AD 51: Todd Novak (R) vs Elizabeth Garbe (D)
The 51st Assembly District is located in southern Wisconsin, the district comprises all of Iowa and Lafayette counties, and parts of western Dane County and eastern Grant County. It includes the cities of Cuba City, Darlington, Dodgeville, Mineral Point, and Shullsburg, and the villages of Arena, Argyle, Avoca, Barneveld, Belmont, Benton, Blanchardville, Blue Mounds, Blue River, Cobb, Gratiot, Hazel Green, Highland, Hollandale, Linden, Livingston, Montfort, Mount Horeb, Muscoda, Rewey, Ridgeway, and South Wayne. The district also contains landmarks such as Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin estate, the historic Iowa County Courthouse, Governor Dodge State Park, Blue Mound State Park, and Yellowstone Lake State Park.
Republican Todd Novak has been the Mayor of Dodgeville since 2012.
In 2014 he won a four (4) way primary battle to get the Republican spot in the general election for state assembly. In that same 2014 general election we had a three (3) way race between Novak (R), Cates (D) and Laufenberg (L). Talk about a close election. Novak took the race with 65 votes, a difference of 0.3%. The Libertarian candidate on the ticket received 5.3% of the vote (1177 votes).
The past two elections were not as close as the previous ones for Novak and this election cycle under the new maps make it much more competitive for the Democrats. The comparison of the redistricting maps for Assembly District 51 does open the district up to the east and west and that is enough for some election forecasts to say this district is definitely leaning Democrat.
Novak has not been the worse Republican on marijuana reform. Wisconsin saw two versions of medical marijuana legislation for the 2019-2020 session and Rep. Novak sponsored both of them. 84% of his district supporting medical marijuana reform on a constituent survey. Citizen lobbyists in the district reported this rep supported reform measures, we expected Rep. Novak to make a move and continue to support common sense legisltion. In the 2021-22 session, he only sided with Republicans and only on medical, as he was absent from decriminalization measures. The 2024 GOP Assembly medical cannabis proposal met opposition at many levels and did not attract Novak as a co-sponsor.
I do not know if medical marijuana can save Novak from defeat in November. Even if he fully endorses cannabis legalization for adult use right now, it is too little to late for this party in this district.
Elizabeth Grabe (D-Mount Horeb)
Relator. Her website states: “I moved back to the district in 2005 to save our family farm. While managing the farm, I got involved in environmental preservation and education efforts across the State. This experience makes me a good fit for District 51, which is home to rural communities who could benefit by clean air and water, quality public schools but also healthy agricultural & tourism industries that create opportunities for all”.
Campaign Facebook Page contacted and her reply about her “stance on marijuana reform” she replied “I have grown hemp and sell tinctures and soap. Big news with rescheduling but there are plenty of potential complications for dispensaries.“
There are 99 state Assembly seats and 16 state Senate seats on the ballot this November. The ACLU of Wisconsin sent a questionnaire to all candidates and published their answers on August 21st.
We are not surprised that she answered YES to the ACLU question: Do you support the legalization, regulation, and taxation of marijuana for recreational use by adults 21 and over in Wisconsin? And she added this statement onto her ACLU questionnaire:
I have a small business growing hemp and producing hemp derived products. Our state is missing out on opportunities to raise revenue through sales tax. However I do believe that there needs to be a thoughtful approach to permitting growers and dispensaries. One thing I do know that allowing growers without a quota will flood the market with product and drop prices due to over supply.
Please follow her campaign on facebook and visit her website for more details on this candidate.
Stay tuned and get active!
I will provide you additional 2024 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.
In the event that we end up with divided government in the 2024-25 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 as ended we still urge you to contact your elected officials. The top four action alerts are still functionable on The Wisconsin Cannabis Activist Action Network for you immediate use.
Sources: CNanalysis (Likely Dem +9) WisPolitics /2024 Assembly Races (55% Dem), Davesredistircing, PeoplesMaps
