The 96th AD Dem primary shows Steve Campbell of Viroqua and Tara Johnson of La Crosse splitting on abortion access and transgender athletes in girls sports.
Campbell owns an assisted living business and variety store in downtown Viroqua. Johnson has served on the La Crosse County Board for 20 years and is the former executive director of United Way of La Crosse. Johnson ran unsuccessfully for state Senate in 2000, and Campbell has never run for office.
Johnson, 62, and Campbell, 51, spoke to WisPolitics about their platforms.
The winner of the primary will face incumbent Rep. Loren Oldenburg, R-Viroqua, who is running unopposed. The 96th AD includes all of Vernon County and part of southwest La Crosse County and is 56% Dem.
On the issue of abortion, Johnson knocked incumbent Oldenburg for his anti-abortion stance. Johnson said the issue is personal to her because she got an abortion in her twenties. Johnson said she sees abortion as health care.
“My husband and I are the parents of a 27-year-old son and a 25-year-old daughter, and they have fewer rights than I did when I was their age,” Johnson said. “That is really unconscionable to me. I think it is so draconian and wrong.”
Campbell said medical professionals have told him babies are viable after 20 weeks, so he supports keeping Wisconsin’s current 20-week ban. Campbell added he would strongly support abortion to save the life of the mother.
“The idea of abortion is a last resort,” Campbell said. “[The parents] know they cannot provide care for this child, or, even worse, the mother is facing a life-ending possibility simply because of the pregnancy.”
The GOP controlled Legislature has passed several bills seeking to ban transgender athletes from playing girls sports, but Dem Gov. Tony Evers has vetoed those efforts. Johnson said she supports Evers’ vetoes.
“I am very proud of Gov. Evers for using the tools he has as the governor from the executive branch in preventing, really mean-spirited, ill-informed legislation from making it into law,” Johnson said.
Campbell did not directly say whether he supports or opposes a ban on transgender athletes playing girls sports. He said it is an extremely complicated issue, and the goal in public education is to “serve the greater number of all the individuals” in the school.
“But we also need to maintain the rights of that trans person, and how to make that work is a complicated issue that needs a lot of discussion,” Campbell said. “These athletes need to have a voice in all the decisions that are made in our state. We need to be speaking with the people who are actually living these experiences.”
In addition:
- Both candidates support full legalization of marijuana.
- Both candidates support Evers’ vetoes of GOP efforts to reduce or eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion positions in state government, including at the Universities of Wisconsin.
This is a continuation of a series of WisPolitics interviews with Assembly primary candidates. The primary is Tuesday.
