2024 Wisconsin State Legislature Voter Guide: Assembly District 26

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: Joe Sheehan

R: Amy Binsfeld*

District 26 in the Sheboygan area stood out under old maps as one of the prime examples of gerrymandering in the Wisconsin State Legislature. Republicans essentially drew a line down the middle of the roughly 50,000-person city, carving what was once a reliably Democratic seat into two red districts. This was covered extensively in a terrific 2023 New Yorker feature story by Wisconsin native Dan Kaufman. Now, the 26th includes the entire city of Sheboygan, and this projects to be one of the most competitive races on the entire Assembly map. 

Republican Amy Binsfeld is running for re-election here. She currently represents District 27 but is drawn into District 26, which is now represented by Republican Terry Katsma, who is retiring at the end of his term. Binsfeld is in her first term in the Assembly, and is the Chair of the Speaker’s Task Force on Truancy, and introduced a number of bills on the issue. She was part of a group of Republican legislators who introduced a bill that would have eliminated work permits for 14- and 15-year-olds last session.

The Democratic candidate in this race is Joe Sheehan, who worked for 17 years as the superintendent of the Sheboygan Area School District, and after retiring, became the executive director of the Sheboygan County Economic Development Corporation. Sheehan looks to be a very strong candidate in this district, making this a top pickup opportunity for Democrats. 

CNalysis: Tilt D (FLIP)

• Proj. margin: D+4

Modeled 2022 outcome: D+4.2

Wisconsin Eye interview: