Candidates for 89th Assembly District seat state their case

Elijah Behnke, Karl Jaeger square off in Tuesday’s election

EDITOR’S NOTE: Elijah Behnke, Republican, and Karl Jaeger, Democrat, are the candidates in a special election Tuesday, April 6, to fill the unexpired term of former state Rep. John Nygren through 2022. The 89th Assembly District stretches from Marinette County to the Green Bay area, including the city of Oconto and the Oconto County towns of Abrams, Little River, Little Suamico, Oconto, Pensaukee and Stiles.

We asked the candidates to introduce themselves and describe “the political philosophy that will inform your votes in the Assembly and the issues that fuel your desire to serve.”

ELIJAH BEHNKE

I am a proud resident of the 89th district, born and raised on a farm. I learned the value of hard work at an early age, always working odd jobs to make money. I currently am a small business owner and live on a hobby farm with my beautiful wife and two wonderful daughters. I went to college to become a youth pastor and am currently a ministry leader at my church. I am a proud hunter and sportsman and want to be a voice for our rural residents and communities.

For me, I believe in a government that is by the people and for the people. I grew up on a farm and run a hobby farm myself. Farmers and other rural business owners will have a champion in me.

I am pro-life and pro Second Amendment and will never back down on my beliefs. I will always vote for pro-life policies as I believe every single life is precious. I will vote for policies that protect your right to own a firearm to hunt and to protect yourself. I have support from pro-life groups like Pro Life Wisconsin and Wisconsin Right to Life.

I am a small business owner who knows what it’s like to save every penny to put back into my business to support my family and create jobs. We need a representative who knows what it is like to build a business and to create jobs in our community. I am honored to be supported by many business owners

The size of our government is too big; we need to trim the bureaucracy and support fiscally responsible budgets. I won’t be afraid to even stand up to my own party if they support budgets or other legislation that isn’t conservative enough.

Keeping our community safe is important to me. I am lucky to be supported by some of our sheriffs and other law enforcement. We need to address issues like human trafficking and tackle the opioid pandemic.

As a father to two young daughters, I realize the importance of a quality education. Our current education system is failing our sons and daughters. We need to get our kids back into schools.

The governor is out of control. We need someone who will stand up to him, not enable him. The pandemic response in this state has been a complete mess, from out-of-control restrictions to an unemployment system in need of a total rehaul. We need a representative who will fight for change.

If elected, I will never lie to you. I promise that I will hear your concerns and I will have your back. As you may have seen or heard, when I knock on doors I jog from door to door. I will be relentless in my pursuit to serve you. I humbly ask for your vote.

KARL JAEGER

I have lived in the area for 15 years, and I am happy to be raising my family here. Mariel (Carter) and I have two daughters, Charlotte and Jane, both of whom are enrolled at the Peshtigo Elementary Learning Center. I am proud to say Mariel is currently serving our community as the president of the Peshtigo School Board.

I graduated from Northern Michigan University in 2004. I currently work as an IT Analyst. I am proudly serving as an elected Marinette County Board supervisor and a member of the Town of Peshtigo Citizens’ PFAS Advisory Committee.

I’m not a professional politician — I’m a working dad. I’m running for this office to improve the lives of my neighbors, and to build Northeast Wisconsin into a place where my children will want to stay to raise their own families. I believe the primary function of our state government is to protect our citizens’ health and safety.

I will be a voice for our future so that every child who is raised in Wisconsin has every possible opportunity they can get — starting with ready access to quality maternal and prenatal care and a lifetime of affordable health care; a world-class public education; a clean, protected environment; and equitable, sustainable, economic opportunities right here at home.

I am prepared to sit down with my colleagues in the Legislature to: reintroduce the CLEAR Act to finally regulate PFAS in Wisconsin, and to restore our “Prove it First” mining law to protect Wisconsin from the dangers of sulfide mining; expand BadgerCare with federal Medicaid dollars, which will save Wisconsin $185 million annually and also extend insurance coverage to over 180,000 more working people; restore the state’s commitment to fund two-thirds of our K-12 public school costs; and expand broadband access in our rural communities.

In my time on the County Board, I’ve learned the importance of working in a non-partisan way to solve problems rather than dividing people into us-against-them political factions. Politics shouldn’t be an us-against-them team sport — our economy and our people can’t afford more party-line political games. Protecting the environment, expanding health care, funding schools, and expanding broadband should be non-partisan issues.

I look forward to building relationships on both sides of the aisle in the Legislature. Working together, we can take back our state’s proud traditions of a clean environment; great schools; good jobs; and a common-sense, people-first approach to addressing the needs of our citizens and our communities. Together, we can advance our shared values for a safe, prosperous, and environmentally secure future.

I am committed to the citizens and communities of the District, and to the future of Wisconsin as a whole. I have experience in government and a history of public service. I am ready to get to work for every citizen of the 89th Assembly District, and I will be accountable to my constituents.

For more information on my positions, please see JaegerForWisconsin.com or visit me at facebook.com/JaegerForWisconsin.

Thank you very much for your time.