> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://foxwatershed.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Tollefson and Franklin Split on Schools, Health Care and Costs in the 88th - URL: https://foxwatershed.com/assembly-88-tollefson-franklin-2026/ - Published: 2026-10-14T06:27:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-21T06:27:43.000Z - Description: A De Pere school board treasurer wants more for public schools and BadgerCare. The first-term Republican she's challenging is running on bridge, port, and prison money. Here's where they stand on some of the issues. - Author: Ethan Rouse - Tags: The Midterm Monitor, Wisconsin State Politics, Brown County Brown County's 88th Assembly District, decided by [220 votes in 2024](https://ballotpedia.org/Wisconsin%5FState%5FAssembly%5FDistrict%5F88?ref=foxwatershed.com), puts a De Pere school board member who wants more money for public schools and health care against a first-term Republican running on bridge, port and prison money he helped steer into the last state budget. Rep. Ben Franklin, an Air Force veteran who [runs a multi-unit group of Wisconsin restaurants](https://www.franklinforwisconsin.com/about-ben.html?ref=foxwatershed.com), beat Democrat Christy Welch 17,008 to 16,788 for the open seat, which covers De Pere, Allouez, Bellevue, Ledgeview, Rockland and part of Green Bay. Brandy Tollefson, treasurer of the De Pere school board and a mother of three, drew 6,402 votes in her uncontested August primary, about 2,200 more than Franklin got in his. Tollefson's campaign [said in an Oct. 2 release](https://www.wispolitics.com/?p=428709&ref=foxwatershed.com) that she'd raised about $53,000 to Franklin's $16,000, while his campaign took more than $627,000 in in-kind help from the Republican Assembly Campaign Committee, which got $5.5 million from Beloit billionaire Diane Hendricks. Democrats need a net gain of five seats to flip the Assembly, and the [DLCC notes Gov. Tony Evers carried the district](https://www.dlcc.org/?p=19617&ref=foxwatershed.com) in 2022. [Spaude vs. Lindsey: Where the 89th Assembly Candidates StandSpaude and Lindsey agree on housing, courts and closing GBCI but split on vouchers, taxes and Medicaid work rules in the 89th Assembly race.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ed/b4/edb4fd27-66fb-4967-8c7f-ec1cf54dfb05/content/images/size/w256h256/2026/06/transparent-5.png)Fox Watershed![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ed/b4/edb4fd27-66fb-4967-8c7f-ec1cf54dfb05/content/images/size/w1200/2026/10/AA2ak2Za.png)](https://foxwatershed.com/assembly-89-spaude-lindsey-2026/) ## Schools **Brandy Tollefson** [told Up North News](https://upnorthnewswi.com/news/elections/mom-on-a-mission-can-district-88-flip-the-wisconsin-assembly/?ref=foxwatershed.com) that Republican budgets have left public schools underfunded, pushing districts into referendums and higher property taxes. She says the state formula is still pegged to 1993 spending and that revenue limits haven't kept up with inflation. She opposes moving public money to private voucher schools and would scale the program back to its original purpose of helping low-income families, if it isn't ended outright. The statewide teachers union, the Wisconsin Education Association Council, [endorsed her](https://brandyforwisconsin.com/?ref=foxwatershed.com). **Ben Franklin**'s main schools bill, [Assembly Bill 74](https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2025/proposals/ab74?ref=foxwatershed.com), would require schools to tell parents by 5 p.m. the same day when a child is reported as the victim of staff sexual misconduct during school hours, or by noon the next day for reports made later. It [passed the Assembly on a bipartisan vote](https://legis.wisconsin.gov/assembly/88/franklin/press-releases/rep-franklin-s-legislation-requiring-schools-notify-parents-of-sexual-misconduct-passes-assembly/?ref=foxwatershed.com) in March 2025, and the bill history shows no Senate action after that. His campaign site doesn't take a position