Second Democratic candidate declares bid for 96th Assembly District seat

VIROQUA, Wis. (WLCX) – A second Democratic candidate for the 96th Assembly District has declared their intention to run.

Steve Campbell, who owns an assisted living facility in Viroqua, as well as Viroqua Variety on Main Street, is running for the seat currently held by Republican Loren Oldenburg.

“With all the partisan gridlock slowing progress in our state, it sometimes feels as though our elected officials have forgotten who they work for,” Campbell said. “I intend to go to Madison and remind them.”

Campbell is a member of the Viroqua Chamber of Commerce Board and is on the Sign Design Review Board for the City of Viroqua. Campbell said in his campaign announcement that his platform includes advocating for affordable housing, childcare options, economic development, public school funding, women’s rights, healthcare issues, and supporting agriculture.

Campbell will try to unseat three-term Republican Loren Oldenburg, who announced last month he was seeking re-election. Oldenburg, who lives in Viroqua, said he was eager to continue the work he has started in the legislature in his first six years in office.

“It’s an honor and a privilege to have been elected to serve my community in the Coulee region these past 6 years,” Oldenburg said. “I’m proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish this session; however, there’s still more to do.”

To get to the General Election, Campbell will be running in a Democratic Primary against former La Crosse County Board chair and Congressional candidate Tara Johnson, the first candidate to announce a run for the 96th District.

Unlike Campbell, Johnson specifically mentioned Oldenburg in her campaign announcement, calling him a “rubber stamp for Robin Vos and his extremist agenda.” Johnson spent 20 years on the La Crosse County Board.

The 96th District covers nearly all of Vernon County and the southern part of La Crosse County post-redistricting. Before the new maps, the 96th included most of Vernon and all of Crawford counties as well as parts of Monroe County.

The 2024 Fall Primary is on Aug. 13, while the 2024 General Election will be held on Nov. 5.

To find your voter registration status, see a sample ballot, or look up your voter information, you can visit MyVote Wisconsin.

For information on Wisconsin’s elections, you can visit the Wisconsin Elections Commission. You can also see who has registered to run in different races and see candidate nomination paperwork.