Wisconsin 2026 elections: 5-term incumbent Republican Cindi Duchow in running unopposed 97th Assembly District

 

Prior to redistricting, the GOP gerrymandered 97th Assembly District was located wholly within Waukesha County and cracked the City of Waukesha into two Assembly districts.  Waukesha, the largest city in once was once a deep red county, has recently been trending purple.  In April 2026, voters elected a Democratic-backed mayor.  She defeated a former GOP member of the State Assembly.

Redistricting shifted the district west.  It now straddles most of western Waukesha County and a large chunk of eastern Jefferson County.

Maps and election results:  Ballotpedia

No Democrats need apply.  Cindi Duchow sashays to a 6th term.

 

Related reading:

Wisconsin Applied Population Lab, 6/18/2018

Malia Jones explains:

Two core concepts of gerrymandering were central to the arguments presented to the high court: cracking and packing. A third process, known as stacking, also crops up in gerrymandered political maps, but was not the focus of Gill v. Whitford.

Cracking and packing both refer to specific ways of drawing legislative boundaries with the outcomes of elections in mind. These two processes operate in tension with one another, but both can be implemented by a party in power seeking to maximize its electoral chances through gerrymandering. 

Packing refers to the practice of drawing particular districts in such a way as to ensure that another party's candidate wins that seat by a tremendous margin. Although the opposing party is all but guaranteed the seat, packing makes surrounding districts less competitive, and thus tips the balance of power in the legislative body overall toward the ruling party. 

Cracking involves drawing districts in such a way as to divide a concentration of specific types of voters across several districts such that they are a minority in each one, with practically no hope of achieving representation in any of the districts. This practice also helps make districts less competitive. [emphasis added]

Other Wisconsin 2026 election posts:

1st Assembly District.  (6/11/2026)

2nd Assembly District.  (6/14/2026)

3rd Assembly District.  (6/15/2026)

4th Assembly District.  (6/17/2026)

5th Assembly District.  (6/18/2026)

6th Assembly District.  (6/20/2026)

7th Assembly District.  (6/21/2026)

8th Assembly District.  (6/21/2026)

9th Assembly District.  (6/22/2026)

10th Assembly District.  (6/23/2026)

11th Assembly District.  (6/23/2026)

12th Assembly District.  (4/17/2026)

13th Assembly District.  (6/25/2026)

14th Assembly District.  (6/25/2026)

15th Assembly District.  (6/25/2026)

16th Assembly District.  (4/17/2026)

17th Assembly District.  (6/30/2026)

18th Assembly District.  (6/30/2026)

19th Assembly District.  (7/1/2026)

20th Assembly District.  (7/1/2026)

21st Assembly District.  (5/8/2026)

22nd Assembly District.  (7/5/2026)

23rd Assembly District.  (7/5/2026)

24th Assembly District.  (4/19/2026)

25th Assembly District.  (7/6/2026)

26th Assembly District.  (4/17/2026)

27th Assembly District.  (7/7/2026)

28th Assembly District.  (7/8/2026)

29th Assembly District.  (7/10/2026)

30th Assembly District.  (7/11/2026)

31st Assembly District.  (7/12/2026)

32nd Assembly District.  (7/13/2026)

33rd Assembly District.  (7/15/2026)

34th Assembly District.  (4/24/2026)

35th Assembly District.  (4/15/2026)

36th Assembly District.  (7.16.2026)

37th Assembly District.  (4/20/2026)

38th Assembly District.  (7/17/2026)

39th Assembly District.  (7/18/2026)

40th Assembly District.  (7/19/2026)

41st Assembly District.  (7/20/2026)

42nd Assembly District.  (7/21/2026)

43rd Assembly District.  (7/212026)

44th Assembly District.  (5/5/2026)

45th Assembly District.  (7/23/2026)

46th Assembly District.  (7/24/2026)

47th Assembly District.  (7/25/2026)

48th Assembly District.  (7/27/2026) 

49th Assembly District.  (7/28/2026)

50th Assembly District.  (7/29/2026)

51st Assembly District.  (7/30/2026)

52nd Assembly District.  (7/31/2026)

53rd Assembly District.  (8/2/2026)

54th Assembly District.  (8/4/2026)

55th Assembly District.  (8/7/2026)

58th Assembly District.  (4/12/2026)

59th Assembly District.  (4/10/2026)

60th Assembly District.  (8/9/2026)

61st Assembly District.  (8/16/2026)

62th Assembly District.  (8/11/2026)

63rd Assembly District.  (8/16/2026)

64th Assembly District.  (8/17/2026)

65th Assembly District.  (8/18/2026)

66th Assembly District.  (8/19/2026)

67th Assembly District.  (8/24/2026)

68th Assembly District.  (8/25/2026)

69th Assembly District.  (8/26/2026)

70th Assembly District.  (8/27/2026)

71st Assembly District.  (4/28/2026)

72nd Assembly District.  (8/29/2026)

73rd Assembly District.  (8/31/2026)

74th Assembly District.  (9/1/2026)

75th Assembly District.  (9/4/2026)

76th Assembly District.  (9/6/2026)

77th Assembly District.  (9/9/2026)

78th Assembly District.  (9/14/2026)

79th Assembly District.  (9/15/2026)

80th Assembly District.  (9/16/2026)

81st Assembly District.  (9/17/2026)

82nd Assembly District.  (9/18/2026)

83rd Assembly District.  (9/20/2026)

84th Assembly District.  (9/21/2026)

85th Assembly District.  (9/22/2026)

86th Assembly District.  (9/23/2026)

87th Assembly District.  (9/24/2026)

88th Assembly District.  (9/25/2026)

89th Assembly District.  (9/26/2026)

90th Assembly District.  (9/27/2026)

91st Assembly District.  (9/28/2026)

92nd Assembly District.  (9/29/2026)

93rd Assembly District.  (9/30/2026) 

94th Assembly District.  (10/1/2026)

95th Assembly District.  (10/2/2026)

96th Assembly District.  (10/3/2026)

99th Assembly District.  (4/18/2026)

17th Senate District.  (4/14/2026)

23rd Senate District.  (4/15/2026)

31st Senate District.  (4/15/2026)

The dead side of East Towne Mall in Madison Wisconsin

 Shuttered Sears (2020) at left, 

shuttered Boston Store (2018) at left 

Photos by Retiring Guy

Channel 3000, 3/29/2026

Braden Ross reports:

One of the largest vacant retail spaces at East Towne Mall is officially up for sale, and the City of Madison hopes the next owner can bring much needed housing to the area. 

