Assembly District 26 in Sheboygan up for grabs

New maps and new days coming to the Sheboygan area. There is no current incumbent in this district formerly represented by Republican Terry Katsma of Oostburg. Katsma and Oostburg are in the 27th district now, so we are not expecting him to run. UPDATE: on 4-26 Katsma did announce he is not seeking re-election.

What do the map experts and political pundints say about the new district lines for this Assembly District? Even though the other two assembly districts that comprise the Senate (25 and 27) might lean heavily Republican; Assembly District 26 seems to be a true toss up with a possible 1.5% lean to the Democrats.

The redrawn 26th Assembly District map now includes the entire city of Sheboygan, the Town of Wilson, and the Town of Sheboygan, reuniting city and town residents in one legislative district.

You would think with these favorable maps that there would be a couple Democrats already announced for this seat. I have been following the Sheboygan County Democrat Party Facebook page, but have not really read anything about potential candidates.

Democrat Lisa Salgado ran in 2022 against Katsma (R) and according to her address at that time would reside in the Assembly District 26. I reached out to her and she indicated she is not going to run for this seat again.

I was highly expecting to hear something from the write in candidate from Sheboygan who challenged Senator LeMahieu in 2022. Jarrod Schroeder was very vocal about his support for reforming the cannabis laws in Wisconsin.  Turning back prior convictions was also a key component that the candidate feels is important to consider as we move forward. So far, nothing formal from this write in candidate to make a formal run in 2024.

Same thing with the Republicans. No candidate has jumped in yet. Usually with no incumbent in an election, two or three GOP candidates immediately emerge and set the stage for a primary battle. The Republican Party of Sheboygan County Facebook page is pretty quit, candidate wise.

There is a Republican Incumbent pairing in the Assembly 25 District between Paul Tittl (R) and Amy Binsfield (R). The district is solid GOP land and Tittl did not face any challenger in the general election. Tittl told WisPolitics he is “absolutely” running for reelection. Binsfield indicated earlier this year she was looking at moving to run in another seat. According to the new maps for the 2024 election Binsfield lives just outside the 26th Assembly District and just might be the candidate of choice for the GOP at this point if she is willing to move into the district if elected.

The campaign of Amy Binsfeld was contacted regarding her stance on marijuana reform. She was first elected in 2022 and saw no primary challenger nor Democratic challenger in the general election. Chet Gerlach did run as an Independent in that election. With no real threat in that election our requests for her stance on cannabis reform were not returned. I can tell you she was not a co-sponsor of the latest Republican version of medical marijuana presented at the close of the 2024 legislative session.

Wouldn’t it be nice to see a candidate from each party emerge that supported top priorities for the Wisconsin Cannabis Activist Network?

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.