Legislative primaries to watch in upcoming August elections

While Wisconsin’s governor’s race is drawing national attention, control of the state Legislature could determine whether the next governor can enact their agenda. Legislative primaries will shape the handful of Assembly and Senate races that could decide control next year.

Republicans are seeking to defend their majorities, which they’ve held since 2011. Democrats are seeking to flip two Senate seats and five Assembly seats while maintaining all the seats they hold currently to win majorities in both chambers. The outcome will determine how much of the next governor’s agenda — from Medicaid expansion to tax cuts and investing in education — can become law.

There is sparse polling on state legislative races, although a survey in July from Marquette Law School found that 46% of Wisconsin voters said they would vote for Democrats in legislative races, while 42% said they’d vote for Republicans. The poll could not deliver detailed information on specific districts at play.

Republicans are gearing up financially to defend their majorities, with the Republican Assembly Campaign Committee reporting $6.5 million raised in the first half of the year and a total of $11.5 million cash-on-hand. The Committee to Elect a Republican Senate raised nearly $5 million and had $5.3 million on-hand. 

The bulk of that fundraising came from billionaires Diane Hendricks, who gave $2.5 million to RACC and $2 million to the Senate GOP committee, as well as Elizabeth Uihlein, who gave $3 million to the Assembly committee and $2 million to the Senate committee. The contributions have given  the Republicans organizations deeper pockets than their Democratic counterparts.

According to recent campaign finance reports, the State Senate Democratic Campaign Committee, the fundraising arm of the Senate Democratic caucus, raised about $2.8 million over the first six months of the year, while the Assembly Democratic Campaign Committee raised $3 million and ended with nearly $2.4 million cash-on-hand. 

The primary is scheduled for Aug. 11. Here are seven primary elections the Wisconsin Examiner is keeping an eye on in the lead-up to Election Day. The general election is Nov. 3.

Race to replace Jacque in northeastern Senate district 

A four-way Republican primary is taking place in the race to replace Sen. André Jacque in Senate District 1, which represents Door and Kewaunee counties. 

Nic Cravillion is an Army combat veteran and small business owner from New Franken who is campaigning on lowering taxes and promoting “responsible spending” as well as expanding workforce and affordable housing opportunities. For the last five years, Cravillion has also worked as the district director for Jacque. He reported raising $75,911 and having $62,264 on hand — more than any of the other candidates — at the end of the period. He also reported taking out $62,100 in personal loans. 

Barbara Bittner serves as the chair of the Calumet County Republican Party. She is running to reduce property taxes, protect “parental rights,” get “tough on crime” and uphold the “sanctity of life and traditional values.” Bittner reported raising $17,180.00 and having about $16,945 on hand at the end of the period. 

Katie Baney, a De Pere mother, currently works as the managing director of government affairs at Delta Defense, where she advocates for gun owners, and promises not to support any legislation that restricts the Second Amendment, according to her campaign website. Baney reported in July raising $46,772 and having $43,662 on-hand.

Jacob VandenPlas, a veteran and farmer who founded DC Farm for Vets, a rehabilitation farm that provides education and services to veterans entering agriculture. 

No Democrat is running for the seat in the red-leaning district, though the winner of the Republican primary will face Mark Becker, a small business owner who was formerly the chair of the Brown County Republican Party and is now running as an independent. 

Becker left the party after Trump’s election in 2016 due to disagreements over the direction of the GOP. He reported raising $20,233 and having $15,078 cash-on-hand. He has received contributions from Adam Kinzinger, the former Republican Congressman from Illinois who left the party due to his opposition to Trump, and the campaign account of state Sen. Kristin Dassler-Alfheim (D-Appleton).

Three seek to take on Marklein in key district

Three Democrats are competing to win a spot on the ballot to take on Sen. Howard Marklein (R-Spring Green) in November. Marklein was first elected to the Senate in 2014, and has been the co-chair of the powerful Joint Finance Committee since 2021. 

The district includes Crawford, Grant, Green, Iowa and LaFayette counties as well as the southwestern corner of Dane County. 

Marklein won the district with 60% of the vote in 2022, but Senate District 17 changed considerably under the new maps.

