Oldenburg to run for 4th term in state Assembly

MADISON, Wis. (WLCX) – Wisconsin Assembly Rep. Loren Oldenburg announced Tuesday that he is seeking a fourth term in the state Legislature.

Oldenburg, a Republican, will run for the 96th Assembly District seat he’s held since 2018.

“It’s an honor and a privilege to have been elected to serve my community in the Coulee region these past 6 years,” Oldenburg said. “I’m proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish this session, however, there’s still more to do. I’m eager to continue the work that I’ve started.”

Oldenburg, who lives in Viroqua, was first elected to the Assembly in 2018.

He will be challenged for the seat by Democratic candidate Tara Johnson, a longtime member of the La Crosse County Board and its former chair.

Johnson was most recently a candidate for the 3rd Congressional District seat held by Republican Derrick Van Orden, but dropped out last year. She spent 20 years on the La Crosse County Board, nine years as its chair.

“For too long, rigged districts have kept our region from having a voice in the Assembly,” Johnson said in a release announcing her candidacy earlier this month. “[Oldenburg] is a rubber stamp for Robin Vos and his extremist agenda.”

The 96th District covers nearly all of Vernon County and the southern part of La Crosse County post-redistricting. Before the new maps, the 96th included most of Vernon and all of Crawford counties as well as parts of Monroe County.

The 2024 Fall Primary is on Aug. 13, while the 2024 General Election will be held on Nov. 5.

To find your voter registration status, see a sample ballot, or look up your voter information, you can visit MyVote Wisconsin.

For information on Wisconsin’s elections, you can visit the Wisconsin Elections Commission. You can also see who has registered to run in different races and see candidate nomination paperwork.