Dane County voters picked two new Democrats for Assembly seats — Renuka Mayadev and Andrew Hysell — Tuesday and promoted one-term Assembly member Melissa Ratcliff to the Senate.
Two other Assembly Democrats — Mike Bare and Shelia Stubbs — easily survived primary challenges. Another Assembly Democratic primary — between Fitchburg residents Randy Udell and Joseph Maldonado — was too close Wednesday morning for the Associated Press to declare a winner.
Hysell and Bare will face Republicans in the Nov. 5 general election. The other Dane County Democrats who won Tuesday have no November Republican opponents so they are all but assured of joining the 2025-26 legislative session when it convenes in January.
Four other incumbent Dane County Democrats — Sen. Kelda Roys and Reps. Francesca Hong, Lisa Subeck and Alex Joers — had no primary challengers Tuesday and will also not face a Republican on Nov. 5.
Senate District 16
Democratic Sen. Melissa Agard’s decision to run for Dane County executive gave three Assembly Democrats — Melissa Ratcliff, of Cottage Grove; Jimmy Anderson, of Fitchburg, and Samba Baldeh, of Madison — a chance to represent the new Senate District 16. The district includes parts of Madison’s east side, Fitchburg, Sun Prairie, Cottage Grove, Stoughton, Marshall, Lake Mills, Fort Atkinson and Waterloo.
A Madison-area Senate seat with no incumbent is rare; four previous senators served an average of almost 30 years — an average increased by the 58-year tenure of former Sen. Fred Risser.
The three Assembly Democrats agreed on most issues: “Restoring democracy,” preserving a woman’s choice to have an abortion, championing LTBQ+ rights, expanding health care and funding public schools.
They did offer different campaign themes. Ratcliff, a former Cottage Grove village board and Dane County board member, said she was the only working mom.
Anderson supporters adopted a unique slogan — “I sit with Jimmy” — because a car accident that killed members of his family left him in a wheelchair. Anderson championed his advocacy for those with disabilities. Baldeh, a Madison City Council member, offered an immigrant’s success story, citing the poverty he experienced growing up in the African nation of Gambia.
Unofficial totals gave Ratcliff 52% of the Democratic primary vote; Anderson, 31%, and Baldeh, 17%.
Assembly District 48
The closest — and most controversial — primary for an Assembly seat was in the new Assembly District 48, which includes Sun Prairie.
That open seat attracted five Democrats — Andrew Hysell, Bill Connors, Avery Renk, Goodwill Obieze and Rick Rose. All except Rose, of Madison, live in Sun Prairie.
Last week, the four other Democrats issued a joint statement challenging Hysell’s Democratic credentials, saying the lawyer had contributed to Republican candidates in Wisconsin and Kansas.
Responding, Hysell said his campaign donations “overwhelmingly” went to Democrats and added, “When I worked in advocacy for Save the Children, the Campaign for Tobacco-Free kids, and the Reading Roadmap, I made contributions to Republicans who were supportive of tobacco control, early literacy and early childhood programs.”
Unofficial totals gave Hysell 32% of the Democratic votes; Connors, 26%; Renk, 21%; Obieze, 14%, and Renk, 5%.
According to the Wisconsin Elections Commission, the Republican candidate on Nov. 5 in District 48 is Lisa Rubrich, of Sun Prairie.
Assembly District 47
The race for the Democratic nomination in the new Assembly District 47, which includes Fitchburg, Stoughton and part of McFarland, was too close to call Wednesday morning.
Unofficial totals gave Randy Udell, treasurer of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, a Dane County board member and a former member of the Fitchburg city council, 51% of the vote and veteran Fitchburg Council member Joe Maldonado, 49%.
Assembly District 77
Democrats in Madison’s new west-side Assembly District 77 chose newcomer Renuka Mayadev, a UW-Madison program advisor for maternal and child health, over veteran Dane County Board member Chuck Erickson and pharmacist Thad Schumacher.
Unofficial totals gave Mayadev, who previously was executive director of United Way of Central Ohio and the Children’s Defense Fund-Ohio, 49% of the vote; Schumacher, 28%, and Erickson, 23%.
Assembly District 78
Democratic Rep. Shelia Stubbs easily won the Democratic nomination for a fourth Assembly term in the new District 78, which includes parts of Madison and Cross Plains, the Town of Middleton and Verona. Unofficial results gave Stubbs 66% of the vote and Maia Pearson, a Madison School Board member, 34%.
Assembly District 80
Unofficial vote totals gave Democratic Rep. Mike Bare, of Verona, 78% of Democratic votes in new District 80, beating challenger Nasra Wehelie, of Madison.
Elections Commission records say Bare will face Republican Robert Relph, of Cross Plains, on Nov. 5.
Four other Dane County Democrats — Sen. Kelda Roys (26th Senate District) and Reps. Francesca Hong (76th District), Lisa Subeck (78th District) and Alex Joers (81st District) did not have primary challengers Tuesday and will not have a Republican opponent on Nov. 5.
Joers lives in Waunakee; Roys, Hong and Subeck live in Madison.
