Downballot is not a word typically used any time of year except during the run up to elections, but it describes an important role for voters: casting ballots in races besides the marquee ones at the top, like the upcoming Democratic gubernatorial primary in Wisconsin. There is also a Democratic primary for state treasurer — as well as Democratic and Republican primaries for congressional seats, spots in the state legislature, and more.
Primary elections can be sleepy affairs because not every race needs to have the field narrowed to a Republican or Democratic nominee who will run in the November general election, but voters looking down their ballots will still find many contests that still carry a significant impact on our lives and the communities where we live despite getting less attention — not the least of which is control of Congress and the Wisconsin Legislature.
Additionally, even some of the better-known races have primaries. Despite all of the talk about the presumptive Republican nominee in the governor’s race, US Rep. Tom Tiffany, he does still have to get past a primary opponent, medical services technician Andy Manske. Republican voters also have primaries in the race for lieutenant governor and secretary of state.
State treasurer primary
Democrats are defending four of the state’s five constitutional offices: governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, and secretary of state. State Treasurer John Leiber is the only Republican holding statewide office, and two Democrats are vying for the chance to challenge him in November.
Marathon County Board member Yee Leng Xiong is also a member of the Weston Village Board and the DC Everest School Board. Xiong’s political aspirations are rooted in the story of his parents who were part of the initial group of Hmong immigrants who escaped persecution in Laos after the Vietnam War. Their experience instilled in Xiong the value of personal service and the notion that democracy isn’t free.
Xiong also worked in several nonprofit organizations before seeking public office.
“All across my roles, I have managed public dollars and made tough financial decisions,” Xiong told delegates at the Democratic Party of Wisconsin convention this summer. “I believe in accountability, transparency, and I believe your money should work for you.”
Xiong described himself as one of six Hmong elected officials in the state of Wisconsin and said he feels the responsibility of possibly becoming the first Hmong elected to statewide office in the nation.
“Only in America,” Xiong said. “In the American way, in an American dream.”
The other Democratic candidate in the race, Black Earth Village Board member Dylan Helmenstine, is also a member of the Wisconsin Heights school board. Helmenstine said he is seeking the treasurer’s post “to bring government transparency into the 21st century.”
Helmenstine has worked as a financial analyst and auditor for the state’s Medicaid program, served in the Wisconsin National Guard as a commander and frontline pandemic response manager, and is serving on the Teachers Retirement Board of the state’s Department of Employee Trust Funds.
Despite having a degree in economics and a master’s in public administration, Helmenstine has described the dizzying learning curve of becoming a school board member and understanding how state government funds its share of private education.
“I will be a state treasurer that works to make publicly available information publicly understandable,” Helmenstine told convention delegates this summer, describing his goal of building a visual public dashboard of public funds.
Both Helmenstine and Xiong have also campaigned on their commitment to public schools and protecting education funding from legislative encroachment.
Primaries for Congress
1st Congressional District: Whitewater school board member Miguel Aranda, emergency room nurse Mitchell Berman, and former Racine County Emergency Services Director Lorenzo Santos are competing in southeast Wisconsin to be the Democratic nominee challenging US Rep. Bryan Steil (R-Janesville).
3rd Congressional District: One of the most watched congressional races in the country is in the western and central parts of the state. It pits volatile Republican US Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-Prairie du Chien) against either Rebecca Cooke, a former nonprofit operator from Eau Claire, or Emily Berge, former Eau Claire City Council president.
4th Congressional District: US Rep. Gwen Moore has held this Milwaukee-based seat since being elected in 2004 and becoming the first Black woman to serve Wisconsin in the US House of Representatives. Moore is being challenged by clinical genetic counselor Amy Donahue, whose campaign as a democratic socialist is based on offering voters an alternative to longtime incumbents. Republicans Purnima Nath and Tim Rogers are facing off in the GOP primary.
6th Congressional District: Substitute teacher Amanda Bell and business consultant Brad Smith are competing in the Democratic primary. Instead of getting a one-on-race race with Republican US Glenn Grothman (R-Glenbeulah) in this eastern Wisconsin district, the Democratic nominee will face an even more crowded field, with Matthew Arndt of the Green Party and independents Mike Thurow and Elizabeth Fitzgibbon also running in November.
7th Congressional District: With US Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-Hazelhurst) leaving his seat up north to run for governor, there are two crowded primaries to fill the open slot in the state’s congressional delegation. The Democratic candidates are retired IT business owner Chris Armstrong, former state Rep. Fred Clark, and attorney Ginger Murray. On the Republican side, voters will choose between longtime local Republican leader Kevin Hermening, competitive dog musher Niina Baum, public relations professional Jessi Ebben, and Michael Alfonso, the son-in-law of former Congressman and current US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.
8th Congressional District: First-term Republican US Rep. Tony Wied (R-Green Bay) faces the winner of a three-way Democratic primary between retired US Army officer Rick Crosson, musician and small business owner Katrina deVille, retired teacher and financial manager Mark Scheffler.
Primaries for Legislature
There are primary races in 16 of Wisconsin’s 99 Assembly districts this year, several of them in places where there are open seats because incumbents are retiring or seeking a different office — including the districts of outgoing Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, gubernatorial candidate Rep. Francesca Hong, and state Senate candidates Reps. Robyn Vining and Jenna Jacobson.
Of Wisconsin’s 33 state Senate seats, which have four-year terms, the 17 odd-numbered districts will be on the ballot — with notable primaries in the 1st and 11th districts where veteran incumbent Sens. André Jacque and Steve Nass are retiring. In the 17th District, incumbent Sen. Howard Marklein will face one of three Democrats: Jacobson, former childcare operator Corrine Hendrickson, and home improvement business owner Lisa White. And there are two Democrats in the 23rd District — Richard Pulcher and Jeff Foster — seeking to compete with Republican Sen. Robert Romaine Quinn.
