Wisconsin's 66th Assembly district explained

Image Caption:2024 map defined in
2022 map defined in Johnson v. Wisconsin Elections Commission
2011 map was defined in
Chamber:Assembly
State:Wisconsin
District:66
Representative:Greta Neubauer
Residence:Racine
Party:Democratic
Incumbentsince:January 27, 2018 (years)
Population:59,377
Population Year:2020
Voting Age:46,320
Percent White:65.5
Percent Black:16.93
Percent Hispanic:13.63
Percent Asian:2.26
Percent Native American:1.95
Percent Pacific Islander:0.12
Website:Official website
Notes:Southeast Wisconsin

The 66th Assembly District of Wisconsin is one of 99 districts in the Wisconsin State Assembly.[1] Located in southeast Wisconsin, the district comprises the southeast corner of Racine County, including the south side of the city of Racine, most of the village of Mount Pleasant, and the villages of Sturtevant and Elmwood Park. The district also contains Johnson Wax Headquarters, Regency Mall, and the Foxconn in Wisconsin campus.[2] The district is represented by Democratic minority leader Greta Neubauer, since January 2018.[3]

The 66th Assembly District is located within Wisconsin's 22nd Senate district, along with the 64th and 65th Assembly districts.[4]

History

The district was created in the 1972 redistricting act (1971 Wisc. Act 304) which first established the numbered district system, replacing the previous system which allocated districts to specific counties.[5] The 66th district was drawn somewhat in line with the former Kenosha County 2nd district (Kenosha County excluding most of the city of Kenosha), but removed southeastern Kenosha County and replaced it with a number of neighboring towns in central Racine County and eastern Walworth County.

Other than the 1982 redistricting, which temporarily scrambled State Assembly districts, the boundaries of the 66th district remained relatively consistent for the next 40 years (1972 - 2011), comprising most of Kenosha County with a rotating set of rural towns from Racine and Walworth counties. That changed in the controversial 2011 redistricting plan (2011 Wisc. Act 43) which moved the district entirely into the city of Racine in Racine County, in area previously represented by the 61st and 62nd Assembly districts. The previous territory covered by the 66th district was then split between the 61st, 63rd, and 64th Assembly districts.[6] [7] This was done as part of a broader gerrymander of the southeast Wisconsin districts to pack the majority of Racine and Kenosha Democratic votes into one state senate district.[8] This map was only slightly adjusted in the 2022 court-ordered redistricting plan. The 2024 redistricting plan shifted this district south, keeping just the southern third of the city of Racine and adding nearly all of the village of Mount Pleasant.

Notable former representatives of this district include Russell Olson, the 39th lieutenant governor of Wisconsin, Mary Wagner, who served as chief judge of the 2nd district of Wisconsin circuit courts, and Cory Mason, the 58th mayor of Racine, Wisconsin.

List of past representatives

List of representatives to the Wisconsin State Assembly from the 66th district!Member!Party!Residence!Counties represented!Term start!Term end!Ref.
District created
Rep.BassettKenosha, Racine, WalworthJanuary 1, 1973January 1, 1979
Dem.BrightonJanuary 1, 1979January 3, 1983
Rep.OconomowocWashington, WaukeshaJanuary 3, 1983January 7, 1985
Rep.BurlingtonKenosha, Racine, WalworthJanuary 7, 1985January 1, 2001
Rep.RandallKenosha, RacineJanuary 1, 2001 January 7, 2013
Dem.RacineRacineJanuary 7, 2013
--Vacant--January 27, 2018
Dem.RacineJanuary 27, 2018Current

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Assembly District 66 . . January 8, 2021 .
  2. Web site: Wisconsin Legislative Districts - Assembly District 66 Boundaries . . January 8, 2021 .
  3. Web site: Representative Greta Neubauer . . January 8, 2021.
  4. An Act ... relating to: legislative redistricting . Act . 94 . 2023 . . March 6, 2024 .
  5. The state of Wisconsin 1973 Blue Book . 1973 . State of Wisconsin . Theobald . H. Rupert . Robbins . Patricia V. . . Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau . https://images.library.wisc.edu/WI/EFacs/WIBlueBks/BlueBks/WIBlueBk1973/reference/wi.wibluebk1973.i0011.pdf . Legislature . 227–230 . January 22, 2021 .
  6. State of Wisconsin 2009-2010 Blue Book . Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau . 2009 . State of Wisconsin . Barish . Lawrence S. . Lemanski . Lynn . 978-0-9752820-3-8 . https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/misc/lrb/blue_book/2009_2010/200_biographies.pdf . Biographies . 60–63 . January 29, 2021 .
  7. State of Wisconsin Blue Book 2017-2018 . Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau . 2017 . State of Wisconsin . 978-0-9752820-9-0 . https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/misc/lrb/blue_book/2017_2018/040_state_legislature.pdf . State Legislature . 84–89 . January 29, 2021 .
  8. News: A look back at the 2011 gerrymander and what it tells us about the redistricting fight to come . . October 7, 2021 . Craig . Gilbert . Daphne . Chen . December 15, 2023 .