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 33
Wisconsin Assembly District 33 represents eastern Walworth County and southwest Racine County, including Burlington, most of Lake Geneva, East Troy and Union Grove.
According to WisPolitics, Republican Rep. Robin Vos was drawn in to the new District 33. In the Aug. 13 primary, Vos beat Republican Andrew Cegielski, whose name remained on the ballot despite ending his campaign in June.
Vos will face Democrat Alan Kupsik and Independent Kelly Clark in the Nov. 5 general election.
The district leans approximately 66% Republican.
WUWM sent a questionnaire to the candidates. Their responses below may be edited for length and clarity.
Meet the candidates
Robin Vos (Republican)
Vos did not respond to WUWM's candidate questions. The information below is from his campaign website and previous news coverage.
Robin Vos has served in the Assembly since 2005. He has been Assembly Speaker since 2013, becoming one of the most powerful Republicans in the Legislature.
As WUWM's Chuck Quirmbach has reported, Vos has been the target of recall efforts because some conservatives argue Vos has not done enough to support their false claim that Donald Trump carried Wisconsin in the 2020 election.
Recently in the Legislature, Vos has worked to dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in the UW System, which he calls "indoctrination." He pressured the UW System to restructure DEI positions in order to unlock state funding.
On his campaign website, Vos says he wants to "continue the fight to stop [Democrat] Governor Evers’ liberal agenda in Madison."
Vos says his other priorities include: empowering parents by expanding school choice, fighting government mandates, encouraging economic development, and lowering taxes.
Kelly Clark (Independent)
Clark did not respond to WUWM's candidate questions. The information below is from her campaign website and previous news coverage.
On her campaign website, Clark describes herself as a nurse practitioner and entrepreneur.
Clark says she is committed to "community over partisan politics."
She says her political involvement began in 2021, due to what she saw as "unprecedented overreach" of the government during the COVID-19 pandemic, and her "growing skepticism" about the results of the 2020 election.
"Kelly’s goal is to restore integrity in our government, ensuring full accountability and fiercely protecting the rights and freedoms of every individual, free from the bondage of partisan loyalties. As your representative, she is determined to break away from the conventional mold," her campaign website says.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that Clark has been involved in the efforts to recall Rep. Robin Vos, who she is now running against.
Alan Kupsik (Democrat)
What motivated you to run for this office?
My first reason is to give people a choice. Second, we need to get things done in Madison, my concerns are education, women’s rights, the economy, rural Wisconsin, taxes and infrastructure (bridges, roads).
What concerns are you hearing from constituents, and how do you plan to address those if elected?
The concerns I hear about are women’s rights, education and taxes. The concern is that there are bills being held up in the legislature. I would make the effort to work across the isle and speed up the process of passing the bills.
What would success look like for you at the end of your term?
Develop a better relationship across the aisle. Work would get done in a timely manner with fewer delays when it comes to passing important bills.
What distinguishes your experience from the other candidate(s) in this race?
My background as a local mayor and alderman have given me a better understanding of what people want and that is to listen. People want results and thats what i would do, get results. It’s important that as an elected official you are always open and honest with everyone.
Please list any notable endorsements you’ve received in this race.
It’s early, but so far I have been endorsed by the Walworth Count Democrats and that includes The East Troy, Elkhorn, and Burlington local Democrats.
Candidate website not available
