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The Daily Cardinal Est. 1892
Friday, March 29, 2024
State Sen. Minority Leader Jennifer Shilling, D-La Crosse, blasted Republicans in a press release Wednesday. 

State Sen. Minority Leader Jennifer Shilling, D-La Crosse, blasted Republicans in a press release Wednesday. 

Kapanke challenges Shilling in state Senate rematch

Each week, The Daily Cardinal will be taking a look at down-ballot races throughout the state. This week we look to the 32nd Senate district in La Crosse where Republican Dan Kapanke and Democrat Jennifer Shilling are locked in a rematch.

Republican candidate Dan Kapanke is challenging Democratic incumbent Jennifer Shilling in a rematch for state Senate District 32. Kapanke, who was ousted from his seat by Shilling in a recall election, is trying to regain control of the La Crosse area.

Shilling, the current Senate minority leader, defeated him by 10.8 percent in 2011. Kapanke was recalled in the aftermath of Act 10, which halted public employee’s collective bargaining rights.

Shilling’s political career started in college, when she beat her 78-year-old opponent for a seat on the La Crosse County Board. She spent 10 years in the state Assembly representing District 95 before becoming District 32 state senator.

Shilling plans to grow Wisconsin’s middle class and boost job creation efforts by “[focusing] on making childcare more affordable, lowering student loan debt, expanding healthcare access and improving retirement security,” according to a press release.

Kapanke, who held District 32 for seven years, hopes to bring “common sense leadership for Western Wisconsin,” according to the candidate’s website.

Kapanke was raised on a dairy farm in La Crosse County. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve and the Wisconsin and South Dakota National Guard. In his time following the recall election, Kapanke served as chair of Agriculture, Forestry and Higher Education Committee until 2012. He is the current owner of La Crosse Loggers, a collegiate summer baseball league.

“As a small business owner, I know that growing jobs, training our workforce, and bringing steady leadership are key for our economic future,” said Kapanke on his campaign website. “We need fiscal responsibility with taxpayer dollars, which allows Wisconsin’s hardworking people to keep more of what they earn… Together we will keep Wisconsin moving in the right direction.”

If Shilling, who defeated Kapanke in 2011, keeps her seat, Democrats could flip the Republican chamber. Republicans have a state government trifecta—holding majority leadership in the state Senate, state Assembly and governorship, including a five-seat majority in the state Senate.

If Democrats pick up three out of the 16 seats up for election, however, they will flip the chamber and break this trifecta, creating a divided state government.

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