Retiring Guy's Digest: Wisconsin 2026 elections: Republican Henry Johnson challenges 4-term Democrat incumbent Sheila Stubbs in the 78th Assembly District

Monday, September 14, 2026

Wisconsin 2026 elections: Republican Henry Johnson challenges 4-term Democrat incumbent Sheila Stubbs in the 78th Assembly District

Before redistricting, the GOP 78th Assembly District included the west side of Madison and cracked two little pieces of the City of Middleton.

Redistricting shifted the boundaries to the east to include south and southeast Madison neighborhoods as well as the City of Monona.

Maps and election results: Ballotpedia

Once again, Republicans need not apply. As a preview to what is going to happen in the November general election Democrat incumbent Sheila Stubbs received 13,384 votes in her uncontested primary and Republican challenger Henry Johnson received 1,113 votes in his uncontested primary.

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)