AD 31: August (R) vs Henderson (D)

The 31st Assembly district is located in southern Wisconsin, the district comprises much of central and southern Walworth County along with part of southeast Rock County. It includes the cities of Delavan and Elkhorn, and the villages of Clinton, Darien, Fontana-on-Geneva Lake, Sharon, and Williams Bay. It also contains Geneva National Golf Club and most of the Alpine Valley Resort.

The dynamic: August, the Assembly majority leader, has moved into the district after he was initially drawn into the 32nd with Rep. Amanda Nedweski (R-Pleasant Prairie). The 31st overlaps with some of August’s former territory, and the AD 31 Incumbent Schutt announced she won’t seek reelection.

In my opinion August is next in line to take the Speaker position from Robin Vos and that is why Schutt was pushed aside and not allowed to primary in her district.

Tyler August (R)

Elected to Assembly since 2010. Leadership positions: Speaker Pro Tempore 2019, 2017, 2015, 2013. Majority Leader since 2023.

WisconsinRightNow reported: Gov. Tony Evers’ new maps pit powerful state Assembly Majority Leader Tyler August against a fellow Republican, Amanda Nedweski, in newly drawn maps that appear to miss placing August in Assembly Speaker Robin Vos’s district by about SIX houses.

August thinks that was a (somewhat hysterical) mistake by Evers, whom he believes meant to put him in Vos’s district but used an old address since he’s moved three times in recent years, all within the Lake Geneva area. 

May 2018:  Rep. August replied that no matter what the polls say (77 percent are in favor of medical, 61 percent are in favor of recreational), their constituents are not in favor of either.

As the right hand man of Robin Vos, Rep. August could have helped moved a 2018 bipartisan medical marijuana to a public hearing in the Assembly Committee on State Affairs.  In fact, in January 2019 he seemed open to supporting a push for a public hearing on the issue among the assembly by saying, “It’s a conversation (re medical marijuana) that I’m not opposed to having, but we need to have that separate of the state budget.”

He has never co-sponsored any cannabis reform legislation since first elected in 2010.

Please follow his campaign on facebook page and visit his official website for more details on this candidate.

vs

John Henderson (D-Elkhorn)

Retired – Real Etate

Relevant experience: U.S. Army Reserve, civil affairs specialist; Federal Bureau of Prisons, Federal Correctional Institution- Oxford retired, roles: business administrator, supervisory contract specialist, warehouse foreman, correctional officer; AFGE Local 3495 – Department of Justice, union vice president

There are 99 state Assembly seats and 16 state Senate seats on the ballot this November. The ACLU of Wisconsin sent a questionnaire to all candidates and published their answers on August 21st.

We are surprised that he answered YES to the ACLU question: Do you support the legalization, regulation, and taxation of marijuana for recreational use by adults 21 and over in Wisconsin?

But he did have this to add: While personally against this I feel it is much better regulated and taxed to make sure it is safe. I would be against it for under 21 as the research has shown it can affect younger brains in a negative manner.

Campaign website

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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: RPubs, CNanalysis (Very Likely Rep +22) WisPolitics /2024 Assembly Races (63% Rep), Davesredistircing, PeoplesMaps, Ballotpedia