In Milwaukee’s North Shore Suburbs, A Democratic Assembly Campaign is Making Waves

For years, Whitefish Bay mom Deb Andraca spent her weekdays as a substitute teacher at local elementary schools and rode bikes with her husband Marc along Lake Michigan. In December 2019, Andraca faced an unexpected career change when she announced her candidacy as a Democrat for a long-held Republican seat in the Wisconsin State Assembly.

On Nov. 3, voters will decide if Andraca is going to represent them after a historic race for the state legislature that has made waves throughout Milwaukee’s North Shore suburbs.  

In 2018, Robyn Vining of Wauwatosa became the only Democrat that election cycle to flip a Republican-held seat in the State Assembly. This year, Democrats are hopeful that Vining’s 2018 win in Wauwatosa could translate to Andraca’s race in North Shore suburbs like Whitefish Bay, Mequon, and Grafton.  

Multiple factors play into a possible Andraca win or loss come November. The role special interests, statistics, and outside—and inside—money have contributed to Andraca’s growing momentum. The slogan, “for a safer, smarter, healthier Wisconsin,” adorns Andraca’s yards signs that sit alongside white picket fences and have been placed on well-trimmed grass throughout the sprawling legislative district. The way liberal-backed state Supreme Court candidate Jill Karofsky sailed to victory in suburbs of Milwaukee, including parts of the 23^rd District, this April could determine trends on Election Day.

For the first time in decades, Republicans—instead of Democrats—are playing defense in the suburbs of Milwaukee, that are infamous for determining the outcome of statewide elections.

Candidates like Andraca, Vining, Jacob Malinowski, Sara Rodriguez, and Emily Siegrist have run what multiple sources called “strong” campaigns—and raised record amounts of money—in areas that are traditionally held by Republicans.

For reference, Andraca raised the most of any Democratic State Assembly candidate this cycle. Andraca raised a record-breaking $234,532 this year alone—compared to her Republican opponent.

That opponent, state assemblyman Jim Ott who has served in the State Assembly since 2007, raised a little over $67,000 according to campaign finance reports from the Wisconsin Ethics Commission.

“The 23^rd District is a microcosm of what’s going on all around the country,” Andraca said. “Hillary Clinton won the 23^rd District [in 2016] and that’s what makes it very flippable.”   

In 2016, while Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton carried the 23^rd District, Ott coasted to re-election unopposed.  

But this time, things are different. Democrats have dominated in historically Republican-held seats since President Trump took office by capitalizing on issues suburban families tend to care about: healthcare, the climate, school safety, and education.  

“He’s a TV weatherman who doesn’t believe in climate change,” Andraca said, referring to Ott who was a longtime television meteorologist at WTMJ-4 before he became a state assemblyman in January 2007.  

Those words from Andraca have been echoed by her supporters on Facebook comment chains and were recently repeated [to me] during a phone conversation with Democratic Party of Milwaukee Chairman Chris Walton.  

Walton, who won the Milwaukee County Democrats chairmanship in 2017 shortly after President Trump took office, credited Andraca’s momentum with growth among diverse populations in the suburbs and growing displeasure with President Donald Trump’s behavior.  

“Trump has been a polarizing figure,” Walton said. “He’s already pushed the suburbs harder into the Democratic Party,” citing the 2018 midterm elections where Democrats flipped congressional seats in dozens of U.S. suburbs.  

Andraca is a member of Moms Demand Action, a gun safety lobbying group that rivals the National Rifle Association, that’s better known as The N.R.A. Andraca’s candidacy is inspired by Moms Demand Action founder Shannon Watts and moderate Georgia Congresswoman Lucy McBath, who flipped a congressional seat in the suburbs of Atlanta by 1 percentage point during the 2018 midterm elections.  

Andraca’s state legislative campaign aligns well with McBath’s agenda. The freshman congresswoman from Georgia, who lost her son Jordan to gun violence, has positioned herself as a moderate who abides by fiscal conservatism while remaining staunchly socially progressive. Andraca suggested that she has done the same.  

“It’s fiscally conservative, but socially progressive,” Andraca said referring to her Whitefish Bay neighborhood. “We have block parties and drink wine together.” 

This environment—of fiscal conservatism, social progressivism, and suburban camaraderie—is why Democrats, including Andraca herself, are hopeful about a win on Election Day. But not every Democrat—or Republican—voter in the suburbs agreed with Andraca’s criticism of Ott or her chances on Nov. 3^rd.  

Patty Reiman, a registered Republican and part-time volunteer with the North Shore Republicans, believed that split-ticket voting could contribute to a loss for Trump in the North Shore while Ott could sail to another victory. Split-ticket voting was prevalent in swing states during the 2018 midterm elections, but some media outlets believe it could become an American pastime.

“There could totally be somebody voting for Jim Ott who’s not going to vote for Donald Trump,” Reiman said. “I think there could be a lot of people who split the ticket and I think that’s what the North Shore does—they’re well educated and study the issues.” 

For reference, Ott grew up in Milwaukee, Wis. while Andraca spent her childhood in Pennsylvania and moved to the area 17 years ago after her husband got a job at energy company Johnson Controls.

Reiman, who has lived in Milwaukee’s North Shore her entire life besides a stint in college, cited both candidates’ roots in the district as she critiqued Andraca’s candidacy.

“Yes, Deb lives here [in the North Shore] but I haven’t seen her and I don’t even know what her resume shows,” Reiman said, citing suburban transplants from the East Coast and California. “A lot of individuals have moved into the North Shore that are not born and raised in the North Shore.” 

Reiman’s observation, about Andraca’s roots in the district, is reminiscent of talking points from volunteers and candidates on congressional and state legislative campaigns around the country.  

For example, in a race for a congressional seat in the suburbs of Dallas, Texas, Republican candidate Genevieve Collins released an ad “100% Texan” where she criticized the Democratic incumbent by proclaiming “you gotta be from here.” In a race for a U.S. House seat in Nebraska that includes suburbs of Lincoln, Democratic State Senator Kate Bolz suggested that her opponent, the Republican incumbent, wouldn’t understand Nebraska in a campaign ad because he’s not from there before declaring “Washington is nothing like Nebraska.” 

Katie Weber, a Whitefish Bay mom who owns a home with her husband on the affluent Lake Drive and belongs to the liberal-leaning Facebook group Northshore Huddle -We March On, argued that Democrats have room to grow in the North Shore suburbs.  

“This election is not so much about policy as it is about democracy,” Weber said. “Because of this, I feel Biden is helping Deb Andraca more than the other way around.”  

Weber, who considers herself a hard-line Democrat, also believed down-ballot effects from the presidential race between President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden could  either hurt—or help—Andraca’s chances at capturing the 23^rd District seat.  

“For the most part, I am voting for Deb Andraca because I vote along party lines,” Weber said  as she analyzes the probability of a Democratic win through different municipalities. “I am  uncertain whether she will win given the district and please know, I have not read one poll on this—this is just my gut feeling.” 

These days, a lot of folks on the North Shore have gut feelings about November 3^rd—on Election night, they’ll learn whether to trust their own.