Wisconsin State Assembly District 52

Wisconsin State Assembly District 52 is represented by Jerry O’Connor (R).

As of the 2020 Census, Wisconsin state representatives represented an average of 59,570 residents. After the 2010 Census, each member represented 57,558 residents.

About the office

Members of the Wisconsin State Assembly serve two-year terms and are not subject to term limits. Wisconsin legislators assume office the first Monday in January following the election, unless the first Monday of January falls on January 1 or 2. In those cases, legislators assume office on January 3.^[1]

Qualifications

See also: State legislature candidate requirements by state

Section 6 of Article 4 of the Wisconsin Constitution states, "No person shall be eligible to the legislature who shall not have resided one year within the state, and be a qualified elector in the district which he may be chosen to represent."^[2]

Salaries

See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries

State legislative salaries, 2024^[3]
Salary	Per diem
$57,408/year	$140/day for senators. Dane County senators are allowed half that amount. $155.70/day (with overnight) or $77.85/day (no overnight) for representatives. Dane County representatives receive only $77.85/day.

Vacancies

See also: How vacancies are filled in state legislatures

If there is a vacancy in the Wisconsin State Legislature, a special election must be held to fill the vacant seat.^[4] The governor can call for an election when allowed by law. The election cannot be held after February 1 before a spring general election, unless it is held on the same day of the election, which is the first Tuesday in April. The same requirement applies to any election preceding the fall general election (after August 1), with the exception of elections held on the first Tuesday in November.^[5] Also, all vacancies must be filled quickly as long the vacancy happened before the second Tuesday in May during an election year.^[6]

See sources: Wisconsin Cons. Art. IV, § 14

District map

Redistricting

2020-2022

See also: Redistricting in Wisconsin after the 2020 census

State legislative maps enacted in 2024

See also: State legislative district maps implemented after the 2020 census

On February 19, 2024, Gov. Tony Evers (D) signed Senate Bill 488 into law, adopting new Wisconsin legislative maps.^[7] Gov. Evers originally proposed the newly adopted legislative maps in 2021. The maps were approved by majority votes in both chambers of Wisconsin's state legislature on February 13. The State Senate voted 18-14 in favor of adopting the new legislative maps, while the State Assembly vote total was 63-33.

In the 2023 Wisconsin Supreme Court election, Janet Protasiewicz defeated Daniel Kelly, changing the balance of the court from a conservative to a liberal majority for the first time in 15 years.^[8]^[9] On December 22, 2023, the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled in a 4-3 vote that the state's legislative maps were unconstitutional and ordered new maps to be drawn before the 2024 election.^[10]

Reactions to 2024 state legislative maps

After signing Senate Bill 488 into law on February 19, 2024, Gov. Evers released a statement that included the following:

“

I will always try to do the right thing for our state. Wisconsinites want fair maps, and Wisconsinites deserve fair maps. So, today, I’m enacting fair maps for the great state of Wisconsin. ... When I promised I wanted fair maps—not maps that are better for one party or another—I damn well meant it. Wisconsin is not a red state or a blue state—we’re a purple state, and I believe our maps should reflect that basic fact. ...

This is a great day for Wisconsin, and there is much to celebrate. And we’re not going to stop here. I—and we—are going to continue our fight for a fair, independent, and nonpartisan redistricting process for Wisconsin. ... If the people of Wisconsin vote to send Democratic majorities to Madison this November, I’ll tell you right now: one of the first orders of business in our first 100 days together will be enacting a fair, independent, and nonpartisan redistricting system in Wisconsin.^[7]^[11]

”

On February 19, 2024, Allan Smith of NBC News described the state's newly adopted legislative maps as follows:

“	The existing map heavily favored Republicans — who controlled 64 of 99 seats in the state Assembly and 22 of 33 in the state Senate — in a battleground state that has seen razor-thin margins of victory in recent U.S. Senate and presidential races. According to a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel analysis, the new maps have a roughly even split of Democratic and Republican-leaning state Assembly districts, which will all but guarantee a wave of Democratic gains this fall.^[9]^[11]	”
—Allan Smith, NBC News

How does redistricting in Wisconsin work? In Wisconsin, both congressional and state legislative district boundaries are drawn by the Wisconsin State Legislature. These lines are subject to veto by the governor.^[12]

The Wisconsin Constitution requires that state legislative districts be compact and "that they be bounded by county, precinct, town, or ward lines where possible." The state constitution further stipulates that state legislative districts should be contiguous.^[12]

Below are the maps in effect before and after the 2020 redistricting cycle. The map on the right was in effect for Wisconsin's 2024 state legislative elections.

Wisconsin State Assembly District 52
before 2020 redistricting cycle

Click a district to compare boundaries.

Wisconsin State Assembly District 52
after 2020 redistricting cycle

Click a district to compare boundaries.

Elections

2024

General election

General election for Wisconsin State Assembly District 52

Incumbent Lee Snodgrass defeated Chad Cooke in the general election for Wisconsin State Assembly District 52 on November 5, 2024.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Lee Snodgrass (D)	57.3	17,681
	Chad Cooke (R)	42.7	13,200

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. Source	Total votes: 30,881
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Wisconsin State Assembly District 52

Incumbent Lee Snodgrass advanced from the Democratic primary for Wisconsin State Assembly District 52 on August 13, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Lee Snodgrass	100.0	6,414

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 6,414
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Wisconsin State Assembly District 52

Chad Cooke advanced from the Republican primary for Wisconsin State Assembly District 52 on August 13, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Chad Cooke	100.0	4,104

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 4,104
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