Luna, Sanchez compete for Wisconsin Assembly District 8 seat

Democrat Ismael Luna and Republican Angel Sanchez are the two candidates on the Nov. 3 ballot for Wisconsin Assembly District 8 on Milwaukee's south side.

The seat is open after Luna defeated incumbent state Rep. Sylvia Ortiz-Velez in the Aug. 11 Democratic primary with 70% of the vote, according to the Wisconsin Examiner. The winner will serve a two-year term representing roughly 59,000 residents.

What the district covers

Assembly District 8 includes Milwaukee's Walker's Point, Clarke Square, Lincoln Village and Muskego Way neighborhoods, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The Historic Mitchell Street neighborhood is also part of the district, WUWM reported.

What a state representative does

State representatives write, review and vote on legislation that becomes state law if approved by the Legislature and signed by the governor, according to a guide published by Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service in partnership with Wisconsin Watch. Representatives serve on committees that take public testimony on bills. They also work on a state budget every two years that determines how tens of billions of dollars are spent.

The Wisconsin Legislature is made up of 99 Assembly representatives and 33 senators, according to WUWM. The Legislature decides how taxpayer-funded state revenue is allocated, including spending on education, economic development and tax relief. The governor must sign the budget and other bills into law.

What's at stake

Control of the Legislature is on the ballot. Democrats need to flip five Assembly seats and two Senate seats to take the majority, according to the Journal Sentinel. Republicans have held the majority in both chambers for 15 years.

Ismael Luna (Democrat)

Luna works as a case manager at a homeless shelter, according to WUWM. He told WUWM he grew up on Milwaukee's south side and was homeless at 14. The Wisconsin Examiner described him as a former intern for U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin.

Luna told WUWM affordability is the top issue he hears from District 8 residents. He said he would fight to expand affordable housing, strengthen renter protections, expand BadgerCare, support a public option for health care and increase the minimum wage. He listed fully funding public schools, housing and health care as his top budget priorities.

His campaign drew support from unions and Assembly Democratic leaders, the Wisconsin Examiner reported. The Assembly Democratic Campaign Committee provided more than $110,000 in campaign cash and in-kind contributions, according to Urban Milwaukee.

After the primary, Ortiz-Velez filed a complaint challenging Luna's residency in the district. The Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC) dismissed the challenge on Oct. 2, finding nothing that rose to the level of reasonable suspicion that Luna did not live in the district, Urban Milwaukee reported. Luna called the complaint "haphazard allegations."

Angel Sanchez (Republican)

Sanchez did not respond to WUWM's candidate questionnaire and does not have a campaign website or social media page readily accessible, WUWM reported. No documented policy positions or professional background for Sanchez were available in public reporting as of Nov. 2.

How to vote

The general election is Tuesday, Nov. 3. Only residents of Assembly District 8 can vote in this race. Voters can check their registration, find their polling place and preview their ballot at myvote.wi.gov.

Wisconsin does not have a statewide system for reporting unofficial results on election night, according to the Wisconsin Elections Commission. Unofficial results come from county clerks and are collected by news organizations including the Associated Press. Election-night results are unofficial until certified.