David Sanchez
Attorney
Democrat
Wauwatosa
Elected Experience
None
Q&A with the Candidate
Why should voters elect you?
Whenever a longtime representative leaves, voters want to know their replacement understands local pressures and has the practical expertise to deliver solutions. From hundreds of conversations with my Wauwatosa neighbors and voters across District 13, families are deeply concerned about underfunded public schools, skyrocketing childcare and healthcare costs, and direct threats to reproductive freedom and democratic institutions. Addressing these critical challenges requires leaders with proven, practical problem-solving ability. As an experienced attorney and former Wisconsin Supreme Court law clerk to Justice Rebecca Dallet, I believe I have the legal skillset and state government experience needed to hit the ground running. That means being ready to negotiate and draft sound policy that addresses those local issues from day one.
What is the top issue in your district? How would you address it?
Affordability generally, and rising property taxes, specifically, are the most common themes I have heard when knocking doors across District 13. Families across the state are being squeezed by the rising cost of utilities, childcare and healthcare, but Wauwatosa property taxes have increased sharply in recent years due to school referendums caused by decades of underfunding of our public schools. We need to revisit the school funding formula to restore the historic two-thirds state funding commitment, increase special education cost reimbursements to between 60% and 90%, and tie local revenue limits directly to CPI so that school funding naturally keeps pace with inflation. All of these solutions will directly reduce the burden on local property taxpayers.
How should Wisconsin government operate differently than in the past?
Voters are fed up with performative politics. They want action, even if it means progress in lieu of perfection. I am hopeful that the pendulum in Wisconsin government will begin swinging away from political gridlock and extreme partisanship back towards the pragmatic politics of the 1990s, when elected officials listened to their constituents, got to know their colleagues and actually worked together to pass thoughtful policies that made life a little easier for Wisconsinites.
What is your favorite fun Wisconsin history fact?
The vote for Wisconsin statehood failed on its first attempt in 1846 because the proposed constitution was considered "too radical" for giving married women the right to own property. After the initial constitution was rejected, the clause was removed and Wisconsin achieved statehood in 1848. Then two years into statehood, the new Legislature passed a law granting married women the same property rights that had been rejected just four years earlier!