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 99
Wisconsin Assembly District 99 includes Oconomowoc, parts of Hartford, Chenequa, Hartland, Lac La Belle, Nashotah, and Neosho in northwest Waukesha and northeast Jefferson counties.
According to WisPolitics, Republican Rep. Barbara Dittrich was drawn in to the new District 99. She is running for re-election unopposed after defeating another Republican, Jeff Pfannerstill, in the Aug. 13 primary.
The district leans approximately 69% Republican.
Meet the candidate
Barbara Dittrich (Republican)
Dittrich did not respond to WUWM's candidate questions. The information below is from her campaign website.
Dittrich has served as the District 38 state representative since 2018.
“I pride myself on being out in the district and connecting with constituents face-to-face. Approachable, accessible, responsive government, is the hallmark of my team. I am known for my hard work ethic and commitment to Conservative Midwestern values along with unabashed leadership,” her website says.
Dittrich’s website lists issues including: "victim’s rights and community safety, maintaining women’s sports for biological women, workforce strength, mental health issues, substance abuse, controlling spending and taxes, educational choice for all, medical privacy and freedom, preserving and protecting life and protecting constitutional rights and voter integrity."
Her website details her efforts in authoring three pro-life bills that Gov. Tony Evers vetoed.
“One bill decertified Planned Parenthood as a health care provider under the state’s medical assistance program. Another prohibited abortion based upon gender or prenatal diagnosis. The final piece of legislation would establish a network of informational resources to parents receiving a prenatal diagnosis for their child,” her website says.
