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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: Steve Doyle*
R: Ryan Huebsch
This is a rematch of one of the closest races in the Assembly in 2022 — our “one genuine toss-up” in our preview two years ago — where Steve Doyle won re-election by about 800 votes in this key La Crosse area seat.
Doyle has served in the Assembly since 2011, after winning a special election called after Mike Huebsch (yes, Ryan’s father) joined Scott Walker’s administration as Department of Administration secretary. Doyle has since been re-elected to the Assembly six times. He has also served on the La Crosse County Board since 1986, including nearly a decade as chair. A 2020 Legislative Reference Bureau report said Doyle was the most bipartisan member of the Assembly.
Huebsch is running again after coming up short in his first run for public office two years ago. Before running, he was a legislative aide to now-congressman Scott Fitzgerald from his time as Senate Majority Leader, and later an aide to State Sen. Eric Wimberger of Green Bay. He currently works as the executive director of the Wisconsin Conservative Energy Forum. Huebsch recently got in some hot water over some now-deleted social media posts.
Wisconsin Watch took an in-depth look at this race in a recent feature story. Read it here.
CNalysis: Tilt D
Modeled 2022 outcome: R+7
Wisconsin Eye interview: