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 10
Assembly District 10 covers several neighborhoods of the north side of Milwaukee, including the Williamsburg Heights, Arlington Heights, and Grover Heights neighborhoods, as well as the neighboring village of Shorewood and the city of Glendale.
According to WisPolitics, Democrat Darrin Madison was drawn into the district under new legislative maps. He is running for re-election unopposed.
The district leans approximately 86% Democratic.
WUWM sent a questionnaire to the District 10 candidate. Responses below may be edited for length and clarity.
Meet the candidate
Darrin Madison (Democrat)
Darrin Madison did not respond to WUWM's candidate questions. The information below is from the Wisconsin Legislature and Madison's Facebook and Linkedin pages.
Darrin Madison is seeking reelection to the Wisconsin State Assembly, where has served as District 10 representative since January 2023. His platform emphasizes thriving and sustainable communities, well-funded public schools, workforce development, and support for unions.
"My position on our community's needs is clear," Madison's Facebook page says. "I’m prepared to act on solutions that meet our needs and improve our lives."
Madison has a background as a policy advocate with organizations such as Youth Justice Milwaukee, the City of Milwaukee's environmental collaboration office, and the Urban Ecology Center.
"As a State Assemblyman at Wisconsin, I am committed to advancing policies that promote social justice, environmental sustainability, and community empowerment," Madison says on his LinkedIn page. "I have over four years of experience in organizing, facilitating, and coordinating programs and campaigns that address the needs and challenges of youth, especially those of color, in the areas of education, health, and justice."
Darrin Madison's Facebook page
Have questions about other candidates on your ballot? Read about the candidates in your Wisconsin Senate district here:
