This year is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reset Wisconsin’s state legislature, flip a chamber, and open a path to a blue trifecta—because, after years of struggle, democracy defeated the gerrymander. We’ve got fair maps now. Time to flip some seats.
Baraboo’s Karen DeSanto says, “I will take my firsthand understanding of the challenges our area faces and my experience bringing people together to tackle tough problems and find solutions.”
Under new maps, the Assembly District 40 seat went from deep-red to leans blue. When AD40 was redrawn, Democratic incumbent Dave Considine was drawn in, but chose not to seek re-election, so it’s a wide-open seat perfect for Democrat Karen DeSanto.
For the last 30 years, Karen has worked, lived, and raised a family in Baraboo. She spent the past 12 years as CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of West Central Wisconsin, growing the organization from 2 to 4 sites and creating and managing a budget of $2.1 million.
Karen was the first female President of the State Alliance of Wisconsin Clubs, and helped to secure $26M in state and federal support for kids and families during her term. Among her endorsements: Clean Wisconsin Action Fund and EMILY’s List. Read more on Karen here.
Karen’s top priorities include ensuring accessible, affordable health care and mental health services, investing in public schools, protecting reproductive freedoms, helping small business, and protecting the environment. Chip in to help Karen’s campaign here.
If Karen DeSanto wins Assembly District 40, the chance for a Democratic assembly majority this year leaps up—and so too does the path to a statewide law protecting the reproductive freedom of Wisconsinites.
Baraboo is home to the historic Circus World museum and former home of the Ringling Brothers. Karen and her husband Greg don’t just live in Baraboo—they are also professional circus clowns. Watch this PBS video profile to learn more.
In a time when Republicans in the State Legislature have beclowned themselves, it takes a professional clown to clean up the Legislature’s act.
Karen’s opponent is Sauk County GOP Chair Jerry Helmer. If you’d like to read some Republican culture war talking points and see nasty jokes about trans kids, check out Helmer’s Facebook page. Or better yet, don’t.
If she wins the AD40 seat, Karen DeSanto could not only flip the district to blue, but she could keep the seat from a county Republican Party Chair.
In Wisconsin this year, we’ve got Dems in 97 out of the 99 Assembly races and all 16 of the Senate races. We support them all. The GOP? Just 84/99 and 11/16.
Our Starting Lineup races are the closest. Wins would end the GOP Assembly majority & break the Senate supermajority.
You can read about the full Starting Lineup below.
