WAUKESHA — The primary election for the redrawn 99th Assembly District is nearly four months away, but there’s been chatter on social media related to the challenge Hartland Village President Jeff Pfannerstill is mounting against current state Rep. Barbara Dittrich for the seat.
Comments have been posted to social media asking aloud why Pfannerstill would run against someone seen as a solid conservative with a strong track record.
And both candidates are reacting to it, agreeing with one another that qualified people have the right to run political campaigns.
The redrawn legislative maps put forth by Gov. Tony Evers move boundaries in the Lake Country district, with the current representative, Cindi Duchow, moving into a redrawn 97th. Dittrich’s current 38th Assembly District stretches from Wales and Dousman to Watertown and as far west as Deerfield; she will be part of a redrawn 99th District that ends at Watertown on the west, and is extended east to include Hartland, no longer including Wales and Dousman but stretching north into Dodge County.
"It’s disheartening that there is so much backlash to my running," Pfannerstill said.
The Hartland village president since 2017 said the new district will have about half its people currently represented by Dittrich, but said there are many others who aren’t as familiar with her, and in talking with some of the people, they tell him they feel they could be better represented. He said he understands some may see his candidacy as an attempt to "primary" Dittrich, but said "I am not going to turn this into a bloody primary. I am not going into gutter politics and I am not going to slam Ms. Dittrich." Pfannerstill said the comments he’s seen and heard about on social media ignore a simple fact: Anyone qualified can run for office.
"I was not aware I had to ask to run or anything like that. I am very disheartened," he said. "People are expecting we’re not going to have elections anymore? ... It’s woven into the fabric of the country and the fabric of this state to have elections. People will choose who their representatives are. That does not mean any dislike for the candidate I am running against. I am truly running for the people against Representative Dittrich. I believe I will be a more effective leader for Lake Country.”
Dittrich said she’s the incumbent in the race, adding the redrawn maps represent the third iteration of the district since she started in 2018. The original map and the redrawn one going into effect also include Lac La Belle, Okauchee and the Town of Oconomowoc, which she’s served before and have great relationships with, she said.
She, too, remarked on the discourse in the run-up to the primary, saying someone actually called her church to see if she was a regular attendee in good standing or was just a member in name only.
“This has turned so ugly so fast,” she said. “Take a deep breath and step away from your phones. I’ve told some people that and they are not happy with me. ... I’ve asked people to chill out but I think people are so upset about it because they’ve watched Republicans do this quite a bit and it eats up resources we could be using in a general election. It’s led to some really bad losses for our state. So I think that’s what really got people riled up about it. Plus generally people don’t think of a primary election against someone unless you have done something really wrong, so I think that’s what is in other people’s minds.” Dittrich said she declared her intent to run for the 99th weeks before Pfannerstill did, so “he had to have known.” But she agreed with him that it’s an absolute constitutional right for people to run for office, and she’s ready for the challenge.
“I have a solid record to stand on and I am ready to showcase what I’ve done and talk to people any time they have questions,” Dittrich said. “I will just stand on that and keep doing the next right thing because that’s who I am.”
The primary election is Aug. 13.
