Voss, Hurd running in new 69th
By Valorie Brecht The TRG
The makeup of the 69th Assembly District recently changed, as did many districts in Wisconsin after a months-long fight on the state’s legislative maps. The governor and state Legislature finally reached a bipartisan agreement on new legislative maps in February, after the state Supreme Court declared the previous maps unconstitutional. Nearly half of the state’s representatives and senators are running in new districts.
The new 69th includes all of Clark County and parts of Chippewa, Taylor and Marathon counties, including Abbotsford, Athens, Boyd, Colby, Curtiss, Dorchester, Granton, Greenwood, Loyal, Medford, Neillsville, Owen, Stanley, Stetsonville, Thorp, Unity and Withee.
Karen Hurd (R-Town of Withee, rural Thorp) and Lori Voss (R-Abbotsford) will face each other in the Aug. 13 primary. The top vote-getter between Hurd and Voss will advance to the Nov. 5 general election to take on Roger Halls (D-Stanley).
Hurd is currently representing the old 68th District, which includes part of Clark County. No incumbent was representing the 69th District in the new maps, so Hurd relocated so she could continue to represent the 68th and also run for the 69th. Voss, if elected, would be new to state government, but she has experience serving as an elected official, having been a mayor and city council member.
Karen Hurd
Why are you running for public office?
To serve the people of Wisconsin by lowering taxes, prohibiting illegal immigrants from invading our country; making government smaller; giving local control back to the towns, villages, and cities; protecting the unborn; making government fiscally responsible; reducing regulations; bringing down inflation; fixing the economy; keeping boys out of girls’ sports; and stopping tax dollars from being used for gender transition surgeries and procedures.
Since serving as a village trustee, library trustee, substitute school teacher, retirement housing board member, Lion of the Year recipient and American Legion member, I have seen the need for proven conservative leadership in our government.
What knowledge and/or experience do you bring to this position?
I currently serve as a state legislator. This experience as a state legislator is critically important in accomplishing the goals of protecting our constitution and establishing common sense legislation. I served in the U.S. Army in the Military Intelligence Corp for four years active duty, two years Reserve duty, and am a member of the Individual Ready Reserve. I have worked in the healthcare field for 30 years. I hold a master of science degree in biochemistry as well as a master of public health degree. I am a small business owner, operating three businesses with the assistance of outstanding employees.
What issues or policy areas would you like to focus on, if elected?
Legislation to protect towns and restore local control; achieving/maintaining energy independence through reliable energy sources (wind/solar are not reliable and cannot maintain the grid—we have to have other sources); reducing the tax burden on Wisconsinites; helping the children of our state who languish in foster care and need permanent homes; fix the broken childcare system; help local municipalities in maintaining roads by increasing the General Transportation Aid; keep China and other foreign adversaries from buying our farmland; and reduce the bureaucracy by keeping a tighter control on administrative rules as well as shrinking the overall government size.
Describe your community involvement (clubs, organizations, volunteering, etc.).
Village trustee, library trustee, American Legion color guard commander and chaplain, Historical Society member, Lions Club member, director of music/worship for 19 years, Sunday School teacher and women’s Bible study leader for 19 years, president of senior retirement housing board, columnist for six local community newspapers, playwright/director for community theatre for 20 years, screenwriter/producer of locally produced family film involving the history of our community, speaker for many community events, regular radio guest on Christian radio WWIB/ WOGO for nine years, substitute teacher for our wonderful Wisconsin children in local public schools.
Anything else you would like the community to know?
For my work in this 2023-2024 Legislative Session, I received the Dairy Business Association Legislative Excellence Award and WISCAP’s William Steiger Award for the Republican legislator who did the most for community action programs. I was chosen to attend the Bowhay Institute for Legislative Leadership Development as well as the State Legislative Leaders Foundation Emerging Legislative Leaders Program. I received the Air Assault Badge, Marksmanship Badge and Army Service Medal. I am an author, having written and published three books. I am endorsed by Wisconsin Right to Life and the National Rifle Association.
Lori Voss
Why are you running for public office?
I’m running for this open Assembly seat to bring an experienced conservative voice to Madison for our area. We need a fighter in Madison to defend our constitution and preserve fundamental freedoms. I will never waiver from defending liberty on issues such as protecting our Second Amendment rights, securing our borders, protecting life and ensuring election integrity. I will fight on behalf of rural Wisconsin to protect our farmland from foreign-owned wind entities. We need a leader who fights back against radical leftwing, woke policies of the Biden and Evers administrations. I’ve thought about running for this seat for some time ever since my friend Scott Suder retired from office.
What knowledge and/or experience do you bring to this position?
I bring over 40 years of service and leadership experience to this position. I’m a small business owner, having owned and operated Hawkeye Dairy Store for over 28 years. I’ve also been an EMT for Central Fire and EMS for 14 years and served as mayor of Abbotsford, where I helped save our city over $7 million on an addition to our water/wastewater facilities that was not needed. Additionally, I served my country in the Wisconsin Army National Guard and have been a 4-H leader for our children. I’m the only candidate who has 40 years of established roots in this district working and volunteering. What issues or policy areas would you like to focus on, if elected?
As your state representative, I would focus on ensuring our communities are safe, election integrity (no ballot drop boxes!), reducing our tax burden, streamlining burdensome regulations – especially for rural EMS volunteers – and stemming the tide of illegal immigration. The fact is that we have a shortage of police, firefighters and EMS volunteers. That needs to change to keep our communities safe and thriving. I’ll bring my experience as a successful small business owner to Madison to cut red tape, balance our budgets, cut taxes and fight against socialist, woke policies of the Evers administration. I will bring some rural common sense to Madison for a change.
Describe your community involvement (clubs, organizations, volunteering, etc.)
I have over 40 years of volunteer and community leadership experience in our area. I’ve worked as an EMT for 14 years, serving as assistant ambulance chief for part of that time. I was elected as mayor of Abbotsford for four years and served for 10 years on the Abby City Council as both council member and president.
I served six years in the Wisconsin Army National Guard. Additionally, I volunteered at St. Joseph’s Hospital assisting post-operative families with cast care. I taught children life skills as a 4-H leader. I’ve also spent time helping Farmland First fight the battle against wind turbines and solar taking over our precious farmland.
Anything else you would like the community to know?
I would like voters to know that I’m the real conservative running in this race. I’ve earned the endorsements of Wisconsin Pro-Life, Americans For Prosperity and Farmland First. I have lifelong ties to our communities – my opponent does not. She just recently moved into this area to run despite having never lived here. She simply isn’t a conservative. For instance, she voted for the $7 million taxpayer bailout for the Brewer stadium for a billionaire from New York. She also voted for AB 470 – a no-bid contract bill for utility monopolies which will cost taxpayers millions. We need a true conservative who will stand up to the establishment.
Karen Hurd
Lori Voss
