The Wisconsin Assembly Democrats’ official 2026 candidate handbook omits sitting Rep. Sylvia Ortiz-Velez of the 8th Assembly District but includes her primary challenger, Ismael Luna, even as it features other Democratic incumbents who also face primary opposition.
The 103-page “Path to the Assembly Majority” guide, released by Assembly Democrats to showcase candidates for a potential chamber takeover, profiles Luna on page 8 as a South Side community advocate who was claimed to be homeless as a teenager and now works at a shelter. It highlights his efforts on housing, substance misuse prevention, and public health. Ortiz-Velez, the current representative, does not appear in the document.
The exclusion comes after the Assembly Democratic Campaign Committee filed a challenge to Ortiz-Velez’s nomination signatures earlier this year. The challenge was later withdrawn after the Wisconsin Elections Commission corrected an administrative error that had initially indicated insufficient valid signatures. Supplemental signatures uploaded after the initial posting brought her total above the required threshold.
Ortiz-Velez entered a no-contest plea Friday to a misdemeanor disorderly conduct charge stemming from text messages sent during a dispute over a proposed joint resolution honoring Latino veterans. The texts were sent after she felt excluded from the drafting process led by Rep. Priscilla Prado, despite her prior involvement. In the messages, she indicated she would share negative personal information about colleagues with the press if left out of the effort.
Ortiz-Velez, whose late husband was a Latino veteran, had advocated for proper recognition in the resolution. She left the Assembly Democratic caucus last year amid internal tensions.
The handbook includes profiles for other incumbents facing primaries, such as Rep. Priscilla Prado in District 9 and Rep. Russell Goodwin in District 12. Luna’s primary against Ortiz-Velez is scheduled for August 11.
Observers have criticized the series of challenges against Ortiz-Velez, including the signature review initiated by party campaign officials and the criminal case related to the legislative dispute over veteran honors, as attempts to marginalize a minority, independent voice within the Democratic caucus. The handbook’s omission of the sitting representative while elevating her opponent is blatantly disrespectful to Ortiz-Velez and adds to questions about Assembly Democratic leadership’s approach to shaping its 2026 candidate slate.
