Republicans see multiple victories in area
By Tracy Ouellette
SLN Staff
Riding the national wave, local republicans did well at the polls Tuesday.
In the 32nd and 33rd State Assembly Districts incumbents Tyler August and Cody Horlacher both held on to their seats by a large margin.
August was challenged by newcomer Christine Welcher (D-East Troy) for the 32nd State Assembly District. He was named the Speaker Pro Tempore in 2015 and this will be his fourth term.
According to unofficial results from Walworth, Racine and Kenosha counties, August had 63 percent of the vote with 16,861 and Welcher garnered 37 percent of the vote with 10,088.
August ran on his record of keeping taxes down and limiting the size and scope of government while promoting business growth to increase employment.
Welcher, the farm manager and student program director at Michael Fields Agricultural Institute in East Troy, said she chose to run because of the deep cuts in the last state budget, especially the cuts that impacted the environment and the state’s park system.
The 32nd Assembly District includes parts of Walworth, Kenosha and Racine counties, with the cities of Lake Geneva and Delavan, the villages of East Troy and Genoa City, and the townships of Bloomfield, Delavan, East Troy, Geneva, Lafayette, Linn and Springfield.
Cody Horlacher (R-Mukwonago) will serve another term in the State Assembly after getting 63 percent of the vote in the 33rd District on Election Day.
Horlacher was challenged by Brandon White (D-Jefferson).
According to unofficial counts in Waukesha, Walworth and Jefferson counties counties show Horlacher with 18,851 votes against White’s 11,245.
Both candidates put job growth, education and transportation in the district at the top of their lists of issues facing the people in the area. Horlacher’s platform featured traditional republican ideas of smaller government and keeping taxes down.
The 33rd Assembly District includes all or parts of Whitewater, Eagle, Palmyra, Mukwonago, Jefferson and East Troy in Walworth, Waukesha and Jefferson counties.
In the 83rd Assembly District, Republican Chuck Wichgers ran unopposed in the General Election as the “Moral Conservative for State Assembly.”
The 83rd includes parts or all of Muskego, East Troy, Waterford, Big Bend and Hales Corners in Racine, Walworth and Milwaukee counties.
Incumbent Republican Amy Loudenbeck, of Clinton, with 64 percent of the vote, won another two-years representing the 31st District in the State Assembly by beating back a challenge from college student Clinton Anderson, a Democrat.
Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-Janesville) easily kept his seat with overwhelming support in Kenosha, Racine and Walworth counties in his race against relative unknown Democrat Ryan Solen, of Mount Pleasant.
During his victory speech in Janesville, Ryan said: “You know by some accounts – I was just sitting here watching the polls – by some accounts, this could be a really good night for America. This could be a good night for us.”
Editor in Chief Ed Nadolski contributed to this report.
