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 22
Wisconsin Assembly District 22 includes Cedarburg, Port Washington, western Mequon, Grafton, and the northern half of Germantown
According to WisPolitics, Republican Rep. Paul Melotik was drawn in to the new District 22. He is running for re-election against Democrat Dana Glasstein.
The district leans approximately 59% Republican.
WUWM sent a questionnaire to the candidates. Their responses below may be edited for length and clarity.
Meet the candidates
Paul Melotik (Republican)
Melotik did not respond to WUWM's candidate questions. The information below is from his campaign website and previous news coverage.
Melotik filled the empty 24th District seat last year after winning a special election. He served as a board supervisor in Ozaukee County from 2012-2024.
“Smaller government, less regulation, and a robust private sector are what will position the state for future success,” his campaign website says. “I look forward to talking to the voters of the new 22nd Assembly District about our state's future.”
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that Melotik describes himself as a fiscal conservative who supports school choice, special education funding, and conservation "which he acknowledged is 'not maybe as typical Republican' of an issue."
Melotik also supports funding law enforcement and 2nd Amendment rights, according to the report.
Dana Glasstein (Democrat)
What motivated you to run for this office?
For 13 years, our representatives in Madison have ignored the will of the majority of Wisconsinites. As a petitioner in the lawsuit that ended the state’s extreme partisan gerrymander, I am thrilled that new fairer maps are in place, and that legislation that reflects our shared values and individual rights can now be pursued. The interests of all Wisconsinites must be heard, and democracy restored in Wisconsin. I will be that voice in my district.
What concerns are you hearing from constituents, and how do you plan to address those if elected?
I have knocked on many doors in my district and some of the top concerns include the loss of reproductive freedoms, threats to democracy, cost of living, and dysfunction and incivility in our Legislature. I will work to overturn our state’s archaic 1849 abortion ban and codify the right to reproductive healthcare. I will fight for transparency, and always come to the table to seek bipartisan solutions for our state. I will support legislation that increases affordable housing, expands access to quality healthcare, and makes higher education more affordable.
What would success look like for you at the end of your term?
Less than 3% of Democrat-authored bills even get a discussion in the unfairly Republican-dominated Legislature, which is outrageous! Success means that the Legislature takes action on the issues that Wisconsinites overwhelmingly support, like protecting reproductive freedoms, expanding affordable healthcare with federal Medicaid funding, and common-sense gun laws to name a few. Bills on these issues must be heard, and votes taken so legislators are on the record and there is transparency for their constituents. Success also means taking the redistricting process away from the politicians and handing it to a non-partisan commission.
What distinguishes your experience from the other candidate(s) in this race?
As a long-time educator at Waukesha County Technical College, I work with adult students of all ages and from various socio-economic backgrounds. I contribute to and witness how innovative higher education programming positively changes lives while supporting the ever-changing needs of our state’s economy. As a military wife, mother, and educator with a proven collaborative and non-doctrinaire approach, I possess the qualities, background and understanding to identify common-sense solutions to our state’s many pressing issues.
Please list any notable endorsements you’ve received in this race.
2024 Moms Demand Action Gun Sense Candidate Distinction
Dana Glasstein campaign website
Have questions about other candidates on your ballot? Read about the candidates in your Wisconsin Senate district here:
