representative Tod Ohnstad
- Racine County Supervisor Tom Rutkowski
- Racine County Supervisor Jody Spencer
- Local community and labor activists: Jim “Doc” Poplawski, Lauren Baker and John Drew, Pastor Ni’a, Jose Palacios, Chester Todd.
