State Rep. Mary Hubler, D-Rice Lake, announced Monday she will not seek re-election in the fall, making her one of 18 lawmakers who will be leaving their positions.
Rebekah Sweeney, spokesperson for Assembly Speaker Mike Sheridan, D-Janesville, confirmed that 15 Assembly members will not run for re-election this fall, including nine Republicans, five Democrats and the recently censured, lone independent, state Rep. Jeff Wood, I-Chippewa Falls.
In addition to the open Assembly seats, Tad Ottman, state Senate Minority Leader Scott Fitzgerald's chief of staff, confirmed that three senators, two Republicans and a Democrat will also not run for re-election.
Hubler recently gained attention for chairing the ethics committee that dealt with the disciplinary action against Wood for his multiple drunken driving convictions. Hubler also introduced a substitute amendment that called for Wood's censure rather than expulsion.
Both Wood and Hubler's seats could prove to be highly competitive along with three other Democratic seats, according to Republican Party of Wisconsin Communications Director Kristin Ruesch. Ruesch added that Wood's district tends to lean to the right.
""In a landscape that's currently tilting towards the GOP, the Dems are going to have some real trouble in their open seats,"" she said.
However, Nicholl Caruso, Assembly Democrat campaign committee executive director, noted that Obama won 53 percent of the vote in Wood's district, and said it could be a Democratic pickup.
According to Graeme Zielinski, Democratic Party of Wisconsin communications director, the election of U.S. Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass., has led Republicans to ""count a lot of chickens before they hatch.""
""When November comes, there will be a lot of smiles wiped off Republicans' faces,"" Zielinski said.
The filing deadlines and circulation of the nomination papers begins in June, Ottman said, so ""there could be more announcements in the next few weeks.""
