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 15
Assembly District 15 covers the city of Pewaukee, the village of Pewaukee, most of the city of Brookfield, and part of the city of Waukesha.
According to WisPolitics, Republican Rep. Adam Neylon was drawn in to the new district. Neylon is running against Democrat Sarah Harrison. The district leans approximately 61% Republican.
WUWM sent a questionnaire to the District 15 candidates. Their responses below may be edited for length and clarity.
Meet the candidates
Sarah Harrison (Democrat)
What motivated you to run for this office?
When the School District of Waukesha banned rainbows and "Safe Space" signs, my youngest was 13. He bravely told the school board: 'You are hurting me as a queer student. What are you going to do about it?' When they did nothing, I ran for school board, and nearly won in a conservative district.
I knew I had to keep fighting. Sara Rodriguez was our assembly representative, and was running for Lieutenant Governor. Sara asked me to run for Assembly District 13 in 2022, and I did.
I'm running for Assembly District 15 in 2024 to return reproductive healthcare freedoms, make healthcare and child care accessible and affordable, and keep our Wisconsin economy strong.
What concerns are you hearing from constituents, and how do you plan to address those if elected?
Top issues constituents have raised include the stripping of reproductive freedoms from patients in Wisconsin, child care availability and affordability, healthcare costs, and funding for local governments and public schools.
I will fight to return the freedom to make medical reproductive decisions to patients, not politicians, by codifying the right to an abortion in Wisconsin. I support continued funding for the Child Care Counts program and accepting federal Medicaid dollars that are currently being left on the table. I will work to return more money to local governments through shared revenue, and increase funding for public schools.
What would success look like for you at the end of your term?
My success as an Assembly Representative will be marked by multiple quality of life improvements for Wisconsin residents. Reproductive freedoms will be restored in Wisconsin. Child care and healthcare will be affordable and accessible for our working families. Increased funding for our local governments and public schools will reduce the need for property tax increases or costly referendums.
What distinguishes your experience from the other candidate(s) in this race?
I am an active community advocate working with multiple organizations to support reproductive freedoms, public education, and LGBTQ+ rights.
I will fight to restore reproductive freedoms, and my opponent co-authored a fourteen-week abortion ban. I support accepting federal Medicaid funding, which my opponent voted against at every opportunity. I support continuing the Child Care Counts program, which helps fund child care throughout Wisconsin. My opponent voted to terminate the program. I will fight for the rights of the LGBTQ+ community. My opponent voted to block a ban on conversion therapy, which is a discredited and harmful practice.
Please list any notable endorsements you’ve received in this race.
Sarah Harrison has been recognized as a Gun Sense Candidate by Moms Demand Action. Many other endorsements are in progress.
Sarah Harrison's campaign website
Adam Neylon (Republican)
Adam Neylon did not respond to WUWM's candidate questions. The information below is from his campaign website.
Adam Neylon has served since 2013 as a representative for Assembly District 98. He is currently seeking re-election for the District 15 seat. His platform emphasizes investment in infrastructure, lowering taxes and healthcare costs, and education. Neylon supports school choice, financial literacy and civics education, as well as increasing parental input on curriculum.
"There is no question — educating our youth should be the state's top priority behind public safety, but I would argue they go hand-in-hand," Neylon says on his website.
Before his career as a state representative, Neylon worked under former Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner, studied public policy at Cato University, and completed a congressional fellowship program with the Heritage Foundation.
"In order to cut taxes we have to either do more with less or trim down on the services that are being provided which makes for difficult discussions. I am an advocate of taking a wholistic approach when putting a state budget together. It's best to try and do the same or more with less funding, but that is not always possible. I promise to make your wallet a priority when working with other lawmakers to craft the state's biennium budget."
