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Wisconsin's 71st
State Assembly district
Wisconsin's 71st; State Assembly district
	2024 map defined in 2023 Wisc. Act 94; 2022 map defined in Johnson v. Wisconsin Elections Commission; 2011 map was defined in 2011 Wisc. Act 43
Assemblymember
	Katrina Shankland; D–Stevens Point
	since January 7, 2013 (11 years)
Demographics	89.32% White; 1.86% Black; 3.13% Hispanic; 3.76% Asian; 1.51% Native American; 0.13% Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
Population (2020); • Voting age	59,463; 47,994
Website	Official website
Notes	Central Wisconsin

The 71st Assembly district of Wisconsin is one of 99 districts in the Wisconsin State Assembly.^[1] 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.^[2] The district is represented by Democrat Katrina Shankland, since January 2013.^[3] Shankland did not run for re-election in 2024 and will be succeeded by Democrat Vinnie Miresse in 2025.

The 71st Assembly district is located within Wisconsin's 24th Senate district, along with the 70th and 72nd Assembly districts.^[4]

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.^[5] 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 it's 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.

Matthias Mitchell public square in downtown Stevens Point
Old Main building on the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point campus
Amherst, Wisconsin

List of past representatives

List of representatives to the Wisconsin State Assembly from the 71st district
Member	Party	Residence	Counties represented	Term start	Term end	Ref.
District created
Leonard A. Groshek	Dem.	Stevens Point	Portage	January 1, 1973	January 1, 1979
David Helbach	Dem.	Stevens Point	Portage	January 1, 1979	January 3, 1983
Donald K. Stitt	Rep.	Port Washington	Ozaukee, Sheboygan	January 3, 1983	January 7, 1985
Stan Gruszynski	Dem.	Stevens Point	Portage, Waupaca	January 7, 1985	January 2, 1995
Stan Gruszynski	Dem.	Stevens Point	Portage, Waushara	January 7, 1985	January 2, 1995
William Murat	Dem.	Stevens Point		January 2, 1995	January 4, 1999
Julie Lassa	Dem.	Plover		January 4, 1999	May 9, 2003	^[6]
--Vacant--				May 9, 2003	August 11, 2003
Louis Molepske	Dem.	Stevens Point		August 11, 2003	January 7, 2013
Katrina Shankland	Dem.	Stevens Point	Portage	January 7, 2013	Current	^[3]

Electoral history

Year	Date	Elected				Defeated				Total	Plurality	Other primary candidates
2012^[7]	Nov. 6	Katrina Shankland	Democratic	17,619	60.82%	Patrick Testin	Rep.	11,279	38.94%	28,968	6,340	Corey D. Ladick (Dem.) Jeri McGinkey (Dem.) Andrew Logan Beveridge (Dem.) David J. Verhage (Dem.) Tom Mallison (Dem.) Robert L. Steinke (Dem.) Laura Hauser-Menting (Dem.) Hans Schmid (Dem.)
2014^[8]	Nov. 4	Katrina Shankland (inc.)	Democratic	17,134	97.79%	--unopposed--				17,521	16,747
2016^[9]	Nov. 8	Katrina Shankland (inc.)	Democratic	21,834	98.90%					22,076	21,592
2018^[10]	Nov. 6	Katrina Shankland (inc.)	Democratic	20,548	97.75%					21,022	20,074
2020^[11]	Nov. 3	Katrina Shankland (inc.)	Democratic	17,753	55.51%	Scott C. Soik	Rep.	14,206	44.42%	31,979	3,547
2022^[12]	Nov. 8	Katrina Shankland (inc.)	Democratic	15,930	57.05%	Scott C. Soik	Rep.	11,976	42.89%	27,923	3,954
2024^[13]	Nov. 5	Vinnie Miresse	Democratic	18,631	53.13%	Bob Pahmeier	Rep.	16,416	46.82%	35,065	2,215