Longtime incumbent faces familiar opponent in La Crosse area rematch

Wisconsin Watch is previewing legislative races in toss-up districts ahead of the Nov. 5 election by focusing on key issues for voters and what candidates say they will do to address them.  

Education funding, health care access and housing affordability are key issues in the 94th Assembly District — a toss-up district in the La Crosse area that could help Republicans hold on to their Assembly majority if they can defeat a longtime Democratic incumbent.

The race pits seven-term Democratic Rep. Steve Doyle — once named the most bipartisan Assembly member — against GOP challenger Ryan Huebsch in a rematch from 2022.

Located in western Wisconsin, the district covers parts of La Crosse and Trempealeau counties, including small villages like Ettrick, Holmen and West Salem. It also includes the cities of Galesville and Onalaska and part of the city of La Crosse. 

A Wisconsin Watch analysis of past voting patterns suggests the district is now a toss-up. 

Under the old legislative maps in 2022, Doyle beat Huebsch by fewer than 800 votes. It was the most expensive Assembly race that year, with Doyle spending $1.14 million, Huebsch spending $551,000 and outside groups spending almost $400,000, according to the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, which tracks campaign spending.

But the 66-year-old incumbent still feels confident he can win. While the district looks a little different, he said it includes the “same general kind of folks” he has represented.

In 2020, the Legislative Reference Bureau found that Doyle — a La Crosse County Board member, attorney and former UW-La Crosse instructor — co-authored the most bipartisan bills during his time in office. 

His 29-year-old Republican challenger claims he will bring “fresh energy and common-sense ideas” to the Assembly. Huebsch was previously a legislative aide and campaign manager to three Republican state senators. He is now executive director of the Wisconsin Conservative Energy Forum. 

Huebsch is endorsed by the La Crosse County sheriff, Wisconsin Right to Life and the National Rifle Association. His father previously represented the 94th District for 16 years, including a term as Assembly speaker, and served in Gov. Scott Walker’s Cabinet.

Huebsch did not respond to Wisconsin Watch’s interview requests for this story.  

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel recently reported on several offensive social media posts Huebsch made when he was a teenager — one including an ethnic slur. He has since apologized and taken the posts down.

Doyle declined to comment on the discovery of Huebsch’s posts, but added people shouldn’t base their vote solely on that. Their choice should instead be based upon who they think could do a better job in office, he said.

With control of the Assembly on the line for both Democrats and Republicans, this race is being heavily targeted by both parties. Doyle has raised more than $600,000 so far this year, most of which came from the Assembly Democratic Campaign Committee. Huebsch has raised nearly $120,000 in that time, most of which came from the Republican Assembly Campaign Committee.

Education

Due to declining enrollment largely caused by declining birth rates, the La Crosse School District is facing a multimillion-dollar budget deficit. Fewer students mean shrinking state funding, and the Board of Education proposed a $53.5 million referendum to close and consolidate several schools in order to cut costs. 

Doyle said a housing shortage in La Crosse is also contributing to declining enrollment. Superintendent Aaron Engel agreed, adding that the area around the school district where housing for families with school-aged children can be built is limited and landlocked. 

Private school vouchers and open enrollment have also had a smaller impact on the school district’s declining enrollment, Engel said. 

Last year Doyle co-authored a bill that would have allowed public schools with failed referendums to benefit from the state’s increased revenue limits. That year, he also voted against a bill — passed as part of a compromise between Republican lawmakers and Democratic Gov. Tony Evers — that increased revenue ceilings for public schools and increased tax funding for private voucher schools at the same time. 

Doyle said that education should be decided locally but funded by the state and that pushing funding to referendum is the worst way to solve budget deficits. All schools need revenue and assistance from the state, and heavy costs shouldn’t be placed on property taxpayers, Doyle said. 

On education, Huebsch supports expanding private school voucher programs and is concerned about children in public schools being taught “the latest educational fad or social justice cause.” His campaign website says he will support policies that give parents oversight on how school funds are spent. 

Child care 

On the issue of child care accessibility, Doyle supports the Wisconsin Shares child care subsidy program, tax credits for child care workers and the Child Care Counts program, which has subsidized child care providers with hundreds of millions of dollars in federal COVID-19 relief funds. 

“We can solve a little bit of the problem at the county level, but it really is more of a state issue,” Doyle told Wisconsin Watch. “We have to make it worthwhile for people to go into and to stay in that profession.” 

In 2023, Doyle co-authored a bill that would have created a new child care payment program in addition to the Wisconsin Shares program. It also would have established grants for facilities that provide child care to their employees.

La Crosse County has lost more than 350 child care facilities in the last two decades, and hundreds more have closed across the state. 

Huebsch’s campaign site does not mention plans for child care but states he will vote to lower taxes on individuals.

---

---

Health care

The western Wisconsin region is experiencing a shortage of accessible health care in rural areas. Two hospitals and 19 clinics in the area closed this year, leaving thousands without local options for care. 

Doyle said this is just the beginning of rural hospital closures in the state, and Medicaid expansion is “an absolute necessity” but is only part of the solution. The state needs to create financial incentives for doctors to come to and stay at rural hospitals, Doyle said. 

In 2023, Doyle co-sponsored a bill that would have used federal funds to expand BadgerCare, the state’s Medicaid program for low-income adults and families.

Huebsch’s campaign site states he “will support policies that give each of us the opportunity to get the health care we deserve.” 

Housing

La Crosse, like many other parts of Wisconsin, is experiencing an affordable housing shortage.

Doyle said the state is best positioned to deal with workforce housing shortages in Wisconsin by offering incentives to developers to build that kind of housing. In 2023, he co-authored three bills signed into law that incentivize affordable housing projects in the state. 

“If we improve the availability of workforce housing, A: We’re helping people find housing they can afford. B: We’re helping our schools with their declining enrollment. C: We’re putting property on the tax rolls that is going to help balance local budgets,” Doyle said. “It’s a win, win win scenario.”

This year, Doyle authored a bill that would have allowed the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority to offer loans and grants to housing cooperatives for infrastructure improvements. 

Huebsch’s campaign site mentions the price of housing is going up, but doesn’t mention specific plans for affordable housing.

“He will vote to lower the tax burden on each of us and support policies that will encourage investment in jobs and our communities,” Huebsch’s website says.

This article first appeared on Wisconsin Watch and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.