2022 State Senate Candidate Analysis
The stages are set for the General Election on November 8th, 2022. We have documented the 2022 Wisconsin State Senate Candidates feelings and actions about marijuana reform and created a comprehensive data base. We hope you find this information helpful when it comes time to vote.
One reason why it is important to contact and get a stance from each candidate is simple math. In our candidate field, six percent (6%) of the total field analysis is two unknown stances by Republicans. Main stream media, candidate interviews and forums have been addressing marijuana reform that past few election cycles, but still, some candidates manage to dodge the issue. Here are some of the highlights of the 2022 Wisconsin State Senate Candidates.
All Senate Candidates
31 Total (14 Democrat and 17 Republican)
58% of the total candidate field supported legalization.
67% of total candidate field supported medical marijuana.
The Democrats:
Total of Fourteen (14) Candidates – including Five (5) Incumbents
100% of Democrat Candidates on the November 2022 ballot support legalization of recreational marijuana.
This is a dramatic improvement from the 2020 Senate Candidate Analysis when nine (9) out of fourteen (14) candidates supported recreational marijuana.
Everyone should feel confident that the Democrats will present a comprehensive bill to end prohibition in Wisconsin next legislative session. Governor Evers has already signaled he will include marijuana legalization in the next budget if re-elected. Will any bill attract a Republican co-sponsor in the Senate?
Remember, only half of the State Senate is up for election in 2022. Let’s take a look at the Republican candidates in the Senate:
The Republicans:
Total of Seventeen (17) Candidates including eleven (11) Incumbents.
With only four (4) Republican candidates addressing support for a change in the marijuana laws for adult use, that leaves a great deal of work to be had in the GOP as the other thirteen (13) candidates that are not so kind to cannabis.
- No improvement from Republican Senate Candidates in 2020 when only three (3) out of thirteen (13) expressed support for ending prohibition. It was about 23% of Senate candidates last cycle and it is about 23% this cycle.
Two (2) out of the four (4) Republican YES Candidates are Incumbents/Former Elected Officials.
Republican candidates are also not supporting medical marijuana, as only seven (7) of the seventeen (17) candidates indicated support. (41%)
- No improvement from 2020 Republican Candidates when nearly 61% supported medical marijuana.
Six (6) out of the eight (8) Republican NO Candidates are Incumbents, with five (5) of those Incumbents being uncontested in this election.
The Takeaway
No matter the results of the upcoming election, marijuana reform is going to be an ongoing issue in Wisconsin for years to come. To address the comprehensive nature of marijuana laws, we need legislators who sponsored the various bills throughout the past sessions to work together towards sensible cannabis reform.
Political support among Wisconsin state elected officials and candidates for marijuana policy reform continues to grow. However, this support is more partisan than ever before. Very few Republicans are on record in support of adult-use legalization and not enough are in favor of regulating medical cannabis access.
By contrast, a large percentage of Democrats are supportive of both issues. This partisan divide is not similarly reflected among the general public. According to national polling data compiled by Gallup in October 2019, 66 percent of the public — including majorities of self-identified Democrats, Republicans, and Independents — favor adult-use legalization. Bipartisan support among the public for medical marijuana legalization is even stronger.
Until this public support is similarly reflected among lawmakers, many cannabis-specific legislative reforms – in particular adult-use legalization proposals – will continue to meet resistance at the state level.
