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    • Democrat Habush Sinykin defeats Stroebel in state Senate District 8
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    Democrat Habush Sinykin defeats Stroebel in state Senate District 8

    Online Niel Posted on

    (This story has been updated to accurately reflect the most current information.)

    Democratic challenger Jodi Habush Sinykin narrowly defeated Republican incumbent Duey Stroebel for the Wisconsin Senate District 8 seat in one of the most competitive state elections under new legislative maps that broke spending records.

    The Associated Press called the race for Habush Sinykin late Wednesday after Habush Sinykin’s narrow margin of 1,788 votes, with about 99 percent of the votes counted, put her in a lead that Stroebel could not overcome.

    Overall, she received 50.8 percent, or 60,471 votes, compared to Stroebel’s 49.2 percent, or 58,683 votes.

    Habush Sinykin declared victory early Wednesday morning around 3 a.m., saying her campaign was “the culmination of building a strong sense of community and solidarity with the people of this district as we worked together toward a shared vision for our state.”

    “Everyone who helped spread the word, knocked on doors, wrote postcards, hosted events and contributed to our campaign — you made this happen,” she said in the statement.

    Stroebel conceded the race Wednesday morning, thanking everyone who shared support for his campaign.

    “We had many volunteers put in hours knocking on doors, writing postcards and helping in any way they could. It means so much to see the help we received,” Stroebel wrote in a statement.

    “Unfortunately, we fell a little short. Despite our hard work and dedication, the voters decided to go in a different direction.”

    This is not Habush Sinykin’s first time running for a seat in the 8th Senate District.

    During the 2023 special election, Sinykin ran against incumbent Republican Dan Knodl, losing by less than 2 percentage points in a district with a modeled GOP share of 55.6%, according to the year analysis by Marquette University Lubar Center researcher John Johnson.

    The new legislative maps cut that tilt to 53 percent, raising questions from Republicans and excitement from Democrats about whether the seat would flip parties under the new maps.

    Stroebel’s and Habush Sinykin’s platforms they agreed on reducing costs with specific tax cuts, but differed on several other key issues for voters, such as reproductive health care freedoms and funding levels for schools, local governments and environmental issues.

    Habush Sinykin, an environmental lawyer, has focused his campaign on reproductive health care freedoms and increased investment in education and local government.

    She also took jabs at Stroebel’s record, particularly his support for Wisconsin’s 1849 abortion ban, as well as his obstruction of millions in already-approved investments for education and addressing Wisconsin’s PFAS, or “substances chemicals forever,” while he was vice-chairman of the Joint Finance Committee responsible for the dispersal of these funds.

    Stroebel, who previously worked in real estate management and development in Cedarburg, focused his campaign on legislative victories achieved during his time in the state Senate, including support for Bipartisan $525 billion affordable housing package in 2023.

    He also expressed bipartisan support Shared Revenue Act of 2023which changed the common income formulas to stimulating funding to local administrations and especially repealed Wisconsin’s personal property taxa longtime target of Stroebel’s.

    Stroebel was technically the incumbent of Senate District 20, which he has held since 2015, but is running in District 8 due to redistricting.

    The new district added Port Washington, more of Grafton, and excluded parts of the old district west of Menomonee Falls. Also includes Whitefish Bay, Fox Point, River Hills and Bayside in Milwaukee County; Mequon, Cedarburg and Thiensville in Ozaukee County; Butler, Lannon and Menomonee Falls in Waukesha County; and Germantown in Washington County.

    Habush Sinykin, an attorney, ran for the 8th District seat in the 2023 special election, losing to Republican incumbent Dan Knodl. Knodl occupied the 24th seat of the District Assembly on 5 November.

    The two candidates are also locked in a legal battle over ads aired by Habush Sinykin claiming that Stroebel does not support access to IVF and contraception, which he denies.

    Race too broke the records of electoral expenses in Wisconsin.

    By mid-October, it was already the most expensive state legislative race in Wisconsin history, according to the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign.

    Senate Democratic Leader Dianne Hesselbein released a statement welcoming Habush Sinykin to the legislature.

    “Jodi and her team ran an incredible campaign focusing on the values ​​and ideas of Senate District 8 voters. As an underdog, she didn’t shy away from the hard work needed to win this race,” said Hesselbein.

    “Jodi’s deep community ties, thoughtful decision-making and experience as an attorney will allow her to effectively legislate for the needs of this community.”

    Contact Claudia Levens at [email protected]. Follow X at @levensc13.

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