87th AD Republican primary candidates Brent Jacobson and challenger Cory Sillars both would consider medical marijuana legalization, but differ on whether Joe Biden won the 2020 election.
Jacobson is mayor of Mosinee, a Marathon County supervisor, chair of the Mosinee Plan Commission and chair of the Marathon County Public Safety Committee. Sillars is a trustee for the village of Rib Mountain, member of the Wausau School Board since 2022 and small business owner.
Jacobson, 40, and Sillars, 52, spoke to WisPolitics about their platforms.
The winner of the primary will face Dem William Switalla, D-Wittenberg, who is running unopposed in the primary. James Edming, R-Glen Flora, represented the 87th AD since 2015, but announced his retirement after the maps were redrawn this year. The 87th AD in northwest Wisconsin includes parts of Marathon County, Waupaca County, Portage County and Shawano County. It is 63% Republican.
On abortion access, Sillars told WisPolitics in an interview that he is “very pro-life” and would prefer to see no abortions at all, but proposed that lawmakers “consider enacting a law that would allow women and providers to make the choice on their own and decriminalize abortion.”
“But I’m not in favor of killing any babies whatsoever,” Sillars said.
In a follow-up email for clarification, Sillars said he would “support a straight ban on abortion.”
Jacobson — who is endorsed by Pro-Life Wisconsin — said he is in favor of a measure stricter than Wisconsin’s current 20-week abortion ban because he believes in a “no exceptions” approach.
“I intend to champion [Pro-Life Wisconsin’s] values and work closely with them if I’m elected in the Legislature,” Jacobson said. “I’m a strong believer in life and a strong believer in the no- exceptions platform that is championed by Pro-Life Wisconsin, and I’m honored to have their endorsement.”
Sillars and Jacobson differed on whether they believe Biden won the 2020 presidential election — Sillars said he did not think Biden won, while Jacobson said he did.
“I think there’s information in multiple states that show something happened,” Sillars said. “Whether that can be definitively proven or not, I believe there’s information that may show that. I have not reviewed any of that [information], but as a personal gut feeling, I do not feel that he actually won.”
Jacobson said he believes Biden won, but would still like to see election reform in Wisconsin.
“I believe there’s fraud in every election and I, as an attorney, am a strong believer in continuing to ask questions and look at how shortfalls in the system can be improved and eliminated for the future,” Jacobson said.
Jacobson added: “I think the [Wisconsin] Supreme Court clearly got it wrong in allowing absentee ballot drop boxes to once again be used by clerks.”
Both Jacobson and Sillars said they oppose legalizing marijuana for recreational purposes, but would be open to legalizing marijuana for medical use if physician oversight was required.
“I think too many negative things could happen if it’s just given out as a prescription,” Sillars said.
Jacobson said there was a time in his life when he would have said no to the legalization of marijuana for medical purposes, but now he is open to hearing the points on it.
“I am a believer it’s a gateway drug,” Jacobson said. “Another concern of mine is that if you legalize marijuana and allow it to be sold at retail, and then it gets in the hands of dealers who will further manipulate that with more potent drugs in hopes of getting the purchaser hooked on it.”
In addition:
- Both candidates support GOP efforts seeking to ban transgender athletes from playing girls sports.
- Both candidates support reducing or eliminating diversity, equity and inclusion positions in state government including at the University of Wisconsin.
This is a continuation of a series of WisPolitics interviews with Assembly primary candidates.
