Wisconsinites will vote for state Assembly and Senate candidates in a primary on Aug. 11 and in the general election Nov. 3, 2026.
This is the second election under more competitive district maps.
One Republican and two Democrats are running for Assembly District 8. The Democrat to receive the most votes Aug. 11 will advance to the November election against the Republican candidate.
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 in 2023, which prompted the Legislature to approve new maps proposed by Gov. Tony Evers.
Democrats now have a chance of winning the majority in the state Senate, if they win a handful competitive districts.
Republicans are likely to maintain their majority in the Assembly. According to JR Ross with WisPolitics.com, Democrats would have to sweep almost all of the "swing" seats and hold on to a few they won by the skin of their teeth in 2024, to have a chance of gaining a majority in the Assembly.
Assembly District 8
Wisconsin Assembly District 8 comprises part of Milwaukee's near south side, including Walker's Point, the Historic Mitchell Street neighborhood and most of Lincoln Village. Current Rep. Sylvia Ortiz-Velez, a Democrat, is running for reelection.
WUWM sent a questionnaire to the candidates. Their responses below may be edited for length and clarity.
Meet the candidates
Sylvia Ortiz-Velez (Democrat, incumbent)
Ortiz-Velez did not respond to WUWM's candidate questions. The information below is from her campaign website.
Ortiz-Velez served on the Milwaukee Country Board of Supervisors before being elected to the Assembly in 2020.
"I’ve served on some of the most impactful committees in the legislature, including committees for Housing and Real Estate, Consumer Protection, and the Judiciary. Additionally, I'm proud to say that of the 674 legislative proposals that I either authored, co-authored, or co-sponsored 104 were signed into law or enrolled," Ortiz-Velez says on her website.
She says she prioritizes legislation that: expands affordable healthcare, provides quality education to every child, preserves our environment and natural resources, supports workers and small businesses and ensures good government and protects voting rights.
Ismael Luna (Democrat)
Current occupation: Case manager at a homeless shelter
Why are you running for this office?
I grew up on Milwaukee's South Side and was homeless at 14. Today I work at a homeless shelter, helping women find stable housing. I went from being unhoused to helping house people for a living, and that experience shapes everything about how I see policy. You stop thinking in theories and start thinking about real people and real families. I am running because District 8 deserves a representative who has lived the struggles of this community and will fight for it every day. For too long, the South Side has been told to wait for affordable housing, fully funded schools, and leaders who actually show up. I am done waiting, and I believe this community deserves a representative in Madison who will make our community stronger.
In WUWM's election survey, affordability is the top concern listed by voters. How would you work to address cost of living issues in Wisconsin?
Affordability is the issue I hear about most when I knock doors in District 8. Families are stretched thin by housing, healthcare, childcare, and everyday costs while wages have not kept pace. I will fight to expand affordable housing and redevelop the boarded-up homes on our blocks and strengthen renter protections. On healthcare, I will expand BadgerCare, support a public option, and bring down prescription drug costs. I support increasing the minimum wage and indexing it to inflation, affordable childcare, and utility ratepayer protections. Lowering the cost of living is not one policy. It is my top priority.
A Marquette poll earlier this year found 70% of WI voters think the costs of large data centers are greater than the benefits they provide. How do you plan to address concerns about data centers?
Wisconsin voters are right to be concerned. Large-scale data centers are largely unregulated, and without strong guardrails, working families end up subsidizing the energy and water demands of some of the wealthiest corporations in the world. I will push as a top priority to pass a strong accountability framework modeled on legislation by Rep. Stroud and Sen. Habush Sinykin, requiring data centers to pay their own way for energy infrastructure, meet renewable standards, protect ratepayers, recycle water, and operate transparently.
What are your top state budget priorities?
My top budget priorities are housing, public education, and healthcare. I will fight for increased state investment in affordable and emergency housing, because housing instability drives nearly every other crisis in our communities. I will push to fully fund public schools so districts like MPS do not have to rely on local referendums, including special education at a 90% reimbursement rate. I will expand BadgerCare and invest in mental health and substance use services. And Milwaukee must finally get its fair share of state shared revenue after decades of disinvestment, so we can repair roads, support first responders, and strengthen local services.
How do you plan to remain accountable to the people of Wisconsin?
Accountability means showing up between elections, not just during them. I will hold regular community listening sessions across District 8, stay visible and accessible in the neighborhood, and bring residents into the legislative process rather than handing them finished decisions. I will publish updates on my work so constituents can hold me to it. I believe in co-governing with the community organizations, labor unions, and advocates who represent this district, because the best policy comes from the people closest to the problem. My campaign is powered by neighbors and small donors with no corporate PAC money, and that independence is how I will govern.
Please list any notable endorsements you've received.
Citizen Action of Wisconsin, LiUNA, Wisconsin Progress, Wisconsin Conservation Voters, Run for Something, LGBTQ+ Victory Fund, SEIU Wisconsin, State Representative Priscilla Prado, State Representative Angelina Cruz, State Representative Vincent Miresse, State Representative Angelito Tenorio, Alderwoman JoCasta Zamarripa, Alderman Peter Burgelis, and County Supervisor Justin Bielinski
Angel Sanchez (Republican)
Sanchez did not respond to WUWM's candidate questions and does not have a campaign website or social media page readily accessible.
