l.-r.: Sheila Stubbs, Shabnam Lofti, John Imes, Mark Garthwaite.
On Feb. 2, Rep. Terese Berceau (D-Madison) broke the news to Wispolitics.com that she was retiring after two decades in the state Legislature. That same day, veteran Dane County Supv. Shelia Stubbs announced she was running to replace Berceau. By Valentine’s Day, 35 elected officials had endorsed Stubbs — including Berceau.
“Shelia Stubbs will serve the people of the 77th District well,” said Berceau in a Feb. 13 press release from the Stubbs campaign. “She understands complex policy issues, she has strong progressive values, and she’s a fighter for what’s right. She has my enthusiastic support.”
Two months later, three other Democrats jumped into the race: Wisconsin Brewers Guild director Mark Garthwaite; Wisconsin Environmental Initiative director John Imes; and immigration attorney Shabnam Lotfi. They’ll compete against Stubbs in the Aug. 14 primary. The district includes much of the west and south sides of Madison, Shorewood Hills, Waunona and most of the UW-Madison campus.
Michael Basford, chair of the Democratic Party of Dane County, endorsed Stubbs long before the other Democrats announced that they were running for the open seat.
“For years, I’ve told Shelia she would be a fine candidate for higher office someday,” says Basford. “If there was ever an opportunity, this is it and she went right for it.”
Imes says it’s a privilege to run against a well-qualified candidate like Stubbs. But he’s also surprised that so many local Democrats endorsed her before other candidates had a chance to throw their hat into the ring.
“I heard Rep. Berceau was retiring. I went to a big sustainable conference in Arizona over that weekend. By the time I got back, 30 or 40 Dems had already endorsed Stubbs — many of whom I consider friends and colleagues,” says Imes. “Clearly, it’s part of their strategy and I totally understand that. But that also didn’t stop me from knocking on 1,200 doors in three weeks while collecting signatures and meeting people. Voters in the district deserve a real vigorous campaign. That’s one of the reasons I got in.”
Garthwaite says local Democrats “obviously” view Stubbs as Berceau’s heir apparent. But he’s troubled by what happened during the 2016 presidential primary. Despite having the endorsement of nearly all the local Democrats, Hillary Clinton lost Dane County in the presidential primary to Bernie Sanders by 25 points.
“Arguably, the most qualified presidential candidate in history couldn’t even win the primary in the 77th district,” says Garthwaite. “Voters just don’t like being told who to vote for. I don’t have any issues with any of the candidates in this race. But it’s a lesson we must learn.”
Lotfi agrees that voters deserve a choice.
“I do not believe that legislators should select your next representative,” says Lotfi. “This is going to a competitive race and that’s a good thing.”
Lotfi has received the endorsement of Madison Mayor Paul Soglin and Madison Common Council President Samba Baldeh. Imes is being backed by former Assembly Speaker and UW Regent Tom Loftus.
Stubbs’ list of supporters has continued to balloon since she launched her campaign. She now counts among her supporters U.S. Rep Mark Pocan, over half of the Dane County Board, former Dane County Exec. Kathleen Falk and state Sens. Mark Miller and Jon Erpenbach. Five state representatives from the Madison area are also backing Stubbs, including Reps. Chris Taylor, Melissa Sargent, Lisa Subeck and Dianne Hesselbein.
Stubbs says she was approached by “many community leaders and elected officials” to run for Berceau’s seat. She also expected competition.
“Over 55 former and current elected officials, they know firsthand what it’s like to be a policy maker and what it takes to get policy passed,” says Stubbs. “They know what I can do: get results.”
Basford says you can’t fault Stubbs for being popular.
“Sheila has an excellent track record of representing her district on the county board. She’s a proven progressive leader. She has more legislative experience than all her opponents combined,” says Basford, who adds that there isn’t “some machinery that selects who’s going to take over an office.
“It’s a free country. The party doesn’t tell people not to run. We got three other people who jumped in and that’s just fine. When there is an open seat for the first time in 20 years, I think it’s absurd to assume that someone could just waltz into office like that.”
Without the four-way Democratic race in Berceau’s district, the Dane County assembly races would be very boring indeed. Six incumbent Democrats face no opponent whatsoever. Typically, the majority of state representatives from Dane County are re-elected without running against a Republican opponent. But there are usually a few sacrificial lambs willing to fly the GOP banner. Taylor (D-Madison) — who represents Madison’s isthmus — had a Republican challenger in 2016. So did Hesselbein (D-Middleton).
“[The GOP] has completely written off huge chunks of the state and ceded them to the Democratic Party,” says Basford. “We’re certainly on the offense and they are playing defense in their strongholds. We are looking for a big turnout in November regardless of the competition, even if there isn’t opposition in some of these races.”
