More Legislators Announce 2020 Plans

Over the past few weeks, more legislators have begun announcing their plans for the 2020 election cycle. Several legislators are retiring, while others are making the jump from the state legislature to Congress or from the state Assembly to state Senate.

 Sen. Mark Miller (D-Monona) announced he won’t run for re-election in 2020. Miller has served in the legislature since 1998. Rep. Melissa Sargent (D-Madison) plans to run for Miller’s seat. According to the Wisconsin State Journal, others considering bids include Reps. Gary Hebl (D-Sun Prairie) and Jimmy Anderson (D-Fitchburg) and former gubernatorial candidate Kelda Roys.

After holding the seat for 20 years, Sen. Dave Hansen (D-Green Bay) has announced he will not run for re-election in Senate District 30. Sen. Hansen’s nephew Jonathon Hansen has announced he will run for the open seat. SD 30 is potentially a target for Senate Republicans to flip, though no Republican candidate has announced yet.

Rep. Bob Kulp (R-Stratford) also recently announced his retirement from the legislature. Kulp was first elected to represent Assembly District 69 in a special election in November 2013.

Rep. Rob Stafsholt (R-New Richmond) has decided not to seek re-election in Assembly District 29 and instead will make a run for Senate District 10, currently held by Sen. Patty Schachtner (D-Somerset).

Rep. Mike Rohrkaste (R-Neenah) announced this summer that he will not seek re-election to Assembly District 55 in 2020. Instead, Rohrkaste will focus on his new appointment as executive director of the Fox Valley Memory Project.

Sen. Tom Tiffany (R-Minocqua) is running for Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District in a special election this spring. If he advances from the Republican primary against Jason Church in February, Tiffany is likely to succeed in the general in May, leaving his state Senate seat open. Read more about the 7th CD race.

Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau) is running for Wisconsin’s 5th Congressional District. With Republican Matt Neumann declining a run, Fitzgerald faces no primary challenger, so the path is likely clear for a win in this heavily Republican seat. State Senate District 13 is not up for election this year, so a special election would be held to replace Fitzgerald. Read more about the 5th CD race.

Also running for Congress in 2020 is Rep. Amanda Stuck (D-Appleton), who is challenging U.S. Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Green Bay) for the 8th Congressional District. Following Stuck’s announcement, Lee Snodgrass announced she will run for Stuck’s open seat (Assembly District 57).

In the 2020 election Wisconsinites will vote in elections for:

Wisconsin does not have a statewide gubernatorial or U.S. Senate race in 2020.

As the 2020 elections grow closer, keep an eye on the Hamilton Consulting Group blog for more Wisconsin 2020 election news.