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 66
Assembly District 66 covers the southeast corner of Racine County, including the south side of the city of Racine, most of the village of Mount Pleasant, and the villages of Sturtevant and Elmwood Park.
According to WisPolitics, Democrat Greta Neubauer was drawn in to the new District 66. She is running for re-election against Republican David DeGroot.
The district leans approximately 56% Democratic.
WUWM sent a questionnaire to the District 66 candidates. Their responses below may be edited for length and clarity.
Meet the candidates
David DeGroot (Republican)
David DeGroot did not respond to WUWM's candidate questions. The information below is from his campaign website.
David DeGroot is a lifelong Racine County resident, a small business owner, and the current village president of Mount Pleasant. His platform emphasizes investment in education, holding the line on taxes, curbing inflation, and supporting small businesses and American jobs.
"With the change in the districts, voters have the opportunity to toss-out the do-nothing politicians and elect individuals that are focused on tackling the real issues," he says on his website.
DeGroot is the owner of the Racine-based firm Action Home Buyers Inc. He has served as Mount Pleasant village president since 2017.
“When I was elected President of Mount Pleasant, our community was known around the state for its lack of leadership, dysfunctional board, and a challenging business climate. We turned that around. We broke the stalemate, unified our community, and created a positive vision for our great Village. Now, we have the chance to do that in Wisconsin. As a long-time resident of the district and small business owner, I understand how challenging it is right now for families. Instead of playing political games, I will be focused on fixing our problems and getting things done.”
David DeGroot's campaign website
Greta Neubauer (Democrat)
What motivated you to run for this office?
I ran for office because I felt that people in Racine deserved better than they were getting from our gerrymandered, Republican-controlled state Assembly. Since being elected, I have championed efforts to increase access to affordable healthcare, reduce racial disparities, increase education funding, and bring family supporting jobs to Racine. I’ve advocated for necessary criminal justice reforms and authored legislation to protect our democracy. I have been a leading voice in the fight against climate change.
Having finally won fair legislative maps, we have huge opportunities to take this vision and pass it into state law.
What concerns are you hearing from constituents, and how do you plan to address those if elected?
People have shared their concerns about the cost of living, including the price of groceries and accessibility of child care. They are concerned for our democracy, they want to see investment in our public schools, and they question whether their children will live with fewer rights than they had.
The people of Racine County also often share their hopes for what we can do if we come together, like creating good jobs and ensuring safe and welcoming communities for all of us. As the Democratic Assembly Leader, I will continue working with Racine residents to build a state where everyone can thrive.
What would success look like for you at the end of your term?
For the first time in over a decade, Wisconsin has fair legislative maps. This means voters finally have the power to hold their state legislators accountable and elect people who represent their values and priorities.
With this exciting opportunity ahead of us, success will look like passing the policies Wisconsinites have been asking for. This includes ensuring we all have the right to comprehensive reproductive healthcare. It means adequately funding our public schools and higher educational institutions. Success looks like lower healthcare costs, reducing racial disparities, addressing climate change and much more.
What distinguishes your experience from the other candidate(s) in this race?
For my entire adult life I have been a social movement organizer and dedicated advocate for progressive causes. I’ve worked with students to demand action on climate change. I’ve stood with members of our community speaking out against attacks on the LGBTQ+ community and the impacts of gun violence. Racine needs and deserves a champion in Madison — someone who will always have their backs and never stop fighting with them. I believe my record shows this commitment, and I look forward to working with everyone in our community to continue bringing Racine’s values to the state Capitol and passing the policies we need into state law.
Please list any notable endorsements you’ve received in this race.
- Planned Parenthood
- LPAC
- National Association of Social Workers
- Wisconsin Moms Demand Action Gun Sense Candidate
- Wisconsin Conservation Voters
- Service Employees International Union
- United Auto Workers
- The Next 50
- Wisconsin Education Association Council
Greta Neubauer's Campaign website
Have questions about other candidates on your ballot? Read about the candidates in your Wisconsin Senate district here:
