Candidates Emerging in State Assembly Race

A Republican primary in the 21st Assembly District special election, triggered by state Rep. Mark Honadel's resignation, seems increasingly likely as possible candidates begin to emerge. 


One of those candidates could make history. Jessie Rodriguez, who indicated on a campaign Facebook page she will seek the seat, would become the state Legislature's first Hispanic Republican, according to the Capital Times. 

"Government is most effective when practiced at the local level and it would be my honor to bring your voices to Madison," Rodriguez said in a Facebook post.

She could not be reached for further comment Friday.

The Capital Times reported that Rodriguez is an outreach coordinator for Hispanics for School Choice, a group that pushes for the expansion of school vouchers and has close ties with several Republicans and socially conservative groups.

Rodriguez appears to be the first Republican candidate to publicly announce their candidacy, but another is close. 

Larry Gamble, who was involved in Verify the Recall and is an officer in the tea party group Wisconsin Grandsons of Liberty, told Patch he is leaning toward entering the race.

"I’m better than 50 percent convinced that it's the thing to do," he said. 

Gamble unsuccessfully challenged state Rep. Jeff Stone in a 2010 primary. He lives in a portion of Franklin that was added to the 21st District after redistricting. 

Two current office-holders in the 21st District, which mostly consists of Oak Creek and South Milwaukee, said Friday they are still weighing an Assembly run. 

Oak Creek Alderman Ken Gehl said he is "very interested" but remains undecided about entering the race. He met with Republican party officials earlier this week and is discussing with his employer what arrangements could be worked out should he be elected.

"I'm obviously very interested and look forward to the potential opportunity to carry on Mark’s legacy in job creation and training, the exciting infrastructure projects and development/redevelopment of our local communities, school choice, and the strong representation for our South Milwaukee, Oak Creek, and Franklin constituents and businesses," Gehl said in an e-mail.

Gehl, who is in his third term on the Oak Creek Common Council, ran unsuccessfully for county supervisor in 2012. 

The man who beat him, Steve Taylor, said he also has not decided whether to wage an Assembly campaign. 

Taylor said he's not in a hurry to make a decision because he has name recognition and fundraising tools in place from previous runs for public office. 

In addition to the state Assembly, he is also considering running for Franklin mayor next spring on the heels of Mayor Tom Taylor's announcement that he will not seek a fourth term. 

"I have to look at where I can make the biggest impact," Taylor said. 

Multiple sources told Patch that Chris Kujawa, an executive at Oak Creek-based KEI, also may run for the seat.

Kujawa didn't immediately return a message seeking comment Friday. He has run for public office before, losing to Pat Jursik in a 2007 county supervisor race. 

Democrats 
Things are a little quieter on the Democratic side, with a state Democratic official telling the Capital Times the party wants to announce a candidate next week and avoid a primary. 

One candidate could be activist Sara Johann, who said in a Facebook post she is exploring a run. 

Johann did not respond to a message seeking comment Friday. Liberal blog The Prairie Badger said Johann has run for state Legislature positions three previous times, most recently for state Senate in 2000, and also has floated herself as a potential Democratic gubernatorial candidate. 

The district leans conservative and seemingly favors Republicans in a low-turnout election. But, as the Cap Times story notes, Mitt Romney won the district with just 51 percent of the vote in the 2012 presidential election. 

Honadel
All of the candidates are vying to replace Honadel, who is resigning Monday for an opportunity in the private sector after 10 years as a state representative. 

Honadel didn't shed much more light on his future plans in an interview Friday, saying, "what I'm going to do is going to be a compilation of all the things I love in my life, and it's going to be helping people."

The date of the special election will likely be set next week. Gov. Scott Walker has to wait until Honadel officially leave office to set a date, which must be 62 to 77 days after Honadel's last day, according to the Government Accountability Board.