Wisconsin Assembly District 60: Can Independent Tiffany Brault Break the Republican Hold on Fond du Lac?
District rating: Solid Republican — with an unusual independent challenge worth watching.
Wisconsin Assembly District 60 is exactly the kind of race that tests whether voters are ready to look beyond the traditional two-party system. The district has a strong Republican voting history, the incumbent is retiring, and no Democrat will appear on the November general-election ballot. Instead, voters will choose between Republican Marty Ryan and Independent Tiffany Brault.
At first glance, the district looks like a safe Republican hold. But the open seat, Brault’s local-government experience, and the results of the April 2026 Wisconsin Supreme Court election give us reasons to examine this race more closely.
This is not a claim that an Independent is guaranteed to win. It is a question worth asking: Can a locally established candidate build a coalition that reaches beyond party lines in a district where the Republican label has historically been a significant advantage?
About Assembly District 60
Assembly District 60 includes the City of Fond du Lac, Village of North Fond du Lac, and the towns of Fond du Lac, Empire and Friendship.
The district is generally rated around R+14 in our election coverage, and Republican incumbent Jerry O’Connor is retiring rather than seeking another term. In 2024, O’Connor defeated Democrat Joe Lavrenz by approximately 20 percentage points.
Those numbers establish the challenge facing Brault. Republicans have a clear electoral advantage, and Ryan begins the general election with the benefit of the party’s established base.
However, an open seat is different from an incumbent’s reelection campaign. Ryan must establish his own relationship with voters, while Brault can make the case that her experience in local government is more relevant than a party label.
With no Democrat on the ballot, the contest also creates an unusual opportunity for voters who normally lean Democratic, independents, and Republicans who are willing to consider a candidate outside their usual party.
Meet the candidates
Marty Ryan (Republican)
Campaign website: https://martyforassembly.com/
The cannabis policy question
Ryan’s history on marijuana policy deserves scrutiny from voters interested in reform.
During the 2018 local marijuana referendum discussions, Ryan said that police chiefs and health-care professionals had contacted him urging opposition to the referendums. My earlier reporting documented his comments and his effort to send the matter back to committee, which would have further delayed consideration.
Those comments matter because Wisconsin continues to debate the appropriate role of government in cannabis policy, including medical marijuana, adult-use legalization and the regulation of hemp-derived cannabinoid products.
Ryan was invited to participate in the 2026 Cannabis Candidate Questionnaire, and I forwarded his campaign the candidate resources. As of my September 2026 update, he had not responded to my outreach. The debate he took part in October of 2026 did not change our opinion of his campaign as a labeled prohibitionist, in fact, it reinforced it, with the candidate himself declaring his own personal war on marijuana.
That does not establish his current position on every cannabis issue. It does mean voters interested in reform should ask him directly where he stands today.
Will he reconsider the costs of prohibition? How does he propose to address Wisconsin’s changing hemp and cannabinoid industry?
These are fair questions for a candidate seeking to represent a district with local businesses, farmers, patients and consumers affected by state policy.
Tiffany Brault (Independent)
Campaign website: https://www.tiffanybraultforwi.com/
Tiffany Brault is not a political newcomer. She was elected to the Fond du Lac City Council in 2021 and to the Fond du Lac County Board in 2022. She has served as city council president and vice president and has participated in committees involving education, agriculture, recreation, land conservation and public libraries.
Brault works as a substitute teacher for the Fond du Lac School District and holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Marian University.
Her campaign focuses on education funding, affordable child care, health-care costs and responsible regulation of large-scale data centers.
Brault argues that Wisconsin’s school funding system needs an overhaul. She has pointed to failed local operating referendums, teacher layoffs, larger class sizes and eliminated programs as evidence that communities cannot continue relying on property-tax increases to fund schools.
She also speaks from personal experience about the difficulty of finding affordable child care and believes the state must do more to support families.
On data centers, Brault has called for a statewide moratorium on new large-scale projects until lawmakers establish standards addressing land, water and energy use. Her argument is that individual local decisions can have consequences beyond municipal boundaries.
These are issues that can appeal to voters across party lines. Families concerned about school funding and property taxes, workers struggling with the cost of living, and residents concerned about major development projects do not all belong to one political party.
Why run as an Independent?
Brault says the two-party system is broken and that Wisconsin needs representatives focused on collaboration rather than party loyalty.
Her local-government experience gives that argument a foundation. She has worked in nonpartisan municipal and county settings, where public officials must deal with practical questions regardless of which political party might benefit.
Her challenge is to convince voters that independence will translate into effective representation in Madison. An Independent does not have the automatic support of a party caucus, and winning the election is only the first hurdle. Building legislative relationships and delivering results would be essential.
But Brault offers voters a clear alternative: elect a representative who says her first responsibility will be to the people of the district rather than a political party.
The April Supreme Court election changes the conversation
One of the most interesting developments in this race is the April 7, 2026, Wisconsin Supreme Court election between Chris Taylor and Maria Lazar.
Taylor won statewide by a substantial margin, but the more relevant question for District 60 is what happened within the district itself.
Taylor’s performance in the district contrasts with the Republican advantage demonstrated in the 2024 Assembly election. It suggests that the district’s electorate is not uniformly Republican and that a substantial number of voters will support a liberal-aligned candidate in the right election.
However, Supreme Court elections and Assembly elections are different contests. Candidates, turnout and voter motivations differ. Taylor’s victory does not mean those voters will automatically support Brault.
