AD 49: John Rindy-D vs Travis Tranel-R
I really enjoy reporting on these types of races. The Democrat makes it easy, because hemp cannabis reform is one of his campaign platform planks! The Republican has always been open to my conversations and although he did not co-sponsor legislation this last session, I consider AD 49 in the bag!
Where is AD 49?
Located in southwest Wisconsin, the district comprises all of Crawford County and most of Grant County. It includes the cities of Boscobel, Fennimore, Lancaster, Platteville, and Prairie du Chien, and the villages of Bagley, Bell Center, Bloomington, Cassville, De Soto, Dickeyville, Eastman, Ferryville, Gays Mills, Lynxville, Mount Hope, Mount Sterling, Patch Grove, Potosi, Soldiers Grove, Steuben, Tennyson, Wauzeka, and Woodman. The district also contains the University of Wisconsin–Platteville campus, Rustic Road 99 Wyalusing State Park, and Nelson Dewey Memorial State Park, and historic landmarks such as the Potosi Brewery and the Grant County Courthouse.
Although not a competitive district, the Democrat candidate deserves a shout for recognizing how important hemp cannabis reform is to voters. The +17 point Republican district is almost all but a giving to go to Tranel, so voters in the area should take this time to communicate with Tranel how important this issue is to them. The small district may not grab national news if these two candidates talk about hemp cannabis, but this election cycle could result in the campaign conversation that brings Tranel to the table as a future author / co-author of legislation; or even a member of the yet to be formed Wisconsin Cannabis Caucus.
Travis Tranel – Incumbent
Travis Tranel was elected in 2010, the year after I became very active in hemp cannabis reform. I cannot recall him every saying anything bad about cannabis and I cannot recall him co-sponsor any legislation while being elected.
In the 2025-26 legislation session, Tranel sat on the following committees. I identified I personally think the Republican leadership could have sent the HDC hemp bills to the Committee on Agriculture vs to the committee chaired by Rep. Rob Swearingen. That move would have eliminated the conflict with Swearingen which resulted in Swearingen moving his bill through the committee process, while effectively killing the bill (Testin/Kurtz); which was more popular with industry stakeholders.
- Committee on Agriculture (Chair)
- Committee on Commerce (Vice-Chair)
- Committee on Energy and Utilities
- Committee on Insurance
Travis is a 6th generation dairy farmer, grew up on his family’s dairy (550 cows) farm in southern Grant County, near Cuba City.
The one thing I really did appreciate on the Tranel’s campaign website was is “Letter to the Editor” section. Not only does the candidate provide the platform/links to local news papers making it easy to submit your letter to the editor; the campaign also offers sound advice about crafting your own letter to the editor.
Links: Campaign Website and Facebook Page
vs
John Rindy – Democrat
Retired; lives in Potosi; grew up on family farm in Cuba City.
Links: Campaign Website and Facebook Page
Stay tuned and get active!
I will continue to provide you additional 2026 Wisconsin State Election coverage throughout the campaign season. This next election is extremely important for marijuana reform and I will continue to bring you information as more candidates make their political moves. Candidates begin collecting signatures April 15th that are due by June 1st. If you are a hemp cannabis stakeholder, please consider helping candidates collect signatures during this critical ballot access requirement, retail store fronts should consider holding a meet and greet, as well as collecting signatures even if a candidate is not present.
In the event that we end up with divided government in the 2027-28 legislation session, the official formation of The Wisconsin Cannabis Caucus would be a must first step towards reform. The official establishment of this Caucus will represent the growing, bipartisan support in Wisconsin.
Although session has ended for 2025-26 we still urge you to contact your elected officials, as they technically can continue to work, hold committee hearings and potentially vote on any issue that is deemed to be a great priority to Wisconsinites. The top action alerts are still functionable on The Wisconsin Cannabis Activist Action Network for you immediate use.
