AD 98 Primary: Pridemore (R), Piwowarczyk (R), Schmechel (D)

The 98th Assembly District includes portions of Hartford, Richfield, Germantown, Erin, Merton, Lisbon, and Sussex and is a expected 71% Republican stronghold district that attracts two Republicans and forces a primary battle.

Del Schmechel (D-Hubertus) does not have much public information about his campaign, let alone his stance on cannabis reform so I will check back after the primary on this Democratic challenger. He did make his signature requirements and will be on the ballot.

Don Pridemore (R-Hartford)

Pridemore was a Senate District 13 early bird candidate in 2021 after Scott Fitzgerald went to congress. He was initially sort of luke warm to medical cannabis for Wisconsin.

The Pridemore campaign did contact me in 2021 to definitely let me know their opposition to “recreational marijuana”. I prefer the term adult use cannabis and after a few messages about the issue, I followed up with his campaign with a link to the 2019-2020 Wisconsin Senate Bill 507, the bi-partisan medical marijuana that allowed home / caregiver growing and allowed use of smoking products and asked if that is the type of legislation he would support. I will let you know if he answers.

Pridemore, 77, served in the state Assembly from 2005 to 2015 when he retired. He has not authored or co-sponsored legislation on marijuana while in office. He made some news in 2007 when proposing a resolution limiting state officials to a dozen consecutive years in the same office.

Pridemore was also a candidate for the nonpartisan statewide position of Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction in 2013. The incumbent was none other than now Governor Tony Evers. His Ballotpedia entry lists his biography as holding a degree in electrical engineering from Marquette University. He served in the United States Air Force and has worked as an electronics design engineer, electronics research technician, and senior electronics project engineer. He did not win against Evers in 2013 and I did not hear his name again until 2021.

The Wisconsin Elections Commission on Jan 15th, 2021 voted to allow on the ballot of Pridemore, former lawmaker running for a vacancy in the state Senate, rejecting a challenge that he doesn’t live in the district.

Former state Rep. Don Pridemore, a Republican, filed to run for an April 6, 2021 special election to fill the state Senate seat that is vacant due to Scott Fitzgerald’s election to Congress. But Pridemore’s filing was challenged by someone who alleges the Hartford address Pridemore put on his nomination papers is not where he actually lives. The complaint alleged that Pridemore lives outside of the Senate district.

Pridemore told the elections commission that the address on his nomination papers is an apartment that he rents in the Senate district. He provided a copy of his rental lease.

The commission, split evenly between Republicans and Democrats, voted unanimously to allow Pridemore to be on the ballot.

Pridemore for Assembly Facebook Page

Vs

Jim Piwowarczyk (R-Hubertus)

His about page of his campaign website has a contact section has an option to “Go Fishing with Jim”. Interesting approach and we will see what he has to say about his stance on marijuana reform. 20 years combined of law enforcement experience. CoFounder/Editor of Wisconsin Right Now. Campaign facebook page contacted on 6/17

Stay tuned and get active!

I will provide you additional 2024 Wisconsin State Election coverage throughout the campaign season. This next election is extremely important for marijuana reform and I will continue to bring you information as more candidates make their political moves.

In the event that we end up with divided government in the 2024-25 legislation session, the official formation of The Wisconsin Cannabis Caucus would be a must first step towards reform. The official establishment of this Caucus will represent the growing, bipartisan support in Wisconsin.

Although session as ended we still urge you to contact your elected officials. The top four action alerts are still functionable on The Wisconsin Cannabis Activist Action Network for you immediate use.

Sources: CNanalysis, WisPolitics, Davesredistircing, PeoplesMaps, WEC Candidate Tracking