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Assembly District 57 (Appleton): Jo Egelhoff vs. Penny Bernard Schaber

This open seat is created by the retirement of Republican Steve Wieckert. The district is essentially 50/50 Democrat/Republican at the top of the ticket, but Doyle won with 55.6% in 2006 and Feingold won with 56% in 2004. The district includes Lawrence University. Republican Jo Egelhoff is a right-wing blogger and former Appleton City Council member. She has offended important interest groups with her strong opinions on her blog, where, for example, she attacked seniors by referring to them as a burden. Democrat Penny Bernard Schaber ran against Wieckert in 2006, and although she lost with 47% of the vote, she has not stopped campaigning. She continues to campaign door-to-door. She has been active in political causes and was state chair of the Sierra Club. Assuming that all of the current polling trends continue, Bernard Schaber should win this time.

Assembly District 91 (Trempealeau, Buffalo and Pierce Counties): Chris Danou vs. Dave Hegenbarth

This open seat was held for 26 years by Democrat Barbara Gronemus.

The district is 55.8% Democratic at the top of the ticket. Democrat Chris Danou is a police officer in Onalaska who appeals to many of the “lawand-order” voters who often lean Republican. Two years ago he lost in a Democratic state Senate primary against now-state Sen. Kathleen Vinehout, but this year he won a seven-way Democratic primary for the 91st Assembly District. Republican Dave Hegenbarth is the former head of the Wisconsin Grocers Association. He is wealthy, which should enable him to raise money and contribute his own money if necessary.

The district is very rural and definitely not wealthy, so the fact that Hegenbarth is referred to as part of the country-club set is probably not an advantage in this moment of economic crisis. Due to the Democratic bias of the district and the national Democratic trend, the Democrats should be able to keep the 91st District in their column.

Assembly District 92 (Jackson and Monroe Counties): Dan Hellman vs. Mark Radcliffe

The 92nd District has been held for the past 24 years by moderate Republican Terry Musser, a true “maverick” who would call them the way he saw them. The district has a 51.3% top-of-the-ticket Democratic advantage. Gov. Doyle received 52.7% of the votes in 2006 and Feingold won with 54.3% in 2004. Republican Dan Hellman is a former two-term Monroe County district attorney, so he has some political experience and name recognition. He also put together a very controversial course titled “The Defendant’s Handbook: Featuring the Eight Ways Criminal Defense Attorneys Screw Over Their Customers and a Good Way to Make Certain It Does Not Happen to You,” which was featured in the Oct. 8 Dan Bice column in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. This is a nonstarter for law-and-order Republicans.

Democrat Mark Radcliffe is also an attorney and comes from a longtime political family name in Black River Falls. One of the major issues in the campaign is property tax relief and whether shifting some of the school costs from the property tax to a sales tax increase would be wise. Hellman is skeptical of this tax shift, while Radcliffe is proposing that the state re-examine the corporate tax laws and close abusive loopholes and use that revenue for schools. Again, because of the national trends favoring Democrats this year, it should give Radcliffe a slight advantage—but this one is going to be close.

Republicans Seeking Re-election

There are four seats currently held by Republicans that are being strongly challenged by very active Democrats: the 36th District in the far northeastern portion of the state; the 68th District in Eau Claire County; the 80th District in Green County, along the Illinois border; and the 90th District on the west side of Green Bay.

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