Peggy Hedberg, a Madison resident, recently switched her support in the Democratic primary for governor from state Sen. Kelda Roys (D-Madison) to Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley — a decision she said she has made because “pragmatically” she wants to vote for someone to win. Roys has been polling in the single digits.

Hedberg said it was Crowley’s energy that won her over.

“I felt like he had the strength to carry us,” she said, noting that it was hard for her to switch. She said she cares about electing women, especially as abortion access is one of the most important issues to her, but she also cares about having a candidate who can work with the Legislature to get things done. “I had to make a decision, and that was hard, but I felt that with Evers’ backing and other factors that this would be a better way for us to move forward.” 

Hedberg was at a meet and greet with Crowley on Wednesday afternoon in downtown Madison. Crowley is looking to win over voters like Hedberg with just five days until Election Day. 

Crowley told reporters that he is focusing on consolidating votes from people who are undecided. According to the last Marquette Law School poll, 34% of likely Democratic primary voters had not yet made up their minds. 

Crowley’s campaign ended in July, then restarted at the end of the month following the implosion of Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez’s campaign. In his second launch, Crowley entered with the endorsement of Gov. Tony Evers, triggering accusations that he is the candidate of the Democratic “establishment.” He said Wednesday that “when people try to call me the establishment, I look at that as a slur, particularly as an African American candidate.” Describing his background as a child of parents who struggled with addiction, mental illness and serial evictions, he said he has always represented the people, not the powerful.

When Crowley entered his campaign’s new office on East Washington Avenue in Madison at mid-day on Wednesday, he made a circuit of the room, greeting attendees individually with a huge grin and firm handshakes. Crowley told reporters that six days is “absolutely” enough time to get voters acquainted with him. 

The stop is one of several Crowley is making this week as he crisscrosses the state in an attempt to introduce himself to voters and win enough support to overcome state Rep. Francesca Hong’s substantial lead in recent polls. Election Day is Tuesday.

Crowley told one group of attendees that “there are Democrats everywhere,” describing his campaign stops in Wausau, Rhinelander, Hudson, Superior and Green Bay. At a recent stop in Baraboo he took pictures at the Clown Museum.

Crowley said he was trying “to see if we could find Tom Tiffany.”

This week, Crowley campaigned in Appleton with Gov. Evers and won the endorsement of U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore, the Congressional Black Caucus PAC and state legislators including Legislative Black Caucus Chair Sen. Dora Drake and Rep. Lisa Subeck, who spoke at the Madison event.

“There is something magnetic about him. I think about some of the things that I have loved about Gov. Tony Evers — he is a good guy, he is a good person who leads with his head and with his heart — and I think David holds many of those same qualities,” Subeck told the crowd.

Crowley and Subeck served in the Legislature while Democrats were in the minority. Subeck said Crowley had a “particular talent for not only standing up for our core values, but for also working across the aisle without compromising our values” when he served in the Legislature.

Crowley told attendees that the biggest problem facing Democrats is that “all we’ve been doing is responding and reacting to Donald Trump and Republicans.”

“As long as we do that, guess who’s defining us for us? They are,” Crowley said. “So, it’s time for us to get off the sidelines and stop playing defense and get on the offense. This is the time where we not only need a Democratic governor, but we need to make sure that we’re flipping the state Senate, flipping the state Assembly, because none of these policies that I’m about to rattle off becomes a reality unless we’re in charge.” 

Crowley spoke about capping the cost of childcare at 7%, fixing the school funding formula and boosting the state’s share of special education costs to 90% as well as supporting unions by repealing the union-busting law Act 10.

At one point, Crowley took issue with a proposed moratorium on AI data centers, which Hong has made a key point in her campaign. He said that he is frustrated that the Republican-led Legislature finished its work this year without establishing any regulation on the constructions of them. 

“People may talk about a moratorium, but what is that moratorium going to do about the data centers that are currently being built or are operating right now? It’s short-term thinking but it doesn’t address the long-term concerns we all have in this state,” Crowley said, adding that data centers need to “pay their own way.”

Crowley said that implementing a ban on non-disclosure agreements between local governments and big tech companies building data centers, requiring union labor and having companies pay for their own clean energy is essential. 

Crowley also challenged predictions based on polling ahead of Election Day, especially after the results of Michigan’s U.S. Senate race. Abdul El-Sayed, a progressive, defeated U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens by about 1 point, after polls showed him leading the race by more than 10 points. 

