AD3 Tusler vs Bodden primary, who to face winner?

Assembly District 3 has a potential Incumbent pairing that could lead to a primary battle in August 2024. The redistricting process still has this area has a GOP stronghold with predictions of up to 63% red votes. Tusler told WisPolitics he hadn’t made a decision on the fall yet, saying he and Bodden were “Tony-mandered” into same district and were still trying to figure out their plans. But he said they are close friends and wanted to make sure there’s a way “we can both stay in the Assembly.”

Folks in Calumet and Manitowoc County are on high alert for this election. The cities of Brillon, Chilton, New Holstein, Forest Junction, Sherwood, Hilbert, Potter, Stockbridge, Collins, Valders, St. Nazianz, Cato and Whitelaw certainly have voters who care about cannabis reform living there. The high population density around the outskirts of Menasha, Appleton and Kimberly should be a good place to door knock and with High Cliff State Park located in the district, it certainly is a nice place to visit. I am almost certain pot has been smoked in this district at some point during these candidates careers.

Current state law requires incumbents who do not plan to seek re-election to file a declaration with the Wisconsin Elections Commission that formally affirms that they will not seek re-election two weeks before the deadline to file nomination papers. The deadline for 2024 is May 24th and the world is watching.

Tusler (R)

Incumbent: Ron Tusler (R) from Menasha. Elected in 2018. He ran unopposed in the 2022 general election. Tusler is a Republican from Harrison did not sponsor any legislation on marijuana reform ever as an elected official. In Oct 2018 he was asked Would you support changing state law to legalize marijuana and/or cannabis products? If so, under what conditions? If not, why?

Tusler: Unsure. The preservation of human life is very important to me. The number of accidental deaths on the highways as a result of intoxicated driving from marijuana use has escalated dramatically in states that have legalized marijuana. I’d like to see this issue resolved in other states before our citizens die.

At the beginning of 2019 Tusler had much to say about the decriminalization components of Gov Evers budget, unfortunately they were not positive comments and the links he posted that he uses to base his opinions on are bias in nature to begin with.

During the 2019-20 legislative session an activist, Kim, from the Wisconsin Cannabis Activist Network communicated with Tusler many times regarding the legalization of medical cannabis.  Tusler stated if a vote were taken today, he would vote in favor.  However, he said one thing that concerns him is some doctors at The Medical College of Wisconsin in Madison are opposed to it, saying it is dangerous for teenagers and they apparently feel it would just lead to abuse, just like we have with alcohol.

His column “Ron’s Recap” covered the committee hearing for medical marijuana in 2022 and highlighted one opposition statement. As our state continues to debate the implications of legalizing marijuana at various levels, it is important to keep all sides of the debate in mind. The Wisconsin Chiefs of Police recently weighed in on the debate and added their perspective. To read their press release, click here.

Although his campaign facebook page lasted posted in June of 2023, Rep. Tusler looks like he is still running for this seat and was out collecting nomination signatures for both himself and prohibitionist Andre Jacque.

Bodden (R)

Ty Bodden was born in Wisconsin. Bodden graduated from Stockbridge High School in 2012. He earned a bachelor’s degree in public administration, political science, and business administration from the University of Wisconsin, Green Bay, and a master’s degree in public administration. His career experience includes working as a nonprofit farm manager at Cristo Rey Ranch, then for the Kettle Moraine Correctional Institution and the admissions office of the Taycheedah Correctional Institution, then as a legislative researcher at the John Birch Society. Bodden was appointed to the Stockbridge Village Board in 2017. He also served on the Stockbridge Sewer Utility Commission and the Stockbridge Water Utility Commission.(ballotpedia)

He ran in 2018 in a 4 way primary battle for Assembly District 59, which he came in a very close second to Tim Ramthun. In 2022 after Ramthun did not seek re-election Bodden again saw a primary battle with Vinny Egle. Egle was the cannabis caucus choice in the race and favored by many cannabis activists in the area.

During the primary battle is was reported that Ty Bodden does not support recreational marijuana and is doing “research” on medical cannabis and also speaking to law enforcement about medical and decriminalization.

The 2022 primary produced a victory for Bodden. His primary victory secured the job for him as he ran unopposed in the general election.

His first term in office he was absent from publicly supporting marijuana reform and was not even a co-sponsor of the controversial medical marijuana program presented by the GOP as the legislative calendar came to an end in early in 2024.

If you care, Bodden is very active on his campaign facebook page Ty Bodden for Assembly.

UPDATE 5/24: Ty Bodden suspended his campaign for State Assembly.

Democrat (?)

WisPolitics is still reporting that Emily Voight (D) would make the run. She last ran in 2020 and had previously indicated she would run again late last year, but has made the decision back in Feb 2024 that she would not be a candidate in this race. We thank her for her past support on the legalization of marijuana in Wisconsin and wish her the best in all her future endeavors.

That does leave the ticket at this point without a Democrat challenger and the focus goes back to the primary. With a 13%+ advantage to the Republicans, the primary is where the focus should be. This is probably a great place for an up and coming cannabis activist to stick their name into the race, for either party. A democrat makes sure the issue stays alive all the way to the general election and another Republican in the race makes a three way primary in which anything goes.

Another Update August 2024!

Democrat Jason Schmitz is on the ballot!

Schmitz lives in Harrison for the past 9 years. Industrial Electrician for Neenah Foundry for the past 12 years.

Schmitz had this to say about his stance on cannabis reform: “I am for legalization of Marijuana. Following state mandates and being taxed to raise money for the state.”

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 to gauge their positions on access to contraception and IVF, classroom censorship, marijuana legalization, and more.

We are not surprised that he 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?

Please visit his campaign facebook page and website for more information 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, WisPolitics, Davesredistircing, PeoplesMaps