The ballot for the Wisconsin State Assembly District 64 special election was finalized following the primary on April 2, 2019. Tip McGuire defeated Gina Walkington and Spencer Zimmerman to advance from the Democratic primary. McGuire faces Mark Stalker, who was unopposed in the Republican primary, in the general election on April 30.
The seat became vacant when Peter Barca (D) resigned in January 2019 after Gov. Tony Evers (D) nominated him as secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Revenue.
Two other candidates, Pedro Rodriguez (D) and Thomas Harland (Constitution Party), both filed to run for the seat but were disqualified before the primary.
Entering the 2019 special election, the Wisconsin State Assembly has 35 Democrats, 63 Republicans, and one vacancy. A majority in the chamber requires 50 seats. Wisconsin has a divided government, meaning no political party simultaneously holds the governor’s office and both state legislative chambers.
As of April 3, 52 state legislative special elections have been scheduled or held in 20 states. Between 2011 and 2018, an average of 77 special elections took place each year.
Additional reading:
https://ballotpedia.org/Wisconsin_State_Assembly_District_64
https://ballotpedia.org/State_legislative_special_elections,_2019
https://ballotpedia.org/How_vacancies_are_filled_in_state_legislatures
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