Hong has been polling 20 points or more ahead of Crowley. 

The Crowley campaign released a memo on Wednesday that said “results in Michigan Tuesday night showed polling that failed to appropriately capture and reflect the primary electorate and well overstated the position of the race frontrunner. Democrats are in the driver’s seat in Wisconsin to choose David Crowley and have the best fighting chance against Tom Tiffany in November.”

The memo found that in the four-person primary for governor, Hong led Crowley 42% to 24% while Roys and former Department of Administration Secretary Joel Brennan were still polling in the single digits. 

Asked about whether he thinks the other candidates could cut into his margins and propel Hong to the nomination, Crowley told reporters that his job is to “convince as many voters as possible why we’re the winning candidate.” 

“With it being almost a clear race between two particular candidates, those voters and those candidates, they’re going to have to make their own decisions,” Crowley said. He also said that he would never tell a candidate to drop out.

The Crowley campaign’s internal poll found Hong up 53% to 33% against Crowley in a head-to-head race. Once those being polled were informed of both candidates’ positions, Hong led Crowley 47% to 38%

Young people make up a large share of Hong’s base, but Evan Natzke, an 18-year-old who recently graduated from Milton High School south of Madison, enthusiastically greeted Crowley at the event. He told the Examiner that he met Crowley before and he appreciated that he seems like a “super genuine person.”

“I just love his energy. I feel like he’s just so charismatic,” Natzke said. 

Natzke said Hong has good ideas, but he is concerned about how she’ll do in the general election, saying that Republicans “are going to be able to paint this picture of her being this super crazy radical person.”

“I just don’t think that a normal voter is going to really like that image that is painted of her,” Natzke said. “And along with that, I’m also unsure if her policies will be able to work at the state level.”

With a week remaining before Wisconsin’s Democratic gubernatorial primary, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley is gaining late momentum with a series of endorsements and a fundraising advantage as state Rep. Francesca Hong faces renewed scrutiny about years-old, controversial social media posts. 

Crowley, who reentered the race about two weeks ago after dropping out, is campaigning across the state this week, including with Gov. Tony Evers. The popular two-term governor had stayed out of the race until after a series of upheavals in the primary that helped Hong to grow her lead over other candidates. Evers recently told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that Hong could “probably not” win the general election against U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, the likely Republican nominee for governor. 

Crowley only has six days to build momentum before Election Day. Last week, the latest Marquette Law School Poll, which was taken before former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes dropped out of the race, found Crowley polling at 7% — more than 30 points behind Hong, with about 34% of voters still undecided. Asked on Tuesday if Evers’ endorsement came too late on Tuesday, Crowley said it could “be critical.”

“I would’ve loved to have Gov. Evers’ endorsement earlier, but this is where we are today,” Crowley said. 

Chair of the Legislative Black Caucus and the Vice Chair of the Senate Democratic Caucus Sen. Dora Drake (D-Milwaukee) told the Wisconsin Examiner in an interview that she is endorsing Crowley and doesn’t think it is too late for him to win. 

“I believe that with the right support, he can get it done,” Drake said. “It’s clear that [Hong] is leading in the polls, and everyone’s talking about it, but I will say what I have seen is you have a lot of folks that reached out to Crowley to get back in the race because they trust his leadership that much, and so for that reason, I do believe that there is a possibility that he could still pull this off.”

Drake is the latest to come out in support of Crowley in recent days. He has also gained endorsements from the Congressional Black Caucus PAC and U.S. Congresswoman Gwen Moore in recent days.

Crowley has a slight fundraising advantage over Hong, according to pre-primary reports filed on Monday. 

Crowley reported $775,813.32 raised between July 1 and July 27. He spent $627,921 and ended the period before the primary with $463,070. Meanwhile, Hong reported raising $338,757. She spent $343,204 and had $406,117 in the bank. 

Tiffany is also continuing to build his financial strength, reporting $4.6 million raised between July 1 and July 27. That brings his total raised this year to $13.3 million. He has spent a little over $10 million, including $2.6 million during the period, leaving him with $4.97 million in the bank.

Drake, who previously served in the state Assembly with both Hong and Crowley, has stayed neutral in the race up to now, especially as she said that she hasn’t appreciated conversation that downplays either candidate’s accomplishments. She said that she understands the momentum for Hong.

However, Drake said the debate was a turning point for her. 