Unlike past elections, no Madison lawmaker faces a third-party challenger, either.
Cracking the GOP’s nearly two-thirds majority in the Assembly is unlikely but Dems aren’t giving up without a fight. They are running candidates in 91 of Wisconsin’s 99 assembly districts. Republicans only fielded candidates in 68 districts — eight fewer than in 2014.
Scott Grabins, chair of the Republican Party of Dane County, says he just couldn’t find anyone to run this cycle.
“There’s no particular reason. We are always looking for candidates. Sometimes we are able to find them. And sometimes the time isn’t right for individuals who may be interested in running,” Grabins says. “I’m focused on how to drive up Republican turnout. We got plenty to vote for in November. Our efforts will be consistent to the past in terms of voter outreach.”
Since contested (and controversial) district maps were drawn by Republicans in 2011, the GOP has run candidates in around 73 percent of Assembly races. That’s dropped to 69 percent this year. The number of Democrats competing in legislative races has been less consistent. In 2012, Dems were on the ballot in 95 districts — even more than this upcoming election. Two years later, Democrats vied for just 73 seats.
Republicans are also sitting out of one of Wisconsin’s eight Congressional races. Pocan, a three-term incumbent, is the sole candidate on the ballot in the 2nd Congressional District. Republicans have lost by huge margins against him. Even so, any name with an “R” after it would have likely received more than 100,000 votes.
“They couldn’t scrap somebody out from under a rock to run against Pocan? Nobody! If I was Scott Grabins, I would be a candidate for Congress right now,” says Basford. “This is unheard of. I’ve lived in the 2nd Congressional for 45 years— there has always been a Republican candidate. Maybe they have decided — just like they did with the [Dane] County Board — to give up.”
Republicans have given up on Berceau’s district, too. The winner of the four-way Democratic primary won’t face an opponent during the general election on Nov. 6.
Candidate: Shelia Stubbs
Current job: Dane County Supervisor
Sheila Stubbs has represented the south side of Madison on the Dane County Board since 2006. She’s the only African American on the board and the only black woman running for the state Assembly this year.
“In Dane County, we’ve never elected a person of color to state government. It’s a missing voice. And I’m here to say that my voice should be heard!” says Stubbs, a former probation and parole officer. “I’m working hard that I’ll be in the room, at the table, and continue to be a policy maker.”
Stubbs grew up in Beloit in a politically active household. Her mother, Linda Hoskins, is the former president of the Madison chapter of the NAACP. Walter Knight, Stubbs’ uncle, served on Beloit’s city council as well as its police and fire commission.
As a county supervisor, Stubbs says she’s been a leader in combating racial disparities and reforming the criminal justice system. She lists working to establish a restorative justice court and a plan to increase racial equity in Dane County as recent policy accomplishments.
“Let’s talk about Dane County. It’s the worst county in the world for an African American to work or live. It’s daunting. It’s unacceptable. And it’s embarrassing. We know that the Wisconsin criminal justice system needs to be interrupted,” says Stubbs. “We need to invest more in our public education system and our university system. The Department of Corrections has the higher budget. Should our priorities really be in corrections?”
Unlike the lopsidedly-liberal Dane County Board, Republicans have held an iron grip on the Wisconsin Assembly since Walker and the GOP were elected during the tea party wave of 2010. Stubbs says she intends to find common ground across the aisle regardless of which party controls the statehouse.
“Even if Democrats are in the minority, we must still stand up for our values and beliefs. We must be bold in putting forth our ideas and solutions,” says Stubbs. “I have a proven track record of doing that.”
Candidate: Mark Garthwaite
Current job: Director of the Wisconsin Brewers Guild
Mark Garthwaite says he’s seen how the levers of power can be pulled as a lobbyist for the state’s craft brewing industry. In Wisconsin, beer is not a partisan issue and he’s worked with both parties on legislation. However, Garthwaite points to Gov. Scott Walker’s unprecedented aid package for the Taiwanese manufacturer Foxconn as evidence that state government isn’t supporting its own.
“I represent small businesses that have deep roots in their community and that have created a homegrown industry from the bottom up. So here we are now, pouring $4.5 billion into a foreign corporation with no ties to the state and we are left holding the bag,” says Garthwaite. “It’s deeply and profoundly unfair. That bothers me.”
Garthwaite grew up on a dairy farm in western Wisconsin. If elected, he’ll be the second member of his family to serve in the Legislature. His brother Phil, also a Democrat, represented a rural district in Grant County for two terms in the mid-aughts. Garthwaite fashions himself, politically, as a “Chris Taylor-styled Democrat.” But he says he’ll take a different approach than other Madison lawmakers because of his brother’s time in office.
