Democrat Duane Shukoski is running for Wisconsin State Assembly District 53. Shukoski has been endorsed by Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin. 

According to his campaign website, Shukoski says, “I believe that abortion is healthcare, and that’s why I’m committed to restoring reproductive rights for Wisconsinites. Women and their healthcare providers, not politicians, should be the ones making these personal decisions.”

Shukoski is a lifelong resident of Neenah. In a press release, Shukoski said, “I am running to bring our shared values to Madison and to give back to the community that raised me. New legislative maps provide us the opportunity to elect Democratic leadership to do the right thing for our community and our state.”

Republican Dean Kaufert is running for Wisconsin State Assembly District 53. Kaufert is the former mayor of Neenah and state representative for District 55 from 1990 until 2015.

Kaufert has declined to answer multiple questionnaires about his stance on abortion bans. While in the State Assembly, Kaufert voted for SB 206, which required women to get ultrasounds before having an abortion and required the doctor to give an oral description of the fetus, including organs. 

The bill also required that doctors who perform abortions must have hospital admitting privileges within thirty miles of where the abortion takes place, a provision that resulted in the closure of clinics in other states. According to the Badger Herald, one of the bill’s opponents said “the provision is a tactic used by many other states to shut down health care clinics, citing that Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin has said that enacting the bill into law would close its facility in Appleton.”

Updated September 26, 2024.