First-term Assembly District 89 Rep. Ryan Spaude, a Democrat and former criminal prosecutor from Ashwaubenon, is running against retired Milwaukee police officer Bobby Lindsey, a Republican. The district includes Ashwaubenon and much of Green Bay’s west side.

The Northeast Wisconsin News Lab sent candidates surveys as part of its coverage of the 2026 election and asked them to limit their answers to 100 words. Their responses are below.

Early, in-person voting starts Oct. 20. To find out the races on your ballot, where to vote, how to get an absentee ballot, go to MyVote Wisconsin website at myvote.wi.gov.

Ryan Spaude, Democrat

Age: 32

Residence: Ashwaubenon

Occupation: Attorney; General Assembly representative

Relevant experience: Spaude was a criminal prosecutor before he ran for state assembly in 2024. He was a prosecutor in Brown County District Attorney’s office for about three years, prosecuting drunk drivers and keeping our streets safe. In his first term, his focus has been on getting more money into the pockets of his constituents and keeping streets safe. He has co-sponsored legislation to lower the cost of groceries, housing and prescription drugs. He also has authored bills to curb reckless driving and closed loopholes in drunk driving laws.

Campaign website: Standwithspaude.com

Bobby Lindsey, Republican

Age: 61

Residence: Green Bay

Occupation: Retired police officer, current law Enforcement Educator at various NE Wisconsin Technical Colleges

Relevant experience: I am a husband, father, retired law enforcement professional, and a United States Marine Corps veteran, I have the life experience, educational background, and professional human services experience needed to understand the priorities of our communities and enhance efforts to deliver meaningful change.

Campaign website: Lindseyforassembly.com https://www.lindseyforassembly.com

Wisconsin has a large budget surplus. What should lawmakers prioritize: tax cuts, increased spending on public services, or something else?

Spaude: We can walk and chew bubble gum at the same time. I support using our budget surplus in a way that helps taxpayers and our public schools. I voted for the deal reached between Gov. Tony Evers and Republicans in the legislature. I was one of 10 Democrats to vote for the deal, which returned money to taxpayers and also made critical investments in our schools.

Lindsey: The budget surplus is an excess collection of Wisconsin taxpayers hard-earned dollars. While it is important that state government continues to invest in critical infrastructure, public schools and public safety, it is equally important that we return this money to the pockets of Wisconsin taxpayers.

What policies are most important to address Wisconsinites’ concerns about cost of living?

Spaude: Anything to get more money in people’s pockets -- anything that will help working families -- is a good thing. The very first month on the job, I introduced a set of bills to lower the cost of groceries, housing and prescription drugs. This package of bills never got a hearing, and that’s because Republican leadership blocked it. We need everyone to come to the table, and we need to actually take up common-sense bills that will lower the cost of living.

Lindsey: It is critically important that Wisconsin lawmakers work to ease the pain of national inflation and rising costs. This includes working to lower property taxes, reduce income taxes and ensure that Wisconsinites are not being taken advantage of by big insurance companies and pharmacy benefit managers. In the Assembly, I will support legislation that tackles each of these priorities.

Housing costs have risen in many Wisconsin communities. What role should state government play in creating more affordable housing?

Spaude: We have a housing shortage. Specifically, there are not enough units on the market. Here in Green Bay, the increase in short-term rental units where the owner doesn’t live in our community has been a strain on our housing stock. I support legislation that would give municipalities the ability to regulate short-term rentals. This is a top issue in my district and something that I am working hard to address. Because of an old law, the state government prohibits municipalities from zoning short-term rentals. I’m working to fix that.

Lindsey: We must focus on making it easier and less expensive to build more homes without restricting local control. I believe too much regulation and red tape can drive up the cost of construction and make it harder for families to afford a home. We should work to reduce those barriers, increase the supply of housing and support programs that help working families and first-time homebuyers. The answer is not simply more government spending. We need to build more homes, lower the cost of construction and make Wisconsin a place where working families can afford to live.

What policies would best address Wisconsinites’ concerns about property taxes?

Spaude: When the state government fails to adequately fund our public schools, it forces school districts to go to referendums. What’s a referendum? It’s us voting to increase our own darn property taxes. We need the state government to invest a significant amount of our surplus into funding our public schools. When we do that, we won’t see as many referendums and our property taxes won’t keep going up.

Lindsey: Funding of public education has been an issue and has been tied to property taxes for years. Schools often rely on local referendums for funding staffing, programs and maintenance. Property taxes continue to rise year after year. A major cause of this increase is an increased burden on local taxpayers when voters approve a referendum for our schools. In Madison, I believe that we can utilize a portion of the state budget surplus to provide additional funding to our schools. I also believe that the 400-year increase in funding for schools should be repealed and instead we should restructure the existing state funding formula for our public schools to ensure that we are providing the proper resources to each school district in Wisconsin.

Should the state direct more funding toward voucher and school-choice programs and what evidence supports your position?

Spaude: No, public tax dollars should go to public schools. I support sunsetting the statewide voucher program. We need to end the voucher program in a responsible manner. Right now public tax dollars are going to private schools that are not held to the same standards with teachers that are not always trained and that can refuse to accept students with disabilities. We need to make sure public money goes to public purposes. We need to stop sending that money out the door to private, unaccountable organizations. We need to put that money in our public schools.