The district leaned Democratic by 1 percentage point in the 2024 presidential election and by over 4 percentage points in the 2024 U.S. Senate race, according to an analysis by John Johnson, a fellow at Marquette Law School. 

Marklein’s incumbency status gives him an advantage in the district, and he is also raising more than the other Democratic candidates combined. 

In his most recent campaign finance reports, Marklein reported raising $300,195 and ending the reporting period with $1.01 million in the bank. He received $100,000 — or about a third of his total contributions — from the Committee to Elect a Republican Senate. 

Rep. Jenna Jacobson (D-Oregon), who has served in the state Assembly since 2023, launched her campaign for the Senate seat in July 2025 with the backing of the State Senate Democratic Campaign Committee. 

The endorsement has provided her some advantages over her opponents, as she has campaigned with current Senators, including Senate Minority Leader Dianne Hesselbein, and received financial assistance from the SSDC. According to her latest campaign finance reports, Jacobson has raised about $109,277 and has about $201,177 in the bank. About $45,450 of her total contributions this year came from in-kind contributions from the SSDC in the form of campaign staff. 

Corrinne Hendrickson, a child care advocate, launched her campaign in September. She reported raising $30,360 over the first half of the year and spending about $21,071. She ended with just $12,348 in the bank. 

Lisa White, a Democrat who runs an interior painting business, raised $7,641, spent $9,573 and ended the reporting period with $831 cash-on-hand.

Open Senate seat up north after new maps

Senate District 25, which represents Superior and Ashland, Bayfield, Burnett, Douglas, Iron, Polk, Sawyer and Washburn counties, is an open seat that will help determine control of the state Senate.

The district is currently represented by Sen. Romaine Quinn, but he is running for Senate District 23 this cycle after new maps were adopted in 2024 and his home was included in that district. While currently represented by a Republican, the district was represented by former Senate Minority Leader Janet Bewley, a Democrat, from 2015 through 2022. She opted not to run for another term after the maps had been redrawn to favor Republicans more heavily in 2022.

New maps have again placed the area in play with Democrats listing it as one of its target districts.

In the Republican primary, Angie Sapik, a former state Assembly member who lost her seat in 2024 under the new maps, is running against Erik Severson, a physician and former state Assembly member.

According to July campaign finance reports, Severson reported raising $39,478, spending $29,886 and ending the period with $111,506 in the bank. He reported $63,000 in personal loans. Sapik raised $117,399 ahead of the primary, spent $44,437 and had $89,700 in the bank. Her fundraising includes $100,000 in personal loans. 

In November the winner of the Republican primary will face Charly Ray, a forester and bookstore owner who has the backing of the State Senate Democratic Campaign Committee.

Race to compete for open Oak Creek seat

Assembly District 21, which represents Oak Creek and a portion of the city of Milwaukee around the Mitchell International Airport, is among the districts that will help determine control of the state Assembly. 

The seat is open following the retirement of Rep. Jessie Rodriguez (R-Oak Creek), who was first elected to the Assembly in 2013.

Two Democrats are competing for a spot on the November ballot. 

Daniel Bukiewicz is the mayor of Oak Creek and also the president of the Milwaukee Building & Construction Trades Council, a role he has held since 2014. He has endorsements from U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, state Sen. Dora Drake and SEIU-Wisconsin. 

David Liners has endorsements from some of the most progressive members of the Democratic caucus including state Rep. Francesca Hong, who is running for governor, Rep. Ryan Clancy (D-Milwaukee), who helped restart the Democratic Socialist caucus in the state Legislature, and Sen. Chris Larson. 

Bukiewicz is outraising Liners. Bukiewicz has raised $79,251 and spent $16,601. He had $62,650 cash-on-hand at the end of the reporting period. He has a handful of contributions from notable Democrats including Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson, Sen. Mark Spreitzer (D-Beloit) and Rep. Lisa Subeck (D-Madison).

According to July campaign finance reports, Liners has raised $25,806 over the course of his campaign and spent $13,646. He has $12,160 on hand. 

The winner will face Dylan Pfaffenbach, a Republican and student at Carroll University, in November. 

Democrats compete to challenge Donovan in MKE county

Assembly District 61, which represents Greendale and Hales Corner in Milwaukee County, is another key district that will determine control of the state Legislature. Incumbent Rep. Bob Donovan (R-Greenfield), who was first elected in 2022, is running for a third term. 

