Who would have thought such a question as “Turn the Coulee Region Red?” would be a legitimate, rational, plausible, or even imagined question in 2024.”

To fully comprehend this question, we first need to define the Coulee Region. CouleeConservatives.com claims La Crosse County, the four contiguous counties (Trempealeau, Jackson, Monroe, & Vernon), plus one more county north (Buffalo) and South (Crawford) along the Mississippi River as their geographical area of primary interest. Searching online, there were only two noteworthy sources and both stated that the “Coulee Region” is the common local name for La Crosse, Wisconsin and surrounding area. Both sources further defined the “Coulee Region” as the entirety of La Crosse, Monroe, and Vernon counties. They further stated sometimes parts of Jackson and/or Trempealeau Counties are included. It is part of Wisconsin’s larger “Driftless Area”.

Politically speaking, the Coulee Region includes (on the current legislative maps) the 32nd State Senate District comprising the 94th, 95th, and 96th Assembly Districts, plus the 70th Assembly District. When we analyze party affiliation to the incumbents currently holding these offices, we find there are three Democrats and two Republicans. This doesn’t look so good until we consider the new legislative maps, the recent history of elections, the incumbents, and the challengers.

The various district maps have changed since the last election. The 70th Assembly District used to stretch over 100 miles from western Monroe County to the suburbs of Stevens Point and Wisconsin Rapids. It is now much blockier shaped, excludes the City of Sparta, but includes all of Jackson County. Only 31% of the “old” district is in the “new” district.

The 94th Assembly District was primarily La Crosse County except the City of La Crosse but now includes parts of the city and stretches north into Trempealeau County.

The 95th Assembly District used to be almost synonymous with the City of La Crosse but is now missing a major part of the city while stretching into Sparta and southwestern Monroe County.

The 96th Assembly District no longer includes any part of Monroe County but includes all of Vernon County. These geographic changes will mean new potential voters to meet and new voters needs to address.

All five of these election contests may be influenced by three contests at the regional, state, and national levels. The US Senate race has an energetic self-made Madison businessman, Eric Hovde, challenging the lethargic career politician Senator Tammy Baldwin. Hovde comes out of a similar mold as Senator Ron Johnson and President Trump. Baldwin fits the Biden mold of career politician and is a great example why we need term limits.

The second election contest of interest is the 3rd District Representative to the House of Representatives where first term Derrick Van Orden will be challenged by the Democrat who wins the August Primary. I have heard people from different walks in life say that Van Orden has done more in his first term of Congress than the previous incumbent did in twenty-five years!

The “big one” is, of course, the race for President of the United States! To turn the Coulee Region red, we need winning margins in these three election contests.

In the 32nd Senate election Republican challenger Stacey Klein will face the incumbent Democrat Brad Pfaff. Both candidates are Western Wisconsin farm kids, but the comparison stops there. Klein is a professional financial advisor who has seen the people’s financial plight up close and serves on the Trempealeau County Board. Pfaff is a career bureaucrat turned politician.

In the 70th Assembly District, Republican Nancy VanderMeer will face challenger Remy Gomez – the same two candidates as two years ago when VanderMeer won by a 2:1 margin. VanderMeer was a successful small businesswoman, is married to a dairy farmer, and is known for a variety of community leadership experiences.

In the 94th, Democrat incumbent Steve Doyle will face the challenger Ryan Huebsch just like two years ago when Doyle won by less than 800 votes or a margin of 1.6%. Like Senator Baldwin, due to his many years in elected office Doyle could be considered for term limits poster child too.

In the 95th, Democrat incumbent Jill Billings will face Republican challenger Cedric Scnitzler who is a beef farmer, the current Monroe County Board Chairman and a member of the Mississippi River Regional Planning Commission. Billings currently represents basically just the City of La Crosse.

In the 96th, Republican incumbent Loren Oldenburg will face the winner of the Democrat primary in August. Oldenburg is a former dairy farmer turned crop farmer and was well known for various leadership positions in the community before he ran for the Assembly.

My answer to “Turn the Coulee Region Red?” has been on my mind for a few weeks and this was drafted before the Thursday night debate. Now, after watching the leader of the Democrat Party in the Presidential Debate, not only the Coulee Region but a lot more of Wisconsin and the rest of the country might turn red. This will happen only if you and I work hard, and then work some more, to support all our Conservative candidates up and down the ballot – from the CourtHouse to the State House and especially to the White House!