A Facebook ad from Democrat Brandy Tollefson’s Assembly campaign features a person in a doctor role at the end of a healthcare pitch. LinkedIn profile allegedly identifies that person as McKinley Falkowski, a campaign operative paid by Wisconsin Assembly Democrats.
The reel is posted on the Brandy Tollefson for Assembly Facebook page. The on-screen message says everyone deserves access to lifesaving healthcare, “no matter where they live or how much they make,” and that Wisconsin families “deserve better.” Tollefson is running in the 88th Assembly District against Republican Rep. Ben Franklin of De Pere.
The doctor segment appears at the close of the ad. A LinkedIn profile for Falkowski allegedly matches the person in the doctor role. Campaign finance records compiled by Transparency USA show Falkowski received $29,754 from Democratic Assembly campaign accounts going back to 2023, including Citizens for McClendon, Tip for WI, and the committee of Tatterson for Wisconsin.
No public Wisconsin medical license under Falkowski’s name turned up in available professional-license records. The payments list Falkowski as a campaign payee, not as a physician.
Franklin, a first-term Republican, holds one of the Assembly seats Democrats are targeting in November. State Sen. Jamie Wall has said the 88th District produced the tightest Assembly margin in 2024. The district covers De Pere, Allouez, Bellevue, Ledgeview, and part of Rockland in Brown County.
Republicans hold a 54-45 majority in the Assembly. Democrats need a net gain of five seats to take control for the first time since 2011. Healthcare ads have been a staple of Assembly Democratic Campaign Committee messaging in competitive districts this cycle.
Franklin was the lead author of Assembly Bill 184 which relates to coverage of individuals with preexisting conditions and benefit limits under health plans. He also co-authored Assembly Bill 173 which would regulate pharmacy benefit managers. The measure would have imposed fiduciary and disclosure duties on pharmacy benefit managers and required prescription-drug payments to count toward insurance cost-sharing.
Voters in De Pere and the surrounding suburbs will decide whether the message matches the messenger.