“Phil suffered brutal personal attacks because he was aligned with Madison Democrats. The easiest thing for Republicans to do in rural districts is point to Madison as the problem,” says Garthwaite. “And sometimes [Democrats] make it easier for Republicans to win. Now, it’s hard to articulate exactly why, but I’m sensitive to this and know how to bridge the divide.”
Garthwaite has headed the Wisconsin Brewers Guild for four years. Before that, he was a biomedical research specialist for the UW-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health for 17 years. He says his background in science is needed at the Capitol.
“The 77th district is home to one of the world’s largest research institutions. The Assembly committee on science and technology doesn’t have a member with any kind of research background. The Legislature, in general, is wholly lacking people with a science background,” says Garthwaite. “It’s troubling to me that we live in a world where we aren’t respecting science. That was a motivator for me to jump into this race.”
Candidate: John Imes
Current job: Director of the Wisconsin Environmental Initiative
John Imes says he’s positioning himself as the “high-road candidate with high-road policies.” He says Wisconsin has “lost its soul” under Republican leadership.
“We’ve been a low-road state with policies that favor well-connected interests over the environment, workers and communities,” says Imes. “I’m running to repeal and replace that.”
For two decades, Imes has advocated for a “green and growing” economy as director of the Wisconsin Environmental Initiative. Imes fondly recalls when Rep. Spencer Black — known for his record of passing environmental protection laws — represented the 77th. The district lines have shifted since Black retired in 2010 after 26 years in office. However, Imes intends to pick up where Black left off.
“There’s a strong tradition of environmental leadership in the district that’s important to the entire state,” says Imes. “I have the experience and background to move that forward and believe I’m the most qualified candidate to do it.”
Imes says bolstering the state’s technical college and university systems will also be a top priority if he’s elected.
Imes and his wife, Cathie, are founders of the Arbor House, “an environmental inn” on Monroe Street. Imes has also served as a board trustee for the village of Shorewood Hills since 2012. He says his experience as a nonprofit leader, small business owner and elected official is a trifecta that sets him apart in the four-way primary race.
“I think I’m going to be more effective in terms of my engagement with some Republicans. Whether it’s the economy, the environment or the UW system, it’s crucial we get there,” says Imes. He adds that even if a “blue wave” hits Wisconsin in November, Democrats will still need to reach across the aisle to pass legislation.
“The [Legislature] isn’t the Dane County Board. The board has just one conservative out of 37 seats. Whatever is on the agenda passes. The Legislature is a totally different place and the district deserves really strong representation.”
Candidate: Shabnam Lotfi
Current job: Immigration attorney
Shabnam Lotfi moved to Madison in 2007 to attend University of Wisconsin Law School. Born in Tehran during the Iran-Iraq war, her family immigrated to the United States when she was 4 years old. Lotfi has spent the last four years helping foreign nationals — mostly with professional or academic ties to the UW-Madison — obtain green cards, visas and permanent resident status.
“I came to Madison because of the university. My husband came to Madison — from across the world — to come to this university. The UW is a world-class institution that competes against MTI, Carnegie Mellon and Purdue. We want to keep it that way,” says Lotfi. “The Walker administration has cut funding to the UW and I worry about us losing our professors. We’re losing talent.”
After President Donald Trump signed his first executive order — the so-called Muslim travel ban — Lotfi started an organization called Immigrants United. Within a week, the group had 10,000 members. The group mobilized opposition against the travel ban and helped connect travelers affected by the ban to ACLU attorneys. In March, Lotfi (on behalf of Immigrants United) sued the Trump Administration in federal court over the implementation of the executive order. She’s expecting a response from the government over the lawsuit soon.
Lotfi says she’s always wanted to “fight for justice.”
“Now that I’m running for public office, I’m thinking why didn’t I do this sooner? This really, truly, is the highest expression of my soul,” says Lotfi. “There is nothing I enjoy more than fighting for people and fighting for our democracy.”
If elected, Lotfi would be the first Muslim elected to the Legislature. She says her worldly background has uniquely prepared her to find compromise even with people she strongly disagrees with.
“How do I speak in a way that that person can hear me? There are so many obstacles to communication. I’ve, painfully, learned these skills throughout my entire life… But first thing I would do if elected is meet with all the Republicans individually,” says Lotfi. “Let’s have coffee. Let’s have lunch. Let’s get to know each other as people. Look at me as a person with shared values and let’s build a relationship before we do business. So you don’t look at me as the enemy across the aisle.”
