AD 85: Patrick Snyder (R) vs Yee Leng Xiong (D)

The 85th Assembly District of Wisconsin is located in north-central Wisconsin, the district is entirely contained within Marathon County. It includes the city of Wausau and the village of Weston.

The Wausau and Weston area is on high alert for this election cycle. The 2024 map changes tighten up this district and make it competitive. The Ballotpedia comparison maps shows the new lines well and well, Schofield is not in the new 85th District.

The new 85th Assembly District looks to be a toss up to some experts with more conservative projections showing a slight lean to the GOP. There is no doubt though that this race is listed and being watched as highly competitive.

Schofield is “home” to Republican Patrick Snyder, or at least it was. The redistricting process has not only drawn Schofield out of the 85th district by including Schofield in the new 87th district boundaries, but the voting dynamics of this are are also changing in the 85th. Snyder must really like Wausau to give up being the Incumbent in the 87th and an almost assured victory to give up his life long home to run in a competitive race. I doubt he will move before the election and if he wins he might need a roommate in the Wausau area if anyone is interested?

Rep. Pat Snyder, R-Schofield, told WisPolitics he’s going to run for the 85th that he’s represented since his 2016 election after being drawn into the 87th AD he will move. He made that decision though he’s the only incumbent in the new district, which is more Republican than his old seat. Snyder said he’s “going to get an apartment or something” to establish residency in the redrawn 85th that’s now a 52.6% GOP seat. The new 87th is a 64% GOP seat.

Snyder on Marijuana

2018: I am not open to recreational marijuana after talking with the Marathon County Health Department and the AODA about the harmful effects it could have on our community. I’m concerned about the negative impacts, especially on our youth, some prompted by studies I read from Colorado and California which have legalized recreational marijuana.

2018: I’m very open to medical marijuana for patients in need. I believe it should be prescribed by a doctor like other medications. I hope the federal government declassifies it to a schedule II drug so that our universities can do medical research to help create FDA-approved drugs.

2018: I am open to discuss legalizing medical marijuana. I’ve talked with physicians and two of our county judges to hear their opinions. I see the benefits for those suffering from severe conditions that this would aid. I would like legislation that would control it like other medical prescriptions.

2019: Snyder said he doesn’t like the idea of adding legalized recreational marijuana to what for some families can be an already tough situation because of alcohol. “As troubling as that is, if we suddenly introduce marijuana, how will that affect our kids? So, when it comes to recreational at this time, I would not be in favor of it.”

2019: Snyder agreed that the research has proven there are benefits to using the drug for medicinal purposes. “I’ve talked with physicians and even local judges about this. They see when it comes to relieving pain and helping people that are struggling, I’m all for it.”

Rep. Snyder was one of the lead authors in GOP attempts at writing medical marijuana legislation over the past few sessions. The 2023-24 bill was met with opposition from many fellow GOP Assembly Representatives as well as the Republican Senate.

Marathon County had a medical marijuana question referendum question on the 2018 ballot and 82% voted in support of medical marijuana. In 2019 Assembly Representative Patrick Snyder (R-Schofield) spring survey results were not surprising, as over 70% of his district supported medical marijuana. His survey results are not posted online.

Election time is a great opportunity to tell a legislator about what you care about and if you care about cannabis reform, you probably should tell Snyder he will not get your vote because of his stance.

I do not know if we count on him to protect the industrial hemp thc industry from a potential ban from Republicans.

His campaign is active on facebook and you should be also.

85th AD Challenger to Snyder

Yee Leng Xiong (D – Weston)

Xiong went on to win a seat on the Marathon County Board of Supervisors in 2016 and another on the Village of Weston Board of Trustees in 2018. He served two terms on the Village Board, and continues to serve on the school board and county board.

His campaign facebook page was contacted on April 24th and again on June 2nd, 2024 then we emailed the campaign on 8/9/2024 for his stance on cannabis reform.

There are 99 state Assembly seats and 16 state Senate seats on the ballot this November. The ACLU of Wisconsin sent a questionnaire to all candidates and published their answers on August 21st.

We are not surprised that he answered YES to the ACLU question: Do you support the legalization, regulation, and taxation of marijuana for recreational use by adults 21 and over in Wisconsin?

His campaign will be holding events over the next months and we encourage voters in the district to let the candidate know their feelings about how important it is to support legalization as a candidate in this district.

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 (Toss-Up +0) WisPolitics /2024 Assembly Races (52% Rep), Davesredistircing, PeoplesMaps, Ballotpedia