“For me, knowing the need to introduce legislation, move it through the building, and get it to a place where it gets signed by a governor, you need someone that’s going to understand the legislative process and the governing process — and David Crowley has both,” Drake said. 

Democrats are also competing to flip the state Senate and Assembly. Drake said she’s confident they’ll be able to flip the Senate and doesn’t see the party’s gubernatorial nominee affecting those chances, but as Drake and her caucus are seeking to make progress on their caucus’ policy goals next session, she says the governor’s office is vital.

Drake said Crowley’s positions on education also informed her decision. She said Crowley is the “only candidate aware of the nuances facing Black and brown families and their children; especially on education disparities.”

“I want someone as governor who will focus on getting things done rather than political platitudes that dictate where Black and brown parents should send their kids to school,” Drake said. 

Hong has called for the “responsible” end to the private school voucher program, including in Milwaukee. Nearly half of school-aged children in the city attend charter, private voucher and other non-traditional schools. Crowley has said he doesn’t want to expand or cut the programs, but wants to focus on the question of funding public schools. 

Hong responds to renewed scrutiny over old posts

Hong held an energetic rally with U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar and controversial leftist streamer Hasan Piker over the weekend in Milwaukee. Asked whether it was risky to associate herself with Piker, she told reporters that “it would be a risk not to try to build the broadest coalition possible.” She also launched a nearly two-minute video ad that tied data center construction to FoxConn. 

Hong spent the first part of this week navigating controversy over her past posts on social media. Republicans, including presumptive GOP gubernatorial nominee Tom Tiffany, have resurfaced and amplified posts about canceling Thanksgiving in 2020, about abolishing police because they “exist to uphold white supremacy” and about wanting to leave a Culver’s in Black Rivers Falls with her young son because she “was on the verge of a anxiety attack” because of “too many old white people who didn’t think we spoke english.”

In an interview with CNN journalist Kaitlin Collins, Hong was asked whether she still wants to cancel Thanksgiving.

“I’m a chef, and one of the first meals that I made for the community when I was 16 was a Thanksgiving meal. But Thanksgiving is also a time that’s incredibly painful for many people in our communities,” Hong said. “And so I think there, I wanted to make sure that people understood that there are multiple views, but views can evolve.”

Tiffany issued a statement saying that he wouldn’t cancel Thanksgiving as governor. 

David Axelrod, former advisor to President Barack Obama, said in a post that it is “answers like these that cause many to think if this chef wins the gubernatorial primary in WI, Ds may be cooked.” 

Drake said she thinks Democrats need a nominee “who is ready for prime time,” noting how Republicans attacked Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes during his 2022 run for the U.S. Senate. 

“Given some of the stuff that’s being done now by the GOP about [Hong’s tweets], they’re nothing more than a distraction, and it’s intentional,” Drake said. “You have folks that are concerned about housing, that really don’t know where their next meal is going to come from, and our food pantries are already struggling to keep their food in stock with grocery stores and just affording gas. An everyday voter is not going to be concerned about somebody’s tweets. They’re going to be concerned about issues of how am I going to take care of my kids? How am I going to provide for my family? How am I going to have a job that pays me enough that’s well? And so, for me, it’s nothing more than — it’s a distraction, where we’re not talking about the actual issues that voters care about.”

Evers also voiced his strong doubts and concerns about Hong’s general election chances while on the road with Crowley in Appleton, which was recently hit by tornadoes. 

“She spends a lot of time from what I understand talking on Twitter and all these other extraneous issues. We’re working together on issues and getting it done. People of Wisconsin expect this,” Evers said, noting that there were “people in this room who have seen tornados destroy their city and we’re going to spend time on that bullshit that others are talking about on Twitter. You can ask me a hundred times, I’m going to give you the same damn answer. This issue is around getting things done. This guy has done it.”

U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, who hasn’t endorsed a candidate, weighed in on the race on Tuesday. 

“Candidates give bad interviews sometimes. They better grow from it. The [governor] has a right to endorse & campaign for people. Get over it. People have a right to run even if they get single digits. I may not get it, but it’s their right,” Pocan wrote on X. “Did I piss off a little bit of everyone?”

Former Department of Administration Secretary Joel Brennan and State Sen. Kelda Roys (D-Madison) are also continuing their campaigns across the state.

