Campaign Spotlight: Assembly District 8
In Milwaukee’s South Side Assembly District 8, candidate Enrique Murguia is running to unseat current Representative Sylvia Ortiz-Velez. As part of Milwaukee Beagle’s ongoing August primary election coverage, we will not be coy about our opinion regarding the candidates, while still staying true to our values and what the facts tell us. We know those who speak truth to power are often vastly underfunded compared to those who maintain the status quo. We hope to do our part to even the playing field so voters can be fully informed this election cycle. Given that in this race there is an incumbent, the first place we should look is Ortiz-Velez’s record —and there are some glaring red flags. All things considered, it is clear that District 8 needs new representation. Milwaukee Beagle spoke with Enrique Murguia in preparation for this article about how he would better represent District 8.
All quotes have been lightly edited for clarity
Ortiz-Velez’s Voting Record
Ortiz-Velez on numerous occasions has abandoned the Democratic Party to instead vote with Republicans. She brags on her website about being the only Assembly Democrat to vote for Wisconsin’s new, still unfair maps. Milwaukee Beagle has previously covered that, while these maps are an improvement, they still are favored towards Republicans. Every other Democrat in the Assembly understood this, but Ortiz-Velez decided to side with the Republican majority. She also allied with Republicans when it came to increasing charter school funding. When it comes to Republicans’ reactionary culture wars, Ortiz-Velez voted with Republicans as they fought to compromise public safety by seeking to exempt houses of worship from emergency orders. She co-sponsored a bill that would contribute even more to the over-policing of students and posed serious concerns about privacy violations. Passing over-policing and overly punitive legislation is a point of pride in Ortiz-Velez’s mailers. While Ortiz-Velez is not a registered Republican, she does vote with them more than one would expect.
Wisconsin’s new maps will give Democrats a fighting chance but any vote will be extremely close. Can Ortiz-Velez be relied on to vote for our values?
Regarding Ortiz-Velez’s voting record Murguia replied that, “Not a lot of people even know who she is. Going against an incumbent can be really hard. But this one doesn't show up for the community. I try not to attack her or say anything, but if you do a little research into who she is, she just sides with Republicans. She can run as a Democrat, but when she's in Madison, she tends to vote with Republicans, so it's kind of scary. You really can't trust that.”
Campaign Contributions
The amount of money being spent in this campaign is incredibly lopsided, Ortiz-Velez has accumulated $14,190 and spent $10,718 this year while Murguia has only received $2,028 and spent $1,513. So where is Ortiz-Velez’s money coming from? Her campaign finance reports, similar to her voting record, have some major red flags. One of her top donors is The Concerned Realtors Committee, who also donated $3,000 to Republican candidate for Wisconsin Supreme Court Daniel Kelly. Additionally, one of her top individual donors has given $4,000 to the Committee to Elect a Republican Senate.
Regarding the huge disparity of resources in this race, Murguia replied that “It is an uphill battle…she's able to get more done when it comes to buying literature and sending out mailers. I feel like it's just a waste of money. She's wasting resources that she could have spent on having forums, town halls, or just stuff that would help people. Rather than getting mailers, people want to talk to the candidate. People want to see you. They want to know that you're there when they need you. This is something that you can't just do around election time. You have to continue throughout the year because each neighborhood is different in the 8th district. There isn't one fix for all the community. This district is super special and you know, it starts with listening to the needs of the community and showing up when they need you. You need to be accessible. I'd host more town halls and connect with folks. I wouldn't just be out in the community when it's time to vote.”
Enrique Murguia
One of the major reasons behind Murguia’s decision to run was in fact Ortiz-Velez’s absence from the community. “I’ve done stuff in the community, working for different nonprofits doing art projects and even being an organizer in 2018. This district was the hardest to organize. I started to see people were excited about making the community a better place, but there wasn't anybody who was activating that. You hear people in the area talk about how their current representative isn't really helping the neighborhood. We just can't sit back and let this continue to happen because if it wasn't for me, a lot of people are scared to go against an incumbent. It's really important that we don't settle for what we got… This community deserves so much more than what it's currently getting. I wish I didn't have to run but we have to make a change.”
When asked about his priorities if elected, Murguia discussed “I want to focus on making sure that everybody has a drivers license. I'm a 1st generation Mexican American so that's really important. And quality education and more resources for MPS. My sister is a third grade teacher and just to get the basics she has to do fundraisers or ask parents to support. Focusing on mental health and sexual and reproductive health care. That's super important as well.”
We would be remiss to not address the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel recent article regarding OWI charges Murguia faced back in 2020. Murguia posted a video in response, and commented “Mental health issues, depression, and alcoholism have always been a part of my life. I've seen the devastating impact it had. I lost a brother a few years ago.I know firsthand how these issues are not only impacting me, but so many people in the community. Going through these things, I was able to grow and learn. I want to be an advocate. There's a lot of stigma around mental health and depression. As a leader, I feel that if I'm open and honest, I can help somebody who might be scared to share these kind of things. I can help them overcome it before they have to go through something traumatic. This is really important to me. My father has been sober for 32 years and that saved our family. I now understand healthy ways to deal with these issues and I want to end stigma and advocate for more resources and more funding for mental health services.
The Choice Voters Face
Murguia best summed up the choice voters face this Tuesday “I represent democratic values. I'm willing to do the work. You see in politics now where you just have to look the part and you don't really have to do much for the community. You wear a specific suit or look a certain way and you just collect a paycheck and then you retire. When you vote for me, you're not just getting a politician, you're getting somebody who's going to be out in the community, putting in the work, talking to people, and creating innovative ideas to solve our problems that we're facing and enhancing those beautiful things that we already have.”
You can donate to Murguia’s campaign or learn more on his website.
