By Heather Ruenz
Sln Staff
In the 31st Assembly District, Rep. Amy Loudenbeck (R-Clinton) who is seeking a fifth term, is being challenged by Democrat Brittany Keyes, a physical therapist from Beloit.
The 31st District includes the villages of Clinton, Sharon, Darien and Walworth and portions of the cities of Beloit, Janesville and Elkhorn.
In an interview earlier this week, Loudenbeck said she is proud of the direction Wisconsin is headed.
“When I look back at 2010, I am just amazed at how bright the future looks for Wisconsin compared to just eight short years ago,” she said.
“We cut income and property taxes, increased investment in worker training and tourism, recruited significant new business investment into Wisconsin, and have substantially reduced our structural deficit,” Loudenbeck added.
One of the issues Loudenbeck said she plans to focus on if re-elected Nov. 6 has been a hot topic throughout the midterm campaign season – locally and beyond.
“Whenever the legislature convenes next, we need to make sure to pass the legislation that I already voted for in the Assembly to protect people with pre-existing conditions in Wisconsin,” she said.
Loudenbeck said she also hopes to serve on the Joint Finance Committee again.
“I’m excited to start working on the 2019-2020 budget with a very clear focus on meeting the obligations we already have and stopping the growth of government with new programs,” she said.
Keyes grew up in a rural community in the stateline area and is a physical therapist and athletic trainer for Beloit Health Systems.
She said she’s heard, while out on the campaign trail, that the current political climate needs to change.
“Where we are now is not where we should be. It’s not a partisan issue and the response has been extremely supportive with people from both sides saying it’s gone too far,” she said.
At the top of her priority list is healthcare, including the expansion of Medicaid, sponsoring paid family leave and protecting pre-existing conditions.
“People are not getting the care they need and the costs keep going up. This is being neglected as a political move because politicians do not like the ACA (Affordable Care Act),” Keyes said.
Another issue, she said, is the need for full funding of public education.
“After years of historic cuts to public schools, from Pre-K to our University of Wisconsin system, it’s long past time we re-invest in our children’s future,” she said.
If elected, Keyes said she would aim to fix funding formulas to ensure tax dollars are returned to students throughout the state and address the student loan crisis.
Keyes also said she would support redistricting.
“Voters should pick their representatives, representatives shouldn’t pick their voters. I will support an independent, non-partisan commission drawing our district maps,” she said.
For more information about Amy Loudenbeck, visit voteamywi.com, or about Brittany Keyes visit keyesforwisconsin.com.