Hong’s campaign said in a statement that Evers’ characterization “does not reflect the race we have run.” The campaign said Hong is not bringing up the posts, but that others are bringing them up to distract “from the strong support her policy platform has earned across Wisconsin” and that they are staying focused on the issues including leading the call for a moratorium on data center construction and lowering costs of housing and groceries. 

Hong, in her CNN interview, said Tiffany is “having to go back to a lot of my old tweets, because his actions and his resume, what he’s done is defunded healthcare, ripped food away from our children, supported a national abortion ban.” 

“And last time I checked, he still hasn’t said who won the 2020 election,” Hong added. “Being an election denier is an automatic disqualifier.”

While Wisconsin’s governor’s race is drawing national attention, control of the state Legislature could determine whether the next governor can enact their agenda. Legislative primaries will shape the handful of Assembly and Senate races that could decide control next year.

Republicans are seeking to defend their majorities, which they’ve held since 2011. Democrats are seeking to flip two Senate seats and five Assembly seats while maintaining all the seats they hold currently to win majorities in both chambers. The outcome will determine how much of the next governor’s agenda — from Medicaid expansion to tax cuts and investing in education — can become law.

There is sparse polling on state legislative races, although a survey in July from Marquette Law School found that 46% of Wisconsin voters said they would vote for Democrats in legislative races, while 42% said they’d vote for Republicans. The poll could not deliver detailed information on specific districts at play.

Republicans are gearing up financially to defend their majorities, with the Republican Assembly Campaign Committee reporting $6.5 million raised in the first half of the year and a total of $11.5 million cash-on-hand. The Committee to Elect a Republican Senate raised nearly $5 million and had $5.3 million on-hand. 

The bulk of that fundraising came from billionaires Diane Hendricks, who gave $2.5 million to RACC and $2 million to the Senate GOP committee, as well as Elizabeth Uihlein, who gave $3 million to the Assembly committee and $2 million to the Senate committee. The contributions have given  the Republicans organizations deeper pockets than their Democratic counterparts.

According to recent campaign finance reports, the State Senate Democratic Campaign Committee, the fundraising arm of the Senate Democratic caucus, raised about $2.8 million over the first six months of the year, while the Assembly Democratic Campaign Committee raised $3 million and ended with nearly $2.4 million cash-on-hand. 

The primary is scheduled for Aug. 11. Here are seven primary elections the Wisconsin Examiner is keeping an eye on in the lead-up to Election Day. The general election is Nov. 3.

Race to replace Jacque in northeastern Senate district 

A four-way Republican primary is taking place in the race to replace Sen. André Jacque in Senate District 1, which represents Door and Kewaunee counties. 

Nic Cravillion is an Army combat veteran and small business owner from New Franken who is campaigning on lowering taxes and promoting “responsible spending” as well as expanding workforce and affordable housing opportunities. For the last five years, Cravillion has also worked as the district director for Jacque. He reported raising $75,911 and having $62,264 on hand — more than any of the other candidates — at the end of the period. He also reported taking out $62,100 in personal loans. 

Barbara Bittner serves as the chair of the Calumet County Republican Party. She is running to reduce property taxes, protect “parental rights,” get “tough on crime” and uphold the “sanctity of life and traditional values.” Bittner reported raising $17,180.00 and having about $16,945 on hand at the end of the period. 

Katie Baney, a De Pere mother, currently works as the managing director of government affairs at Delta Defense, where she advocates for gun owners, and promises not to support any legislation that restricts the Second Amendment, according to her campaign website. Baney reported in July raising $46,772 and having $43,662 on-hand.

Jacob VandenPlas, a veteran and farmer who founded DC Farm for Vets, a rehabilitation farm that provides education and services to veterans entering agriculture. 

No Democrat is running for the seat in the red-leaning district, though the winner of the Republican primary will face Mark Becker, a small business owner who was formerly the chair of the Brown County Republican Party and is now running as an independent. 

Becker left the party after Trump’s election in 2016 due to disagreements over the direction of the GOP. He reported raising $20,233 and having $15,078 cash-on-hand. He has received contributions from Adam Kinzinger, the former Republican Congressman from Illinois who left the party due to his opposition to Trump, and the campaign account of state Sen. Kristin Dassler-Alfheim (D-Appleton).

Three seek to take on Marklein in key district

Three Democrats are competing to win a spot on the ballot to take on Sen. Howard Marklein (R-Spring Green) in November. Marklein was first elected to the Senate in 2014, and has been the co-chair of the powerful Joint Finance Committee since 2021. 

