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 23
Wisconsin Assembly District 23 includes Bayside, Fox Point, River Hills, Thiensville, Whitefish Bay, most of Brown Deer and the eastern half of Mequon.
According to WisPolitics, Democratic Rep. Deb Andraca was drawn in to the new District 23. She is running for re-election against Republican Laurie Wolf.
The district leans approximately 63% Democratic.
WUWM sent a questionnaire to the candidates. Their responses below may be edited for length and clarity.
Meet the candidates
Deb Andraca (Democrat)
What motivated you to run for this office?
In 2019 I was working as an elementary school substitute teacher and a volunteer with Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense. I contacted my elected officials in Madison and urged them to vote for better gun laws, but they refused. When the Legislature "gaveled in and gaveled out" a special session on gun violence, I knew that if I could not change my legislators' minds, I would have to change their jobs. So I ran and I won in 2020, becoming one of just three candidates in a decade to overcome Wisconsin's gerrymander and flip a district from red to blue.
What concerns are you hearing from constituents, and how do you plan to address those if elected?
My constituents want safe communities, great public schools, and a clean environment and fair elections that reflect the will of the people, not political parties. I am the co-chair of the Legislative Gun Safety Coalition, I serve on the Assembly Education Committee, and I was named to the state Legislative "honor roll" by Conservation Voters. My constituents also want to make their own medical decisions, particularly after Roe vs. Wade was overturned by the US Supreme Court. I am a strong advocate for women's' reproductive rights and have earned the endorsement of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin.
What would success look like for you at the end of your term?
Success would be having a Legislature that is not so divided so that we can make progress on issues that are important to Wisconsin voters. We have the first opportunity to do so in over a decade with our new, fair legislative maps. Poll after poll shows that a majority of Wisconsinites support common-sense gun laws, strong public schools, protections for our air and water, and women's reproductive rights, but these and other issues have been blocked from even having a public hearing by Republican leaders in Madison. Success would mean finally having honest conversations, holding hearings, and reaching compromise.
What distinguishes your experience from the other candidate(s) in this race?
I consider it a priority to listen to all my constituents, not just those who happen to agree with me. I ran for office because I felt ignored by my elected officials, who were more concerned with keeping one party in power than representing the people in their districts. I have worked very hard to be accessible, holding weekly constituent office hours in the district, so that I can hear from all sides on issues that are important to the people in the 23rd district. I have yet to hear anything from my opponent.
Please list any notable endorsements you’ve received in this race.
- Honor Roll and endorsement, Wisconsin Conservation Voters 2024
- Gun Sense Candidate distinction, Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense 2024
- Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin, 2024
- Wisconsin Legislator of the Year, 2023
- American College of Physicians Wisconsin Chapter, 2023
- Milwaukee County Legislative Champion, 2023
- Wisconsin Legislator of the Year, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, 2022
- Champion of Commerce, Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce, 2022
Laurie O'Brien Wolf (Republican)
Wolf did not respond to WUWM's candidate questions. The information below is from her campaign website.
Wolf’s campaign website describes her stances on education, healthcare, economy and crime.
“The future of our state and our nation are our children,” her website says. “It is inexcusable that our public schools are passing kids onto the next grade without the necessary skills for reading, writing and arithmetic.”
Wolf supports increasing the starting pay for teachers, improving mental health resources in schools, restricting cellphone use and more.
For health care, she prioritizes women’s reproductive rights “With reasonable limits including abortion up to 18 weeks with the exception of rape and incest.” She also supports increasing the quality of service for veterans and improving access to drug and alcohol rehabilitation.
Wolf describes her plan for improving the economy which includes: lowering income taxes, eliminating the grocery tax and property taxes for seniors, and investing in affordable housing.
Laurie O'Brien Wolf campaign website
Have questions about other candidates on your ballot? Read about the candidates in your Wisconsin Senate district here:
