AD 1 Swagel to primary Kitchens, Paplham to face winner
Assembly District 1 – Kewaunee county, Door county and the 3 townships from the north to south on the east side of Brown county.
The Sturgeon Bay area is where Rep. Kitchens calls home and thanks to the work for field activists in the area, cannabis possession in your own home in Sturgeon Bay no longer as any penality, civil or criminal! This comes after a great deal of work and a coalition of groups in the area pushing marijuana reform. Right after the elections in 2018, Door County was on of the first counites to declare a supporting resolution supporting medical marijuana. The following spring 2019, Sturgeon Bay and Egg Harbor asked residents in the district about medical and recreational marijuana on a local referendum, all four referendums passed. It is just a matter of time before Rep. Kitchens smells what marijuana reform has cooking, support from his base, support from both sides, a rock solid re-election and a robust industry for Wisconsin…………..
Kitchens (R) Incumbent
Elected 2014
A leader in 2017 on decriminalization and sponsoring both the Democrats with smoking and home grows medical bill, as well as the first version of the GOP medical marijuana bills. Along with the high support he is showing to constituents, Rep. Kitchens received a high favorable rating as a Republican, but since that time Kitchens has been very quiet on the issue.
In 2020 I wrote a detailed article entitled Will the real Joel Kitchens please stand up! Frustrated that Kitchens once worked with the Democrats and was a leader on the issue, it seems Kitchens is just a follower of the GOP leadership at this point. He echoed some frustration saying the current political climate in Madison makes legalization of marijuana improbable.
Kitchens could have easily been a leader on the issue. He could have helped form The Wisconsin Cannabis Caucus. Kitchens is pretty safe in his district, even from a primary challenger. He could have continued to be a leader on his 2017 decriminalization bill, but that bill has now morphed into something many Republicans do not even support it anymore and the Democrats need the municipality comply feature to be removed before they considering supporting the new version of GOP decriminalization.
The 2024 controversial medical cannabis program presented by the Republicans did list Rep. Joel Kitchens as a co-sponsor. He likes that the bill gives medical marijuana users advice from a pharmacist on how to use it correctly, something he says may not happen if they leave the state to purchase it.
Kitchens believes that marijuana should be regulated at the federal level rather than a patchwork of states that do not have it legalized at all. Stories from his constituents were a big reason why Rep. Joel Kitchens co-sponsored legislation that could make it legal for you to use medical marijuana. source
Swagel (R) Primary Challenger
As a candidate in the 2020 Republican Primary election Milt Swagel told me this: My stance is that hemp is hemp, and marijuana is marijuana. Hemp is legal, and marijuana is not. I see no reason to legalize marijuana. I will not vote for the legalization of marijuana.
Andre Anderson (R-Milwaukee)
Another possible Republican challenger is listed but not making much noise. I will check back after the deadline for candidates to turn in ballot access signatures to make sure this candidate is still running and in the primary.
Paplham (D)
Renee Paplham has said “in general, I am for legalizing it…just as all of our neighboring states have done.“
Paplham for Assembly Facebook Page
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 (Very Likey Rep +16), WisPolitics /2024 Assembly Races (59% Rep), Davesredistircing, PeoplesMaps