UWSP student eyes Assembly seat

by Nick Paulson, Stevens Point Journal

Dustin Klein realizes some people aren't going to take his candidacy for the state Assembly seriously, but his run is no laughing matter.

"I'm not a typical candidate," Klein said. "But I am a very serious one."

Klein, a 19-year-old sophomore at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, is running for the 24th Assembly District, northwest of Milwaukee.

His candidacy is an uphill battle all the way, and Klein admits it will be tough. He is running against an incumbent, albeit one who is finishing up his first term. He is a Democrat running in a conservative-leaning district. By attending UWSP this spring, he will be living out of the district, although he said he could transfer to a school closer to the district if things are going well in the fall.

But these challenges don't mean his fight will be impossible to win.

"People who are young, students, have won various state offices," said Ed Miller, a UWSP political science professor.

Miller said Klein's two biggest challenges are facing an incumbent and raising enough money to defeat one. Incumbents, especially at the state level, typically must spend far less money to keep a seat than a challenger must to win one.

Dan Knodl, the district's incumbent assemblyman, is a 48-year-old businessman with plenty of ties in the community. He is a member of a number of area organizations and served as a Washington County supervisor for two years before being elected to the Assembly in 2008. Knodl did not return a call for comment.

For every question or problem raised, Klein said he has a plan.

His war chest is small, with about $1,000 raised since he filed his papers about a month ago. But he has begun creating relationships with "shared interests," groups he feels would support him, such as Fair Wisconsin or the League of Conservation Voters. He also is garnering support from county Democratic parties, in Waukesha county in particular. He hopes to gain the support of the Assembly Democratic Campaign Committee after the Sept. 14 primary.

"Traditionally, state assembly campaigns take about $100,000," Klein said. "We intend to raise $150,000."

Klein also plans to spend the summer canvassing the district. Once classes end in May, the real work will begin, and he plans to knock on at least 15,000 doors twice. He will share his experience -- having been involved in liberal politics in the state since the age of 14, serving in Amnesty International, the Gay-Straight Alliance and the American Civil Liberties Union, along with his current work with the Wisconsin Public Interest Research Group -- along with his big issues -- transportation, health care and education.

By getting face time and talking with as many people as will listen, Klein hopes to overcome the assumptions many constituents might have when they hear his age.

"I think the most serious thing you can do is meet a person," he said. "If a candidate comes to my door, the first thing that's going to hit me is their appearance. But you can learn a lot about them in that first five minutes."