Three-way race for Fox Cities Assembly seat heats up before election

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NEENAH, Wis. (WBAY) — One week before the November election, one of the most contested races for state Assembly is in the Fox Cities, with Democrat Becky Nichols, Republican David Daniels and independent Rachael Dowling on the ballot.

District 53 covers Neenah, portions of Menasha and the south side of Appleton.

In a district still recovering from an EF-3 tornado in July, campaign signs have come out as voters prepare to select a new representative in the state Assembly.

Democrat Becky Nichols

Nichols previously ran for Menasha mayor and served on the Menasha City Council.

“I’m someone who has a record of delivering results, getting the lead pipes out of Menasha’s water system and saving people over a million dollars in the process,” Nichols said.

Nichols said the cost of living is the biggest issue she is hearing about from voters.

“It spans from people older than me being concerned about whether their adult children will be able to afford a home and raise a family here in Wisconsin to the real nitty grittys of being able to pay for medicine and gas, and groceries,” Nichols said. “And for those of us who are recovering from the tornado, the cost of living and the complications from that just added more complexity to people’s lives.”

Nichols has also been the target of attack ads, including one criticizing her vote on the Menasha City Council to raise the mayor’s salary just prior to her run for that office, which she lost to Austin Hammond.

“That comes up at the end of a term, the end of a mayor’s term, and it was before the city council, and to me, that was really about doing the right thing for the community, making sure our mayor’s salary is comparable to that of neighboring communities,” Nichols said.

Republican David Daniels

Daniels said he never expected to be campaigning this fall.

“This wasn’t even on my radar a few months ago,” Daniels said. “So when I found out that Dean Kaufert was resigning, it just kind of hit me like a ton of bricks really hard and I thought, I need to do this.”

Daniels said his biggest issue is finding a way to reduce property taxes. He also said the state’s budget surplus needs to go back to taxpayers.

“I’ve run into people that are definitely afraid of losing their homes because after they buy their food and pay their bills, there’s not much left to pay their property tax,” Daniels said.

On the issue of abortion, Daniels said he wants to clear the record after an attack ad accused him of wanting to ban the procedure without exception.

“To say that to me, with them not knowing that my daughter was raped seven years ago, and we would have supported her if she would have become pregnant because of that, if she wanted to end that pregnancy we would have supported her, my wife and I discussed that, we would support her,” Daniels said. “We also would have supported her if she wanted to take it to term, but for them to say I totally want to ban abortion, even in cases of rape, is just a huge lie and slap in the face.”

“That’s not on my agenda, that’s not something I would want to introduce legislation for,” Daniels said.

Independent Rachael Dowling

In a district that is almost evenly split between Republicans and Democrats, Dowling is running as an independent, appealing to voters who are fed up with the two-party system.

“I need the ability to work with anyone who’s willing to get stuff done for our community,” Dowling said. “Oftentimes, Republicans only work with Republicans and Democrats only work with Democrats. I believe good ideas can come from anywhere and I’m willing to walk in any room and get things done for our community.”

Dowling is serving her third term on the Winnebago County Board.

“I’m a mom. I married my high school sweetheart. My husband and I own three different businesses in the Fox Valley area and we love living here,” Dowling said.

On the issues, Dowling favors either returning the state’s surplus to taxpayers or spending it on local communities. She is also concerned about the impact of data centers if they are not regulated more in the years to come.

“They are impeding on our natural resources, they’re scaring people who are paying utility bills, whether that’s gas or electric,” Dowling said. “We have one in the Menasha area already and they’re looking to expand. I don’t think people realize a data center can be as small as a closet or as large as an 1,800-acre facility.”

Dowling said she does not have the funding her opponents do.

“I definitely don’t have the budget of our political parties like last election cycle,” Dowling said. “The Democrats spent $750,000 and the Republicans spent $500,000 on this campaign. I’m trying to do this for less than $2,000.”