Meet the candidates running for Wisconsin’s 69th Assembly District seat

Republican Karen Hurd, Democrat Roger Halls and Independent Joshua Kelly are running in the Nov. 5 election to represent Wisconsin’s 69th Assembly District.

The 69th Assembly District will elect a new representative as Republican Karen Hurd, Democrat Roger Halls and Independent Joshua Kelly compete for votes in the Nov. 5 general election.

The 69th Assembly District covers the cities of Medford, Neillsville, Abbotsford and Colby and the village Weston. The district lost the cities of Marshfield and Black River Falls and portions of Marathon and Jackson counties following the 2023 redistricting process.

Wisconsin State Assembly representatives serve two-year terms. Republican Donna Rozar has represented the district in two terms since 2021 but filed for noncandidacy as her residence is no longer in the district.

To learn more about registering to vote and to find your polling place, visit the My Vote Wisconsin website.

USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin asked each of the candidates to address important issues in the district and why they are running for the position.

Roger Halls

Residence: Stanley

Age: 45

Occupation and education: I work in information technology for a medium-sized business. I have some college experience and currently attend Fox Valley Technical College for cyber security

Relevant experience: I sat on the City Council of Stanley for six years. I served four years active duty in the U.S. Army. I strongly believe in giving back to the community by working with Children’s Miracle Network, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwestern Wisconsin, and Wisconsin Father’s for Children and Families.

Campaign website/Facebook page: hallsforwi.com and Halls for Wisconsin on Facebook

Karen Hurd

Residence: Town of Withee

Age: 66

Occupation and education: Nutritionist. Truman State University, Kirksville, Missouri, bachelor’s degree in Spanish, May 1980; Huntington’s College of Health Sciences, Knoxville, Kentucky, diploma of comprehensive nutrition, May 1994 and reaffirmed through testing September 2014; University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, certificate in Grant Writing and Management, June 2007; University of Saint Joseph, West Hartford, Connecticut, master’s degree in biochemistry, December 2017; The George Washington University, Washington, D.C., Master of Public Health degree, August 2024.

Relevant experience: Representative to the Wisconsin State Assembly 68^th District, elected in 2022 and currently serving. Village of Fall Creek Trustee from 2021-2024.

Campaign website: www.karenhurdforassembly.com

Joshua Kelly

Residence: Greenwood

Age: 42

Occupation and education: Stainless pipefitter, computer information systems

Relevant experience: I have no relevant experience besides being a voter myself. That being said, with my business I work with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Farm Service Agency and work hand in hand with other state agencies.

Why are you running for office?

Halls: As a father of three girls, and with family in the LGBTQ+ community, I believe their rights are being stripped away. With the Dobbs decision and 24 anti-LGBTQ bills brought up, I want those communities and my family to know they have people fighting for them. I would also like to see our communities flourish and our small businesses succeed, to do that, we need to expand child care, fully fund our schools, expand education, expand on rural broadband, and keep health care in our rural communities. All of these areas are either under attack, not appropriately funded or just ignored.

Hurd: To serve the people of Wisconsin by lowering taxes, prohibiting illegal immigrants from invading our country, making government smaller, giving local control back to the towns, villages and cities, making government fiscally responsible, reducing regulations, bringing down inflation and fixing the economy. I have seen the need for proven conservative leadership in our government.

Kelly: I would never let anyone do for me what I cannot do for myself, and if no one is going to fix these issues then I will just run and do what needs to be done myself.

What makes you the better candidate in this race?

Halls: I moved to Stanley after leaving the Army as a decorated two-tour Afghanistan/Iraq veteran with a Bronze Star. I’ve seen many places, but Wisconsin has always been my favorite. I want my home to thrive and succeed. I realize not everyone has the same story, life experiences and beliefs, but that is what makes us special. All I want is for people to have a happy, fulfilling life and even if that is currently out of reach for many Wisconsinites, I hope to change that. I will bring my open mind, empathy, compassion and humanity to the Wisconsin Assembly.

Hurd: My experience in local and state government, my work experience as a small business owner, as well as the time I spent in the U.S. Army. My ability to communicate both with constituents so that I might represent their thoughts on issues as well as fellow lawmakers in accomplishing my constituents’ desires.

Kelly: I am from where I run from and did not have to change my residency or change where I vote to do so just because I thought I might have a better chance of winning. I feel that I have the best interests in mind for my community. I feel that I am a good representation of the people who live here and would work tirelessly. Move heaven and earth to get done what is needed to get done. For the people and by the people.

What is the most pressing issue facing Wisconsin, and how would you address it?

Halls: There are many pressing issues facing Wisconsin today. From price gouging in almost every market, rural and mental health, education costs, cost of living, child care and many more. With farmers at the very heart of Wisconsin, I think the biggest issue is our chemical contamination, PFAS or forever chemicals. Cancer is more prevalent in areas of high contamination, and plant and animal contamination or death is more frequent. A healthy Wisconsin is more prosperous. There are companies that knew their product was dangerous and continued to push it for profit; they should be footing the bill for cleaning it up.