In the last two election cycles, Democrat LuAnn Bird, a former school board member and executive director of Wisconsin’s League of Women Voters, ran but failed to beat Donovan. He won 51.5% to 48.3% in 2024 with the new legislative maps in place, a slightly larger margin than in 2022, when he won his first term.

This year, three candidates are competing for the Democratic nomination to take on Donovan. 

Lawanda Chambers, a counselor and yoga instructor, is running to “provide leadership that speaks to the real challenges people face every day, not slogans, not politics, and not half-measures.” She has the endorsements of Rep. Darrin Madison (D-Milwaukee), Rep. Supreme Moore Omokunde (D-Milwaukee) and Rep. Margaret Arney (D-Wauwatosa). According to her July campaign finance reports, she raised $22,085.57 and ended with $15,564 cash-on-hand. 

Ben Brist, an army veteran, said he is running because he believes government “can and should work better for normal people.” He is endorsed by the Wisconsin Education Association Council (WEAC).

According to his July finance report, Brist raised $23,844 and ended the period with $19,458 cash-on-hand. 

Brian Bock, a pharmacist, is running with a top priority of expanding access to affordable healthcare and wants to work to expand Medicaid, increase price transparency and reduce the cost of prescription drugs, according to his campaign website. According to July campaign finance reports, he has about $2,690 in the bank.

Five-way primary to replace Hong 

The Democratic primary for Assembly District 76, which represents Madison’s east side, north side and parts of downtown, is one of the most crowded across the state and will likely determine who succeeds state Rep. Francesca Hong (D-Madison), the democratic socialist who is running for governor. The winner will face Republican Nina Chat in November, though the district is one of the most progressive in the state. Hong won her first election in 2020 with 88% of the vote.

Five candidates total are competing for the seat, and the candidates’ differences appear in their experience and priorities, though they have a lot of overlap in their platforms.

Juliana Bennett is a former City Council member and UW-Madison alumni who has been working as the chief of staff to state Rep. Angelito Tenorio (D-Wauwatosa). She has the endorsement of the Madison Area Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) as well as the national organization. 

Isaia Ben-Ami is a public policy professional who has worked as a staffer in the state Assembly, including for Assistant Assembly Minority Leader Kalan Haywood (D-Milwaukee), who has endorsed him. 

Dina Nina Martinez-Rutherford, a member of the Madison Common Council, is a small business owner and food service worker.  She is endorsed by Sen. Melissa Ratcliff (D-Cottage Grove), Rep. Andrew Hysell (D-Sun Prairie) and Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway as well as Madison Common Council President Sabrina Madison. If elected, she would be the first openly transgender person to serve in the state Legislature.

Zoe Sullivan, a journalist and organizer, and Tony Castañeda, a community activist, artist, radio host and musician, are both outliers in the race given that they have not served in government.  

Martinez-Rutherford is outraising the other candidates, according to July reports. She recorded raising $56,365, spending $50,339 and having $44,835 cash-on-hand in July. 

Bennett reported raising $34,723, spending $27,198 and having $17,624 on-hand in July.

Ben-Ami reported raising $32,164, spending $25,586 and ending the reporting period with $6,627 cash-on-hand. 

Castañeda reported raising $6,606, spending $6,477 and having $7,677 cash-on-hand. Sullivan reported raising $13,181, spending $6,447 and having $7,502 cash-on-hand at the end of the period.

Republicans compete to challenge Sheehan in Sheboygan 

Three Republicans are running in Assembly District 26, which represents Sheboygan. The winner will seek to oust Rep. Joe Sheehan (D-Sheboygan), a former school superintendent who won his seat in 2024. 

John Belanger, a former Sheboygan alderman, is campaigning to address affordability issues for families, workers and small businesses. He is running for the state Assembly after having lost his reelection bid to the Sheboygan city council. He reported raising $1,250, spending a little over $1,000 and ending with $241 in the bank in July. 

Tyler Schneekloth, a 25-year-old Town of Wilson resident, says he is running to address affordability of housing and to stop data center construction. He reported raising $756 and spending that amount in July. 

James Brotz, a Republican from Sheboygan, reported no contributions in July.