35th Assembly District candidates answer questions ahead of Tuesday’s election

Two candidates are running for the 35th Assembly District seat in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election. Incumbent Calvin Callahan and challenger Elizabeth McCrank responded to questions from the Merrill Foto News about their backgrounds, experience, and reasons for seeking office. Their responses follow.

Calvin Callahan

Age: 27

Family: My family has deep roots across the Northwoods, from the Callahans of Lincoln and Marathon counties to the Hoffmans of Merrill, the Zahrts of the Town of Easton, and the Shanaks of the Town of Hewitt.

Employment/position: State Representative, 35th Assembly District

Past or present elected offices held, dates served: Wisconsin State Assembly, 35th District, January 2021 to present. Lincoln County Board of Supervisors, 2018–2023. Town of Wilson Board, 2019–2021.

Membership in religious, service, fraternal, etc., clubs or organizations, and offices held, dates served: Lincoln County Republican Party (Chairman, 2018–2020); Langlade County Republican Party; Marathon County Republican Party; NRA; Somo ATV Club; Somo Fish and Game Club; Wisconsin ATV/UTV Association; Wisconsin Bear Hunters Association; Wisconsin Trappers Association.

Why have you chosen to run for the office you seek? I was raised in Tomahawk, and I first ran on a simple vision: your kids and grandkids should be able to afford to live, work, and raise families here in the Northwoods. We’ve made real progress, but families are still squeezed by higher prices, property taxes, and health care costs.
Since taking office, I’ve voted for more than $5 billion in tax cuts for Wisconsin families. More than $2 billion of that is already law, including cutting the middle-class income tax rate from 6.27% to 5.3%. I also voted to double the state child care tax credit, putting more money back in the pockets of more than 110,000 working families. I voted to cut the middle-class rate even further, to end state income tax on overtime and tips, and to send surplus refunds back to taxpayers. I’ll keep fighting to return Wisconsin’s surplus to the hardworking people who earned it.
As Vice Chair of the Insurance Committee, I’ve worked to protect consumers and lower health care costs. This session I authored three new insurance laws. 2025 Wisconsin Act 230 protects homeowners filing property insurance claims from misleading contractor practices. Act 122 modernizes our state’s insurance laws. Act 23 gives patients more health care options through nonprofit cooperatives. I also co-authored Act 147, which lets patients get discounts for paying their medical bills promptly, and Act 102, which extends health coverage for new moms after childbirth. And I co-authored a law bringing more dietitians to Wisconsin through a licensing compact, helping rural patients get the care they need. Telehealth is a lifeline up here, so I voted to expand it by letting more out-of-state providers treat Wisconsin patients from home.

As Chair of the Consumer Protection Committee, I’ll keep standing up for families against scams and hidden costs. I voted for the historic 2023 shared revenue increase, bringing our tax dollars back home for police, fire, EMS, and roads instead of letting them be used for Madison and Milwaukee. I’ve stood up for our county forests and timber jobs.
I’ll always stand up for our sporting heritage and your Second Amendment rights. I’m proud to be the only candidate in this race endorsed by five sheriffs in our district, and I’m endorsed by the NRA.
To my friends and neighbors of the district, I ask for your votes on Nov. 3.

Elizabeth McCrank

Age: 63

Family: One old dog, one young dog

Employment/position: Educator, UW-Extension

Past or present elected offices held, dates served: Lincoln County Board, 2020–present

Membership in religious, service, fraternal, etc., clubs or organizations, and offices held, dates served: Lincoln County Sports Club, Merrill Noon Optimists, Merrill Historical Society (board member, 2024–present), Merrill Foundation (president, 2024)

Why have you chosen to run for the office you seek? I believe people on all sides of the aisle deserve respectful representation. Getting elected to office does not mean you are given permission to do whatever you want or whatever you like while ignoring what large groups of the people in your community want or ask for. I believe in servant leadership — that an elected official works FOR the people and that elected office is not a path to enrich oneself or a way to avoid full-time employment.

I believe most people want their lives to be normal, want their government to keep things running, and don’t want every little thing to be a struggle. It is the job of government to make people’s everyday lives function. Drama, mudslinging, and self-enrichment are all unacceptable. People want to be able to focus on their own lives, not have to deal every day with drama, hardship, or instability. That’s why I am running for the 35th Assembly District seat.