AD 53: Shukoski (D) vs Kaufert (R)

First, let’s acknowledge about a third of existing Democratic members are retiring or running for another office. Second, let’s acknowledge new faces are likely for the next legislative session simply because of the redistricting process and new maps. Add those items together and we have recipe of unknowns in the Assembly.

Lastly, please consider that there are about 29 out of 99 Assembly Districts to watch in the 2024 Fall General Election. Many more if you count primary battles, but in reality, 29 seats are labeled as competitive by some standard. There are about 11 of them to really keep a close eye on because the outcome is very uncertain for either party. Those 11 seats are really important and fortunately this article is about Assembly District 53, which is one of the eleven!

The new 53rd district looks nothing like it used to. The boundaries have drastically changed and so has the political make up. The new 53rd assembly district for the 2024 election is comprised of the Neenah and Menasha area. Ballotpedia has a great map showing the comparison of the district before and after redistricting .

Will the new 53rd Assembly District lean Democrat? It seems all signs point to yes, but this is still very much being watch by political junkies as competitive race in the general 2024 election. Neenah and Menasha have long shown support for cannabis reform. Past election cycles produced candidates from this area of the state who were also leaders within The Wisconsin Cannabis Activist Network.

Duane Shukoski (D – Neenah)

Duane Shukoski (D-Neenah) announced his candidacy for Assembly District 53. The 53rd District is an open Assembly seat that encompasses Neenah, Menasha, and part of Appleton. Shukoski, a lifelong resident of Neenah, worked for Kimberly Clark for 37 years and retired from Proampac as an Environmental Health and Safety Manager. He and his wife Wendy raised their three boys in Neenah and Duane is looking to serve the community that supported him throughout his life. Shukoski released the following statement: 

“I am thrilled to announce my candidacy for the 53rd Assembly District! As a lifelong resident of Neenah, I am running to bring our shared values to Madison and to give back to the community that raised me. New legislative maps provide us the opportunity to elect Democratic leadership to do the right thing for our community and our state. 

“I’ve raised my family in this district and I have seen how policy decisions have impacted our community. From rising costs of child care, prescription drugs, and other necessities, our community has been hit hard. I want to ensure that working families have what they need to thrive. 

“I look forward to talking with people all over our community about our shared vision for Wisconsin and earning their support over the course of this campaign.”

In the hemp cannabis world, in the past Shukoski provided professional hemp testing services to the industrial hemp industry in Wisconsin. I have known Duane for sometime now and firmly believe he would be one of the strongest advocates for cannabis reform in Wisconsin. His life experiences, professional background and willingness to work hard for Wisconsin are the key ingredients that make him the ideal person to represent the district.

I highly consider this man a good friend and a donation to his campaign can easily be made via his ActBlue campaign platform.

Please follow the campaign of Duane Shukoski on his official campaign facebook page and visit his official campaign website for more information on this candidate.

You can meet Duane in person Saturday October 5th, 2024 at the Pizza, Pot and Politics Event in Appleton.

Dean Kaufert (R-Neenah)

Dean Kaufert was Republican member of the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing District 55 from 1990 to 2015. Kaufert did not seek re-election in 2014 and ran for the Mayor of Neenah and held that position he held until 2022.

I have been an activist long enough know that back in the 2011-12 legislative session the medical marijuana bill went to The Assembly Health Committee in which Dean Kaufert was a member of. Obviously legislation did not move at all and Kaufert did not help the situation and in the 2012 election Kaufert faced not only a Democrat challenger but also a Libertarian candidate in the fall election making him the odd man out by not supporting cannabis reform. Now some 12 years later he wants another crack at being a State Assembly Rep.

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 (Lean Dem +6) WisPolitics /2024 Assembly Races (53% Dem), Davesredistircing, PeoplesMaps