Assembly District 51 - Competitive Race
+5 Dem prediction, but won 3.5 Republican in 2024, so well call this one a toss up!
The 51st Assembly went to Republican Todd Novak who defeated Democrat Elizabeth Grabe by 1160 votes. Novak is not the worse Republican on the issue and his elections have always been close.
Rep. Todd Novak (R ) - AB 606 co-sponsor 3 Tier Bill in 2025-26.
Novak has not been the worse Republican on marijuana reform. Wisconsin saw two versions of medical marijuana legislation for the 2019-2020 session and Rep. Novak sponsored both of them. 84% of his district supporting medical marijuana reform on a constituent survey. Citizen lobbyists in the district reported this rep supported reform measures, we expected Rep. Novak to make a move and continue to support common sense legislation. In the 2021-22 session, he only sided with Republicans and only on medical, as he was absent from decriminalization measures. The 2024 GOP Assembly medical cannabis proposal met opposition at many levels and did not attract Novak as a co-sponsor, but along comes 2025-26 after a very close election and Novak was a co-sponsor of the controversial GOP medical marijuana bill submitted in 2025, but denied a public hearing in the assembly:
Novak: Facebook, Website, novak4assembly@gmail.com
VS
Ben Gruber (D)
Gruber Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BenGruberforAssembly
Gruber Website: https://www.ben-gruber.com/
Email: ben@ben-gruber.com
from the website: Ben built his life in public service. He’s been a volunteer EMT, a firefighter, a paramedic, a police officer and today serves as a conservation warden stopping polluters, catching poachers, and rescuing injured hikers from the bluffs of Devils Lake
VS (Third Party Alert)
Nathan Tatajie - American Solidarity Party; which the party has a party platform that does not really support marijuana legalization: We acknowledge that recreational drug use is a social harm. Drug-law enforcement should focus on preventing distribution and production rather than on punishing users. Funds currently expended on the “war on drugs” should be redirected toward prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation. However, we oppose forms of drug legalization that promote the development of recreational drugs as a corporate industry. Interview: Spotify – Web Player
Geo: All of Iowa and Lafayette Counties, parts of W Dane, E Grant; cities of Cuba City, Darlington, Dodgeville, Mineral Point, and Shullsburg, and the villages of Arena, Argyle, Avoca, Barneveld, Belmont, Benton, Blanchardville, Blue Mounds, Blue River, Cobb, Gratiot, Hazel Green, Highland, Hollandale, Linden, Livingston, Montfort, Mount Horeb, Muscoda, Rewey, Ridgeway, and South Wayne.
Activists in the area?
Key Canna businesses located in the district?
Strategies? We would need Novak to move over to AB 747 and withdraw his co-sponsorship from AB 606 before session ends to show he is listening and responding to constituents. We are working to obtain the view from the Gruber campaign using the initial following tools and discussing how the third party candidate will impact this race.
2026 Wisconsin Candidate Hemp Cannabis Resource Guide Page and Links