The district includes Crawford, Grant, Green, Iowa and LaFayette counties as well as the southwestern corner of Dane County. 

Marklein won the district with 60% of the vote in 2022, but Senate District 17 changed considerably under the new maps.

The district leaned Democratic by 1 percentage point in the 2024 presidential election and by over 4 percentage points in the 2024 U.S. Senate race, according to an analysis by John Johnson, a fellow at Marquette Law School. 

Marklein’s incumbency status gives him an advantage in the district, and he is also raising more than the other Democratic candidates combined. 

In his most recent campaign finance reports, Marklein reported raising $300,195 and ending the reporting period with $1.01 million in the bank. He received $100,000 — or about a third of his total contributions — from the Committee to Elect a Republican Senate. 

Rep. Jenna Jacobson (D-Oregon), who has served in the state Assembly since 2023, launched her campaign for the Senate seat in July 2025 with the backing of the State Senate Democratic Campaign Committee. 

The endorsement has provided her some advantages over her opponents, as she has campaigned with current Senators, including Senate Minority Leader Dianne Hesselbein, and received financial assistance from the SSDC. According to her latest campaign finance reports, Jacobson has raised about $109,277 and has about $201,177 in the bank. About $45,450 of her total contributions this year came from in-kind contributions from the SSDC in the form of campaign staff. 

Corrine Hendrickson, a child care advocate, launched her campaign in September. She reported raising $30,360 over the first half of the year and spending about $21,071. She ended with just $12,348 in the bank. 

Lisa White, a Democrat who runs an interior painting business, raised $7,641, spent $9,573 and ended the reporting period with $831 cash-on-hand.

Open Senate seat up north after new maps

Senate District 25, which represents Superior and Ashland, Bayfield, Burnett, Douglas, Iron, Polk, Sawyer and Washburn counties, is an open seat that will help determine control of the state Senate.

The district is currently represented by Sen. Romaine Quinn, but he is running for Senate District 23 this cycle after new maps were adopted in 2024 and his home was included in that district. While currently represented by a Republican, the district was represented by former Senate Minority Leader Janet Bewley, a Democrat, from 2015 through 2022. She opted not to run for another term after the maps had been redrawn to favor Republicans more heavily in 2022.

New maps have again placed the area in play with Democrats listing it as one of its target districts.

In the Republican primary, Angie Sapik, a former state Assembly member who lost her seat in 2024 under the new maps, is running against Erik Severson, a physician and former state Assembly member.

According to July campaign finance reports, Severson reported raising $39,478, spending $29,886 and ending the period with $111,506 in the bank. He reported $63,000 in personal loans. Sapik raised $117,399 ahead of the primary, spent $44,437 and had $89,700 in the bank. Her fundraising includes $100,000 in personal loans. 

In November the winner of the Republican primary will face Charly Ray, a forester and bookstore owner who has the backing of the State Senate Democratic Campaign Committee.

Race to compete for open Oak Creek seat

Assembly District 21, which represents Oak Creek and a portion of the city of Milwaukee around the Mitchell International Airport, is among the districts that will help determine control of the state Assembly. 

The seat is open following the retirement of Rep. Jessie Rodriguez (R-Oak Creek), who was first elected to the Assembly in 2013.

Two Democrats are competing for a spot on the November ballot. 

Daniel Bukiewicz is the mayor of Oak Creek and also the president of the Milwaukee Building & Construction Trades Council, a role he has held since 2014. He has endorsements from U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, state Sen. Dora Drake and SEIU-Wisconsin. 

David Liners has endorsements from some of the most progressive members of the Democratic caucus including state Rep. Francesca Hong, who is running for governor, Rep. Ryan Clancy (D-Milwaukee), who helped restart the Democratic Socialist caucus in the state Legislature, and Sen. Chris Larson. 

Bukiewicz is outraising Liners. Bukiewicz has raised $79,251 and spent $16,601. He had $62,650 cash-on-hand at the end of the reporting period. He has a handful of contributions from notable Democrats including Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson, Sen. Mark Spreitzer (D-Beloit) and Rep. Lisa Subeck (D-Madison).

According to July campaign finance reports, Liners has raised $25,806 over the course of his campaign and spent $13,646. He has $12,160 on hand. 

The winner will face Dylan Pfaffenbach, a Republican and student at Carroll University, in November. 

