Sandy Pasch Will Run for Assembly Seat Representing Shorewood, Milwaukee

The tilts the political makeup of the 22nd Assembly District from purple to red, leading incumbent to announce Monday she will run for the new 10th Assembly District representing Shorewood and part of Milwaukee.

After two terms serving North Shore communities in the state Assembly, Pasch said if she wins the election she would move to Milwaukee or Shorewood. That 10th District seat is held by Milwaukee Democratic Rep. Elizabeth Coggs, who is believed to be running for state Senate. Kristopher Rowe, the organizer of the , has  his intentions to run for that Assembly seat.

Pasch said she talked with Rowe about the seat a while ago, but she wanted to wait to see if the redistricting plan would withstand legal challenges. She said Coggs' decision to run for Senate also motivated her to run. Patch has not verified with Coggs that she plans to run for Senate.

Calling the redistricting plan "unconstitutional, secretive, and highly partisan," Pasch said it would have been impossible for her to remain in the 22nd District, which now stretches into Republican-heavy Waukesha and Washington counties. Her current district includes Shorewood, Whitefish Bay, Fox Point and River Hills. Whitefish Bay, Fox Point, and Bayside are now included in Assembly District 23, which is currently represented by Republican Rep. Jim Ott.

"The Republicans’ redistricting plan is one of the most revolting instances of a session full of partisan power grabs and extreme overreaches," she said. "They severely fractured communities of interest in the Milwaukee area and redrew my current district a great distance from the Milwaukee communities I have had the honor to represent.”

A Milwaukee native and a graduate of Milwaukee Public Schools, Pasch said she has worked on Milwaukee issues since she was elected in 2008. In her first term, she authored and co-sponsored bills relating to infant mortality and access to health care and mental health services. In the last session, she worked on creating transitional jobs, Medicare access and a bill removing the civil statute of limitations in sex assault and rape cases involving children.

She said she will be a strong voice for Milwaukee, a voice she said she has demonstrated in her role as the Assistant Assembly Democratic Leader and chair of the Milwaukee Democratic Legislative Caucus.

"I know Milwaukee and Shorewood very well," she said. "I've been working on Milwaukee issues, such as health care access, decreasing incarceration rates, strengthening education and creating family-sustaining jobs."

(This story was updated at 11:37 a.m. Tuesday.)