AD 37 Primary : Born (R) vs Rydzewski (R); Bates awaits

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Assembly District 37 is a strong Republican District represented by Incumbent Mark Born.

The Wisconsin 37th State Assembly District includes the following municipalities:

Dodge County Townships: Beaver Dam, Burnett, Calamus, Chester, Fox Lake, Leroy, Lomira, Trenton, and Westford; Villages: Brownsville, Kekoskee, Lomira and Randolph; Cities: Beaver Dam, Fox Lake, Mayville and Waupun

Columbia County Village of Randolph

Fond du Lac County Townships: Byron, Oakfield, and Waupun; Village of Oak Field; City of Waupun

Mark Born (R)

Republican Incumbent; ran unopposed in 2022.

Former corrections supervisor, Dodge County Sheriff’s Department. Elected to Beaver Dam Fire and Police Commission, 2003–05; Beaver Dam City Council, 2005–09; Assembly since 2012.

Rep. Born has been somewhat quiet regarding his support for medical marijuana reform and comes in as a late co-sponsor to the Republican bill to create a medical marijuana program in 2019-20, but was absent from any attempts in 2021-22.

Rep. Born reappeared in 2024 as a co-sponsor of the controversial GOP medical cannabis legislation.

Campaign Website, Campaign Facebook

Steve Rydzewski (R)

Steve challenged Born as a write in candidate in 2022 and is back. He will be an official candidate on the ballot producing a primary battle between him and Born.

As a write in candidate, he said this to his local newspaper “Because I actually want to represent the people of our District…I want to hear what’s important to them,” says Rydzewski. “I’ve had a lot of conversations…people telling me they want this, they want that…and just making a list of those things and approaching them when I get to the assembly. The job seems pretty simple.”

When I reached out to Steve about his stance on marijuana reform he quickly replied “No to recreational”.

Campaign Facebook Page

Avoiding a repeat unopposed ticket for Born again, not only will he face a primary, but if Born wins he will see a strong Democrat candidate in the field challenging him on the final ballot in November. If Rydzewski pulls an upset over Born in the primary, we will be sure to revisit the issue with him.

LaToya Bates (D)

LaToya is a graduate of Alverno College where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Business and Management with Adult Education and Psychology supports, as well as a Master of Education with an emphasis on Organizational Development. LaToya’s studies included a Master of Arts in Counseling at Lakeland College, and she earned a Master of Pastoral Studies from Cardinal Stritch University. LaToya’s career has been divided between education, social services, and business.  LaToya is the Founding Director of Wounded Wings: Association for the Betterment of Women and Girls that serves survivors of sexual and domestic abuse. Wounded Wings is also home to Faithful Solutions and the Women Entrepreneurs Network, WEN. LaToya is the owner and manager of Lauryn Wynter Company, an event management group that plans corporate and social events.

She received an A+ rating from NORML and my conversations with here indicate that she is very knowledgeable about the subject of marijuana reform and would be a great leader on the issue of cannabis reform if elected to the assembly.

Campaign Facebook Page, Campaign Website

How do we make change in 2024?
How do we make change in 2024?

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: CNanalysisWisPoliticsDavesredistircingPeoplesMaps

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