The old Boston Store space at East Towne Mall has sat vacant for more than five years since the big box store moved out in 2018. Since then, the city rezoned the property to allow for mixed-use developments to go in on the site. 

The listing for the site says the nearly 15 acre property could host more than 1,000 apartments, housing Madison desperately needs. 

"There isn't much low residential within the East Towne Mall, but we do see the potential of changing those big boxes, expansive parking lots and disconnected street network into totally the opposite, something that is more walkable, that changes from regional mall, regional area, to a more community, mixed-use walkable area with well connected street network," said Madison city planner Angela Puerta.

Related posts:

2025

No, it's not East Towne Mall in Madison Wisconsin but you'd never know it from this view.  (12/2)

Mushrooming Signature Apartments in the vicinity of East Towne Mall in Madison Wisconsin.  (6/22)

Former Menard's location on 2102 East Springs Drive in Madison Wisconsin remains vacant.  (6/19)

Restaurant detritus at East Towne Mall.  (6/19)

About one-third of East Towne Mall is pretty much a no-man's-land.  (6/19)

Sears at East Towne Mall in Madison Wisconsin closed in 2020. Five years later the space remains vacant.  (6/16)

Boston Store at East Towne Mall in Madison Wisconsin closed in 2018. No big changes have come to pass since then.  (6/16)

2023

In 1994, Marc Eisen didn't like what he saw around East Towne Mall in Madison WI.  (11/19)

2022

Major housing project proposed for East Towne Mall area in Madison WI.  (7/24)

2020

Scenes from East Towne Mall, where Gordmans is going out of business.  (2/25)

2019

Then and Now: East Towne Mall and Interstate/151 interchange.  (6/18)

2018
East Towne Mall Boston Store is closed if not completely dark.  (9/20)

The Intersect apartments on East Washington Avenue in Madison Wisconsin (October 2026 construction site visit)

Photo by Retiring Guy

Rendering and aerial view:  Madison Plan Commission

Previous occupant:  Remember the Embers?

Reddit

Floor plans

Other East Washington posts:

2026

Seven20.  (9/12)

Seven20.  (5/10)

Baker's Place.  (5/10)

Cruising East Washington Avenue in Madison Wisconsin.  (5/10)

Baker's Place,  (2/17)

Seven20.  (1/14)

2025

Latest proposal for Brayton Lot.  (8/22)

Empty block next to GEF 1 in downtown Madison is next isthmus redevelopment target. (7/11)

Porchlight 8-story mixed-use building.  (6/16)

5-story, 192-unit multi-family apartments at 3100 East Washington Avenue.  (6/15) 

Aloha Inn.  (6/15)

Redevelopment at 3401 East Washington Avenue.  (5/29)

Baker's Place.  (5/7)

Salvation Army looks to get shelter for homeless women and families back on track.  (4/7)

Baker's Place.  (3/8)

Empty block next to GEF 1 in downtown Madison is next Isthmus redevelopment target.  (3/8)

Low-income housing development proposed at site of WMC headquarters.  (3/8)

Baker's Place.  (1/28)

2024

Redevelopment at 3401 East Washington Avenue.  (10/21)

Baker's Place.  (9/28)

Redevelopment at 3401 East Washington Avenue.  (6/11)

Moxy Hotel.  (5/6)

Baker's Place.  (5/6)

Redevelopment project at 3401 East Washington Avenue.  (2/7)

151-room Moxy Hotel construction site visits.  (1/29)

New home of Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestra.  (1/29)

2023

15-story hotel proposed for Archipelago Village.  (10/17)

The Continental.  (7/25)

The Standard site visits series.  (2/23)

2022

Huge mural provides showcase for new mixed-use development.  (10/2)

Archipelago Village.  (3/3)

Low-cost housing proposed for former Bimbo Bakeries site.  (1/23)

Madison Youth Arts Center.  (1/2)

2021

The Valor.  (10/19)

800 block project revisited:  Love notes to the temporarily shuttered Sylvee.  (2/14)

2020

The Arden.  (12/18)

10-story apartment building proposed for 400 block.  (1/10)

Stone House mixed-use development on East Washington.  (1/9)

2019

Hotel Indigo.  (12/2)

NIMBY chronicles.  (11/12)

AC Hotel, Madison WI:  A view from the 10th floor bar.  (11/12)

Capital East parking garage.  (1/14)

2018

East Capital parking garage UPDATE. Late November construction progress report. (11/28)

Proposed hotel put on hold. (2/12)
StartingBlock construction as we approach the end of January. (1/30)

2017
The Lyric Apartments are ready for occupancy.  (8/30)
This stretch of East Washington Avenue in Madison, Wisconsin, has undergone a major transformation during the past 5 years.  (5/13)

2016
Madison East Washington Festival Foods is open for business.  (4/13)

2015
The balconies of the Constellation.  (4/19)

2014
The Constellation rises above the treetops.  (9/7)