2024 Wisconsin State Legislature Voter Guide: Assembly District 1

This is part of The Recombobulation Area and Civic Media’s 2024 Wisconsin State Legislature Voter Guide. Read the first part of the series, “New Board, New Game,” here. See the full district-by-district breakdown of the Wisconsin State Senate here. See the comprehensive Voter Guide here.

D: Renee Paplham

R: Joel Kitchens*

In Wisconsin, the door is swinging — Door County, that is, as a swing county on the state’s election map. The county was won by Trump in 2016, Biden in 2020, and was a Tony Evers – Ron Johnson county in the 2022 midterms. It was also won by Tammy Baldwin in both 2012 and 2018, and won by Scott Walker each time he was on the ballot. 

This district includes more than swingin’ Door County, though, it also includes all of much more red Kewaunee County, making it a Republican advantage seat. The current incumbent is Joel Kitchens, who has served in the Assembly since 2015. He’s currently the Chair of the Committee on Education and the Vice-Chair of the Committee on Environment. 

Kitchens faced controversy last year after comments he made on abortion rights. Kitchens is a veterinarian, and during a public hearing on an abortion-related bill, he cited his experience in his veterinary career to say abortion isn’t health care, saying “I think I know mammalian fetal development better than probably anyone here.” He received national criticism for comparing women to farm animals. See that clip from Heartland Signal here. 

The Democratic candidate in this race is Renee Paplham, a political newcomer who works as a caregiver to people with special needs, and as a mediator at the Mediation Center of Greater Green Bay.

CNalysis: Very Likely R 

• Proj. margin: R+16

Modeled 2022 outcome: R+18.3

More: Renee Paplham on the Civic Media airwaves.