Hurd: The economy. Lowering taxes is one of the best ways to help the economy. The less taxes a person pays allows them more money to spend as they choose. That money will be spent on purchasing products or services, which then creates more demand for the product or service, which then stimulates the business to supply that demand, which means the business can grow − and compensate employees more/hire additional employees to facilitate that growth, which then gives those employees more money in their pocket so that they can purchase products or services − and the circle repeats thereby creating a healthy economy.

Kelly: The most pressing issue facing Wisconsin is the economy, and what I would do is lay the groundwork for a whole new industry in Wisconsin. One that brings new wealth to our state and our dying small towns. I would make all cannabis sold in the state of Wisconsin grown in the state of Wisconsin. I would mandate that it was grown in municipalities of less than 7,500 people. Unionize the whole industry and put a negative 2% tax on anything sold out of state. Anything sold here must be made here by Wisconsin-owned companies.  

What are residents telling you are their most important issues, and how would you address them?

Halls: This varies from community to community. All have grocery prices in the top 5. During COVID-19, supply lines got shut down. Demand was still high, but supply was low, so prices went up. Most supply lines have fully recovered, but prices have not gone down. Prices are still almost 21% higher than they were at the start of the pandemic; that is not how supply and demand work, that is how greed works. I would support legislation to stop price gouging and raise the minimum wage in Wisconsin.

Hurd: The economy, inflation, illegal immigration and high crime. These issues have to be addressed by lowering taxes, stopping illegal immigration and being tougher on crime.

Kelly: Residents are telling me about a wide array of issues that concern them from child care to lack of action in our government. What I would do to address these issues is to work both sides of the aisle. Get people to come together and work on what really needs to be done by compromise. Though we may be divided on how to solve problems. We should not be divided on the fact they still need to be solved, and if we cannot have a common discourse then we have all lost.

Residents of central Wisconsin are seeing increasing costs in necessary and everyday expenses such as housing, child care, groceries, health care and transportation. If elected, what will you do to help residents who are struggling to make ends meet?

Halls: I will work to expand affordable housing initiatives, promote zoning reforms and offer incentives for developers to build more affordable homes and apartments in central Wisconsin. I will advocate for increased state funding for child care subsidies and support the expansion of child care centers to make care more accessible and affordable for working families. I will push for Medicaid expansion and work to lower prescription drug costs, making health care more affordable and accessible for everyone. I will support policies that reduce price gouging on food and essential goods, including subsidies for local agriculture and supporting small businesses to keep costs down.

Hurd: Lower taxes. See answer above for how lowering taxes helps. Also, reducing government spending reduces inflation.

Kelly: I would like to bring good-paying jobs to our state, in the form of the cannabis industry. With no more than a 5% sales tax. Take .2% off the top and send it straight to the schools. Then take 2% and give it directly to the local municipalities from were it was grown or manufactured. A 2% portion would go to the state and the last .8% would go into a fund that would be distributed monthly to the people of Wisconsin. Anyone who makes less then $70,000 a year, with the people on the lower end receiving more than the top end on a bell curve model.

As costs have increased for individuals, so have the costs for our local units of government. Our local schools and technical colleges, municipalities and counties are limited in how much local tax levies can be raised. These limits were set decades ago and adjustments to them are rare and inadequate for matching increases in cost of living and inflation. If elected, what would you do at the state level to reduce the burden on local residents who have to consider levy limit referendums for school districts, public safety workers or large transportation projects so frequently in elections?

Halls: We can tie levy limits to inflation, allowing municipalities, counties and school districts to increase revenue as costs rise, reducing frequent referendums. Push for more funding for public education, transportation and public safety. Restoring support can ease the burden on taxpayers while maintaining essential services. Advocate for local control, allowing communities to decide their tax and spending without excessive state restrictions, ensuring resources are directed where they are most needed. Addressing these issues at the state level, we can reduce the reliance on levy limit referendums, help local governments better manage rising costs and ease the financial pressure on residents.

Hurd: In this last budget, we dramatically helped by increasing the shared revenue for all municipalities in the state. We also provided the municipalities with more general transportation aid (except for the towns as Governor Evers vetoed that increase using his partial veto power). We also made available $150 million for agricultural road improvement as well as continuing to fund the Local Road Improvement Program. We raised the per student cap by $325 per child for each year of the budget as well as increased funding substantially for categorical spending by schools. We will continue to work on funding for our roads, our municipalities and the students of Wisconsin.

Kelly: My answer for the last question addressed this.

Erik Pfantz covers local government and education in central Wisconsin for USA TODAY NETWORK – Wisconsin and values his background as a rural Wisconsinite. Contact him at epfantz@gannett.com.