| Wisconsin's 79th State Assembly district | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | |||||
    2024 map defined in2023 Wisc. Act 94 2022 map defined inJohnson v. Wisconsin Elections Commission 2011 map was defined in2011 Wisc. Act 43 | |||||
| Assemblymember |
| ||||
| Demographics | 72.54% White 7.39% Black 7.88% Hispanic 10.68% Asian 1.57% Native American 0.11% Hawaiian/Pacific Islander | ||||
| Population (2020) • Voting age | 60,002 48,827 | ||||
| Website | Official website | ||||
| Notes | Madison, Wisconsin | ||||
The79th Assembly district ofWisconsin is one of 99 districts in theWisconsin State Assembly.[1] Located in south-centralWisconsin, the district is entirely contained within the city ofMadison, in centralDane County. The district comprises much of the west side of the city of Madison.[2] The district is represented byDemocratLisa Subeck, since January 2025; Subeck previously represented the 78th district from 2015 to 2025.[3]
The 79th Assembly district is located withinWisconsin's 27th Senate district, along with the80th and81st Assembly districts.[4]
The 79th Assembly district has had a volatile history inredistricting, and has had four major changes to its composition in the seven redistricting cycles since its creation.
The district was initially drawn encompassing most of Marquette County, the southern halves of Adams and Juneau counties, and parts of northern Columbia County and northern Sauk County. The first representative of the district wasTommy Thompson, who previously represented the Adams–Juneau–Marquette district. The 1982 court-ordered redistricting moved the 79th district to the city ofAppleton, Wisconsin, in Outagamie County, roughly taking the place of the42nd Assembly district. The Legislature's 1983 redistricting act moved the district to south-central Wisconsin, comprising the southwest corner of Dane County, most of the northern quarter of Green County, and a small part of northwestern Rock County. The 1992 redistricting made only minor changes to the 1983 map, but added half of the city of Middleton, which would become an anchor for the district over the next 30 years. The 2002 map added more of Middleton and shrunk the geographic footprint of the district to a strip of western Dane County. The 2011 redistricting act shed the towns of western Dane County and shifted the district to north-central Dane County, adding the village of Waunakee. As the population of Middleton and Waunakee surged 25% and 23%, respectively, from the 2010 to 2020 census, the district shed remaining rural towns and became more concentrated around those two municipalities. The 2024 redistricting shifted the district entirely into the city of Madison.
For notable past representatives, Tommy Thompson went on to become the 42ndGovernor of Wisconsin and 19thUnited States Secretary of Health and Human Services.David Prosser, Jr., went on to serve on theWisconsin Supreme Court for 18 years.Joe Wineke later served as Chairman of theDemocratic Party of Wisconsin.
| Member | Party | Residence | Counties represented | Term start | Term end | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District created | ||||||
| Tommy Thompson | Rep. | Elroy | Columbia,Juneau,Marquette,Sauk | January 1, 1973 | January 3, 1983 | |
| David Prosser Jr. | Rep. | Appleton | Outagamie | January 3, 1983 | January 7, 1985 | |
| Joe Wineke | Dem. | Verona | Dane,Green,Rock | January 7, 1985 | April 20, 1993 | |
| --Vacant-- | Dane,Green | April 20, 1993 | July 11, 1993 | |||
| Rick Skindrud | Rep. | Mount Horeb | July 11, 1993 | January 6, 2003 | ||
| Sondy Pope-Roberts | Dem. | Dane | January 6, 2003 | January 7, 2013 | ||
| Dianne Hesselbein | Dem. | Middleton | January 7, 2013 | January 2, 2023 | [5] | |
| Alex Joers | Dem. | January 3, 2023 | January 6, 2025 | [6] | ||
| Lisa Subeck | Dem. | Madison | January 6, 2025 | Current | [3] | |