The 71st Assembly district of Wisconsin is one of 99 districts in the Wisconsin State Assembly. Located in central Wisconsin, the district comprises most of Portage County and part of northeast Adams County. It includes the city of Stevens Point and the villages of Amherst, Amherst Junction, Nelsonville, Plover, and Whiting. The district also contains the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point campus. The district is represented by Democrat Vinnie Miresse, since January 2025.
The 71st Assembly district is located within Wisconsin's 24th Senate district, along with the 70th and 72nd Assembly districts.
History The district was created in the 1972 redistricting act (1971 Wisc. Act 304) which first established the numbered district system, replacing the previous system which allocated districts to specific counties. The 71st district was drawn roughly in line with the boundaries of the former Portage County district, comprising nearly all of Portage County except for the northwest corner. Since its creation, the 71st district has always been the Assembly district for the city of Stevens Point and most of Portage County, except for the 1982 court-ordered redistricting which moved the district to Ozaukee and Sheboygan counties for the 1983–1984 term.
List of past representatives +List of representatives to the Wisconsin State Assembly from the 71st districtMemberPartyResidenceCounties representedTerm startTerm endRef.District created Dem. Stevens Point Portage Dem. January 1, 1979 January 3, 1983 Rep. Port Washington Ozaukee, Sheboygan January 3, 1983 January 7, 1985 Dem. Stevens Point Portage, Waupaca January 7, 1985 January 2, 1995 Portage, Waushara William Murat Dem. January 2, 1995 January 4, 1999 Julie Lassa Dem. Plover January 4, 1999 May 9, 2003 --Vacant-- May 9, 2003 August 11, 2003 Louis Molepske Dem. Stevens Point August 11, 2003 January 7, 2013 Katrina Shankland Dem. Portage January 7, 2013 January 6, 2025 Vinnie Miresse Dem. Adams, Portage January 6, 2025 Current
Electoral history Year Date Elected Defeated Total Plurality Other primary candidates 2012 Democratic 17,619 60.82% Rep. 11,279 38.94% 28,968 6,340 2014 Democratic 17,134 97.79% --unopposed-- 17,521 16,747 2016 Democratic 21,834 98.90% 22,076 21,592 2018 Democratic 20,548 97.75% 21,022 20,074 2020 Democratic 17,753 55.51% Rep. 14,206 44.42% 31,979 3,547 2022 Democratic 15,930 57.05% Rep. 11,976 42.89% 27,923 3,954 2024 Democratic 18,631 53.13% Rep. 16,416 46.82% 35,065 2,215
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