Democrats compete to challenge Donovan in MKE county

Assembly District 61, which represents Greendale and Hales Corner in Milwaukee County, is another key district that will determine control of the state Legislature. Incumbent Rep. Bob Donovan (R-Greenfield), who was first elected in 2022, is running for a third term. 

In the last two election cycles, Democrat LuAnn Bird, a former school board member and executive director of Wisconsin’s League of Women Voters, ran but failed to beat Donovan. He won 51.5% to 48.3% in 2024 with the new legislative maps in place, a slightly larger margin than in 2022, when he won his first term.

This year, three candidates are competing for the Democratic nomination to take on Donovan. 

Lawanda Chambers, a counselor and yoga instructor, is running to “provide leadership that speaks to the real challenges people face every day, not slogans, not politics, and not half-measures.” She has the endorsements of Rep. Darrin Madison (D-Milwaukee), Rep. Supreme Moore Omokunde (D-Milwaukee) and Rep. Margaret Arney (D-Wauwatosa). According to her July campaign finance reports, she raised $22,085.57 and ended with $15,564 cash-on-hand. 

Ben Brist, an army veteran, said he is running because he believes government “can and should work better for normal people.” He is endorsed by the Wisconsin Education Association Council (WEAC).

According to his July finance report, Brist raised $23,844 and ended the period with $19,458 cash-on-hand. 

Brian Bock, a pharmacist, is running with a top priority of expanding access to affordable healthcare and wants to work to expand Medicaid, increase price transparency and reduce the cost of prescription drugs, according to his campaign website. According to July campaign finance reports, he has about $2,690 in the bank.

Five-way primary to replace Hong 

The Democratic primary for Assembly District 76, which represents Madison’s east side, north side and parts of downtown, is one of the most crowded across the state and will likely determine who succeeds state Rep. Francesca Hong (D-Madison), the democratic socialist who is running for governor. The winner will face Republican Nina Chat in November, though the district is one of the most progressive in the state. Hong won her first election in 2020 with 88% of the vote.

Five candidates total are competing for the seat, and the candidates’ differences appear in their experience and priorities, though they have a lot of overlap in their platforms.

Juliana Bennett is a former City Council member and UW-Madison alumni who has been working as the chief of staff to state Rep. Angelito Tenorio (D-Wauwatosa). She has the endorsement of the Madison Area Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) as well as the national organization. 

Isaia Ben-Ami is a public policy professional who has worked as a staffer in the state Assembly, including for Assistant Assembly Minority Leader Kalan Haywood (D-Milwaukee), who has endorsed him. 

Dina Nina Martinez-Rutherford, a member of the Madison Common Council, is a small business owner and food service worker.  She is endorsed by Sen. Melissa Ratcliff (D-Cottage Grove), Rep. Andrew Hysell (D-Sun Prairie) and Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway as well as Madison Common Council President Sabrina Madison. If elected, she would be the first openly transgender person to serve in the state Legislature.

Zoe Sullivan, a journalist and organizer, and Tony Castañeda, a community activist, artist, radio host and musician, are both outliers in the race given that they have not served in government.  

Martinez-Rutherford is outraising the other candidates, according to July reports. She recorded raising $56,365, spending $50,339 and having $44,835 cash-on-hand in July. 

Bennett reported raising $34,723, spending $27,198 and having $17,624 on-hand in July.

Ben-Ami reported raising $32,164, spending $25,586 and ending the reporting period with $6,627 cash-on-hand. 

Castañeda reported raising $6,606, spending $6,477 and having $7,677 cash-on-hand. Sullivan reported raising $13,181, spending $6,447 and having $7,502 cash-on-hand at the end of the period.

Republicans compete to challenge Sheehan in Sheboygan 

Three Republicans are running in Assembly District 26, which represents Sheboygan. The winner will seek to oust Rep. Joe Sheehan (D-Sheboygan), a former school superintendent who won his seat in 2024. 

John Belanger, a former Sheboygan alderman, is campaigning to address affordability issues for families, workers and small businesses. He is running for the state Assembly after having lost his reelection bid to the Sheboygan city council. He reported raising $1,250, spending a little over $1,000 and ending with $241 in the bank in July. 

Tyler Schneekloth, a 25-year-old Town of Wilson resident, says he is running to address affordability of housing and to stop data center construction. He reported raising $756 and spending that amount in July. 

James Brotz, a Republican from Sheboygan, reported no contributions in July.