on school funding or vouchers. ## Health Care **Tollefson** traces her run to her son's type 1 diabetes diagnosis at age 9 and the costs that followed. She [wants to lower prescription drug prices](https://upnorthnewswi.com/news/elections/mom-on-a-mission-can-district-88-flip-the-wisconsin-assembly/?ref=foxwatershed.com), expand BadgerCare and address areas without enough providers. She accuses Franklin and fellow Republicans of trying to strip health protections in favor of insurers, though the reporting doesn't tie that charge to a specific vote. **Franklin** frames his health record around mental health and veterans. His campaign says he's [worked to expand mental health access](https://www.franklinforwisconsin.com/issues.html?ref=foxwatershed.com) and served on the Speaker's Task Force on Protecting Kids, and that one of his veterans bills lets veterans get care closer to home. The 2025-27 budget he called "a major win for Northeast Wisconsin" included [$7 million for the 988 suicide and crisis line](https://legis.wisconsin.gov/assembly/88/franklin/press-releases/rep-franklin-secures-major-wins-for-northeast-wisconsin/?ref=foxwatershed.com). ## Costs and the Economy **Tollefson** lists lowering costs for low- and middle-income families, naming groceries and insurance, among her [three campaign priorities](https://brandyforwisconsin.com/?ref=foxwatershed.com), but her site doesn't lay out specific tax or wage proposals. Her endorsements lean on labor: SEIU Wisconsin, UFCW Local 1473 and the LiUNA Laborers' District Council. **Franklin** points to state money for the district. The budget included [$30 million for the Southern Bridge rail crossing](https://legis.wisconsin.gov/assembly/88/franklin/press-releases/rep-franklin-secures-major-wins-for-northeast-wisconsin/?ref=foxwatershed.com) in East De Pere, from a motion he carried with Sen. Eric Wimberger, and $20 million to expand the Port of Green Bay. He also co-led [2025 Wisconsin Act 165](https://wisconsintechnologycouncil.com/wisconsin-technology-council-applauds-the-legislature-and-governor-for-approving-act-165/?ref=foxwatershed.com), a sales tax exemption for equipment used in fusion energy projects that its backers call the first of its kind in any state. It [passed with nine no votes among 122 legislators](https://urbanmilwaukee.com/pressrelease/two-wisconsin-legislators-receive-emerging-energy-champion-award/?ref=foxwatershed.com), and Franklin says it'll bring high-paying jobs. ## GBCI and Corrections **Franklin** has made closing Green Bay Correctional Institution a signature issue. The budget set aside [$15 million for preliminary closure plans](https://legis.wisconsin.gov/assembly/88/franklin/press-releases/rep-franklin-secures-major-wins-for-northeast-wisconsin/?ref=foxwatershed.com), but Evers line-item vetoed a 2029 closure date, and Franklin [called the prison structurally unsafe](https://legis.wisconsin.gov/assembly/88/franklin/press-releases/reps-franklin-and-steffen-respond-with-disappointment-to-gov-evers-veto-of-gbci-decommission-date/?ref=foxwatershed.com) and older than Alcatraz. His campaign [says there's no final agreement yet](https://www.franklinforwisconsin.com/issues.html?ref=foxwatershed.com) but that meaningful progress has been made. **Tollefson**'s campaign materials don't address GBCI or corrections. ## Voting **Franklin** voted in January 2025 for the constitutional amendment requiring photo ID at the polls, saying it would [shield the law from "frivolous lawsuits and judicial activism"](https://legis.wisconsin.gov/assembly/88/franklin/press-releases/rep-benjamin-franklin-supports-voter-id/?ref=foxwatershed.com). Voters [approved it with about 63% support](https://news.ballotpedia.org/2025/04/03/wisconsin-voters-approve-measure-to-add-voter-photo-id-to-state-constitution/?ref=foxwatershed.com) that April. **Tollefson**'s campaign materials don't address election law. Election Day is Nov. 3, and voters can check their registration and polling place at [MyVote Wisconsin](https://myvote.wi.gov/?ref=foxwatershed.com).