What the results do provide is a useful starting point for examining the district’s electoral geography. The city and village offer a different political environment from the three rural towns, and a successful campaign needs to understand those differences.
For Brault, the opportunity is to build a coalition from voters who favor Democratic policies, independents who want an alternative, and Republicans who believe local experience and individual judgment matter more than party affiliation.
For Ryan, the challenge is to maintain the district’s traditional Republican advantage while making his own case to voters who may be dissatisfied with partisan politics.
The spring results make this race worth watching. They do not make the outcome inevitable.
Hemp and cannabis reform: A meaningful difference for voters
As someone who has worked on Wisconsin hemp and cannabis policy for years, I pay close attention to candidates who are willing to engage with these issues rather than simply repeat party talking points. I also look to work with businesses in key districts throughout Wisconsin.
Justin from Smokin Glass in Fond du Lac has also been instrumental in my continued activism not only in this district, but in a few others also. His store fronts are located in many competitive districts and as a 2026 Election Coverage Sponsor, he has been more than just a supporting business owner, he has been an active reformer himself.
Having retail store fronts in key districts willing to help get activists messages to consumers is one thing, directly helping candidates get their message in front of voters is another. Our network is doing both.
I had the opportunity to speak directly with Brault, along with Andy from MedMeridian, about hemp and cannabis reform. She came prepared to discuss the City of Fond du Lac’s February 2026 hemp-derived cannabinoid sales ordinance, which established local permitting requirements for certain CBD and THC beverage sales to adults 21 and older. MedMeridian in Fond du Lac and West Bend are 2026 Election Coverage Sponsors and I just wanted to say thank you for helping in these two districts.
Brault also explained that she had tried to advance a similar approach at the county level, but that effort did not succeed in 2026.
That conversation impressed me. She was familiar with the local policy details and willing to learn more about the broader issues facing Wisconsin’s hemp and cannabis businesses.
For the hemp industry, this matters. Wisconsin needs lawmakers who understand the difference between regulating a product and prohibiting it, between protecting consumers and driving legitimate businesses out of the market, and between public-health policy and criminal enforcement.
The state faces important decisions about hemp-derived cannabinoids, medical cannabis, adult-use legalization and the future of Wisconsin agriculture. Those decisions affect farmers, manufacturers, retailers, patients and consumers.
Brault has demonstrated a willingness to engage with these subjects. I have not received equivalent engagement from Ryan through my 2026 candidate-questionnaire outreach.
In subsequent interviews, Brault has defended the hemp industry and supported hemp cannabis law reform in debates with her challenger.
Voters should ask both candidates where they stand, and the answers—or lack of answers—should be part of the public record.
Can an Independent actually win District 60?
Let’s be realistic: Brault is the underdog.
The district’s Republican voting history is a major obstacle, and Ryan has the advantage of running as the Republican nominee in a district that has favored Republican candidates.
But there are several reasons not to dismiss the race outright.
First, it is an open seat. Ryan does not have the advantage of incumbency, and voters have an opportunity to evaluate both candidates on their own merits.
Second, Brault has an established local record. She has won elections for City Council and County Board and has experience with the everyday concerns of residents.
Third, there is no Democratic nominee in the general election. Brault can appeal directly to voters across the political spectrum without having to compete with a Democrat for those same votes on the November ballot.
Fourth, the spring election demonstrated that the district can produce a competitive result for a liberal-aligned candidate. That does not establish a path to victory by itself, but it challenges the assumption that the district’s partisan lean tells the entire story.
Finally, Brault has an opportunity to make this a choice about local representation. Her message on schools, child care, housing, health-care costs and data centers is not limited to a single ideological constituency.
An Independent does not need every Republican to switch sides. The campaign needs enough voters to conclude that Brault is the better choice for the district.
That is a difficult task, but it is a real electoral strategy—not simply wishful thinking.
The bottom line
Assembly District 60 remains a Republican-leaning district, and Marty Ryan has a clear advantage in the traditional party calculus.
But Tiffany Brault brings local-government experience, a willingness to engage with complicated policy questions and an argument for independent representation that deserves consideration.
On cannabis and hemp reform, Brault has demonstrated a level of engagement that matters to my work and to the Wisconsin businesses and consumers following these issues. Ryan’s past comments on marijuana referendums also deserve a fresh explanation from the candidate as voters consider the future of state policy.
The larger question is whether voters in Fond du Lac are ready to choose their representative based on experience, issues and independence rather than party label alone.
This is a long-shot race, but it is also a test of whether an Independent can build a serious cross-partisan coalition in Wisconsin.
My recommendation to voters is straightforward: read both candidates’ positions, ask direct questions, and decide which candidate will best represent the district in Madison.
Candidate resources
Marty Ryan — Republican
- Website: https://martyforassembly.com/
- Email: martyforassembly60@gmail.com
Tiffany Brault — Independent
- Website: https://www.tiffanybraultforwi.com/
- Email: tiffanyforwi@gmail.com
Watch the candidate debate: On October 15, the two candidates participated in a debate moderated by KFIZ’s Shawn Kiser. Listen to the discussion and evaluate their answers for yourself: https://kfiz.com/60th-assembly-district-candidates-square-off-in-debate/
Follow the 2026 Wisconsin Election Coverage project for additional candidate profiles, cannabis-policy analysis and updates on competitive races across the state.
