Rep. Howard Marklein (R–Spring Green) is running for the 17th Senate District seat held by retiring Sen. Dale Schultz (R–Richland Center).

Marklein’s 51st Assembly District seat, as of Monday, has four Republican candidates and two Democratic candidates, with the primary election Aug. 12.

The four Republicans are Dodgeville Mayor Todd Novak, Iowa County Sup. Curt Peterson of Dodgeville, Charles Nichols of Linden, and Kenneth Rynes of Richland Center.

The two Democrats are Pat Bomhack of Spring Green and Richard Cates of Spring Green.

Novak has been mayor of Dodgeville since 2012. He is the associate editor of the Dodgeville Chronicle.

“In the past 24 years I have attended over 600 school and city council meetings and over 400 county board meetings,” said Novak in a news release. “I have spent over two decades holding local government accountable to the people and I want to continue to do that by going to the Capitol.”

Nichols’ website says he “has one overarching ambition — to serve the people of Wisconsin and represent their interests at the local, state and federal levels. As an elected official, Charles believes transparency is the key to a vibrant democracy.”

Peterson is the Town of Dodgeville chairman.

Rynes is Wisconsin commander of the American Legion.

Bomhack lost the 2012 51st District Democratic primary to Maureen May-Grimm of Mineral Point, who then lost to Marklein.

Cates is making his first run for office. He is the son of Richard Lyman Cates, a former state representative and counsel for the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee during the 1973–74 Watergate hearings.

Democrat Ernie Wittwer of Hillpoint is the only Democratic candidate for Schultz’s seat.

The 49th Assembly District currently has just one candidate, Rep. Travis Tranel (R–Cuba City).
The filing deadline for Legislature seats is June 2.

Also up for reelection Nov. 4 are U.S. Reps. Mark Pocan (D–Madison) in the Second Congressional District and Ron Kind (D–La Crosse) in the Third Congressional District.

Neither Kind nor his announced Republican opponent, Ken Van Doren, have filed nomination papers. Pocan also hasn’t filed, but a Republican opponent has — Peter Theron of Madison, who lost to then-Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D–Madison) in 2008 and lost the 2010 Republican primary.