Lindsey: I believe parents should be able to choose the school that is right for their child. I support school choice, but I also believe our public schools need to be a priority. Most Wisconsin students attend public schools, and we need to make sure those schools have the funding and resources they need to succeed in our communities. I would support school choice programs while also increasing our support for public school systems. We must make sure every child in Wisconsin can receive a quality education, regardless of where they go to school.

What steps can the Legislature take to alleviate court backlogs and address the need for more judges, prosecutors and public defenders?

Spaude: As a former prosecutor, this is a personal issue. Right now in Brown County, we have a significant backlog of cases. I voted for legislation that would have created additional positions for the Brown County Courthouse, for more judges, prosecutors and public defenders. This passed the assembly but not the state senate. If I’m reelected, I promise to keep working with State Sen. Jamie Wall to get the job done.

Lindsey: The Legislature began to address this issue during the most recent budget (process) by providing additional funding to the Wisconsin Court System. I would support further study on this issue and would support legislation that would provide additional resources for Wisconsin courts, specifically for additional prosecutors and public defenders, especially in areas like Brown County where we have struggled with court backlogs for years now. Additional resources are needed to ensure our court system is accessible to everyone while preserving constitutional rights and public safety.

How do you feel about the number of prisons in Wisconsin - should there be more? Less? Why?

Spaude: Violent criminals belong behind bars. I support efforts to safely close Green Bay Correctional Institute (GBCI) without letting offenders back onto our streets. If somebody is currently confined to GBCI, they should continue serving the rest of their sentence in another state institution.

Lindsey: Our focus needs to be on ensuring that Wisconsin correctional institutions are safe for both inmates and prison staff. In Green Bay, our prison is outdated and overpopulated. I believe that we must work with the next governor to create a plan for its closure and the relocation of existing inmates. I would support legislation that provides funding for its closure and for relocating the existing prison population.

How significant an issue is climate change? What would you advocate for related to climate change if elected?

Spaude: Climate change is real. I co-sponsored legislation this past session of the Legislature to rein in carbon emissions. We need to be looking for more renewable energy sources. I’m an “all of the above” advocate when it comes to renewable energy sources.

Lindsey: I don’t think that the issue of climate change is a political issue. I think Democrats and Republicans alike want clean air and water, and I believe that at the state level we can provide meaningful support programs to achieve these goals without placing overburdensome regulation on Wisconsin manufacturers, farmers and other businesses.

Wisconsin’s bipartisan support for a PFAS law to hold polluters accountable and the state’s lower maximum contaminant levels for drinking water put it out in front nationally on forever-chemical protections. Some say the best way to prevent PFAS contaminations is to outlaw their use, while others hope to reverse the regulations. How important is this issue? What still needs to be addressed? How should remediation costs be raised?

Spaude: In this past session of the legislature, I was proud to unlock critical state funding to remedy PFAS in Wisconsin. PFAS is certainly a concern in Northeast Wisconsin. While most of my constituents do not rely on well water, I do know many surrounding communities that do. I will continue to work with my colleagues in the Legislature who have districts that are most affected by PFAS. I am committed to working with them to address this issue.

Lindsey: PFAS is an important issue because every Wisconsin family deserves clean, safe drinking water. We need to take contamination seriously, but we also need to make sure we are basing our policy decisions on facts. I also believe taxpayers should not be stuck paying for pollution they did not cause. Companies responsible for PFAS contamination should be held accountable and pay for cleanup when they can be identified. The state also should make sure communities have the resources they need to address contamination when widespread contamination is found.

What do you think of the implementation process for the new Medicaid work requirements so far in Wisconsin? What has worked? What could be improved?

Spaude: It’s a crying shame we’re in this position. These new Medicaid work requirements come from the One Big Beautiful Bill that President Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans passed last year. Nobody asked for the Big Beautiful Bill. In the legislature, I voted to allocate additional funding to the Department of Health Services (DHS), so it can implement the new requirement and provide necessary oversight. I wish we weren’t in this situation, but we’re going to get this right and we’re going to make sure Wisconsin doesn’t lose out on any federal money.

Lindsey: The federal Medicaid work requirements for adults who can work takes effect this January. I believe that public assistance should help people get back on their feet, not become a permanent replacement for a paycheck. At the same time, we need to make sure people who cannot work are protected. The requirements should be easy to understand, and no one should lose their health care simply because they had trouble with paperwork or navigating the system.

What do you think about funding the 988 crisis line long-term at the state level?

Spaude: I support permanent state funding for the 988 crisis line. It’s a shame we’re in this spot that we still haven’t solved this issue. This is something I think Republicans and Democrats can get behind. We need to fund this permanently in Madison.

Lindsey: I support continuing to fund 988. As a former police officer, I have seen firsthand what happens when someone is in a mental health or substance abuse crisis and does not know where to turn. Having a number people can call and get connected with help is important. I also think we need to make sure 988 works hand in hand with local police, EMS and health care providers. If we are going to fund it long term, we should make sure it is working and that taxpayer dollars are being spent responsibly.

This story was produced as part of the NEW (Northeast Wisconsin) News Lab, a consortium of five news outlets.