Wisconsin special election: Republican Paul Melotik wins Assembly seat
GRAFTON, Wis. - Republican Paul Melotik was elected to the Wisconsin Assembly during a special election Tuesday, July 18 for voters in Milwaukee's northern suburbs.
Republicans kept the seat they've long held.
The election touched all three "WOW" counties, including Grafton, Germantown and parts of Menomonee Falls and Mequon.
Wisconsin Assembly special election
It used to include a part of Milwaukee County, but under redistricting, that county was cut, and it became more Republican.
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In 2020, the Republican won by about three points.
In 2022, he won by 22 points.
Dan Knodl
Dan Knodl left the seat in May when he became a state senator, setting up Tuesday's special election.
The Republican candidate was Ozaukee County Supervisor Paul Melotik.
The Democratic candidate was retired engineer Bob Tatterson. He ran for this seat in 2022.
Melotik, the winner, could vote on whether to override Governor Tony Evers' partial veto of Republican tax cuts.
The Legislative Fiscal Bureau found that the average tax cut right now for those making $60,000 to $70,000 would be $44. Under the Republican plan, it would have been $249.
Paul Melotik
"I think it would have been pro-business, pro-growth, good for the economy, good for people to keep their own money, and like I said before, they can spend it better, more wisely than I think the government can," said Melotik.
"I’m an engineer, so I’m a natural problem-solver, so I can do the math and work through that we should see the majority of the surplus remaining should go back to the majority of the people, not the top 10% or 20% of taxpayers," said Tatterson.
On the eve of the election, the candidates also spoke out on Wisconsin's abortion ban.
Bob Tatterson
"They’ve had several opportunities in the last year to repeal this Draconian and archaic and, frankly, dangerous 1849 law that is hurting women," said Tatterson. "We don’t have to wait for the judicial system to take action in the Legislature, so I think that’s the first point of business."
"It’s in the courts right now," said Melotik. "I think we need to wait and decide and see what happens then. I don’t want to speculate too much. I mean, I’m pro-life. My opponent is pro-choice, and I think we need to wait right now and see where this goes in the courts."
Even with the Republican win, they're still two seats short of an Assembly supermajority. That means they'll need Democrats to help them override the governor's tax cut vetoes.