Eau Claire Novelist Butler Making State Assembly Bid
author will seek 93rd District seat held by retiring GOP Rep. Petryk
V1 Staff |
Eau Claire author Nickolas Butler has announced he will seek a seat in the state Assembly as a Democrat. Butler will contend for the seat held by retiring incumbent state Rep. Warren Petryk, a Republican, in the 93rd District, which now encompasses part of the west and south sides of the City of Eau Claire as well as rural portions of Eau Claire, Dunn, and Trempealeau counties.
Both Butler and Petryk – who announced May 20 he would not seek another two-year term in the Assembly – live in the Town of Washington in rural Eau Claire County.
Butler, a graduate of Memorial High School and UW-Madison, is best known as the author of several novels, including Shotgun Lovesongs, an international best-seller. His website biography lists previous occupations as “coffee roaster, liquor store clerk, office manager, hot-dog vendor, author escort, meat-packer, bed-and-breakfast manager, telemarketer, and Burger King maintenance man.”
“This is the most beautiful Assembly district in the state of Wisconsin,” Butler said in a media release Monday, May 20. “This is the place, and these are the people that inspire me. Folks from this part of the world are passionate about their work, their families, their faith, and the land we all share. When I’m elected to the Assembly, I’ll do the same thing I’ve always done – tell people’s stories and celebrate good work. I’ve been doing that my whole life.”
According to the media release, “Butler’s immediate priorities are working with area and state leaders to stabilize the regional medical system, strengthen schools, promote economic mobility, aid local voting systems, and protect shared natural resources.”
Until recently, Butler was also a columnist for the Leader-Telegram newspaper, but announced his departure in a column published May 10, saying he “felt called to pursue a path in state public service.”
Petryk – a longtime member of the musical group The Memories and who previously worked in community relations for United Cerebral Palsy – has represented the district in the state Assembly since 2011, most recently winning re-election in 2022 with nearly 60% of the vote. However, Assembly and Senate district maps have been redrawn since that election, making the district far more competitive. In fact, the 93rd District is now seen as 56% Democratic, according to an analysis by WisPolitics, a political news website.
Just hours after Butler’s campaign kickoff, Petryk announced via press release that he would not seek an eighth term in the Assembly. “It is with mixed emotions that I contemplate not driving thousands of delightful miles each year through the pristine beauty of the hills and bluffs and fields of my District to spend quality time with each of you; that said, my old truck, and my old body, just might enjoy their upcoming respite from the mechanical wear and tear,” Petryk wrote. “As entertainer Kris Kristofferson once said, ‘It’s not the years, it’s the mileage.’ ”
Butler won’t be the only Democrat running in the district: Christian Phelps of Eau Claire has also declared his candidacy. Butler and Phelps – and any other Democrats who file the necessary paperwork by the June 3 deadline – will face off in an Aug. 13 partisan primary. The general election for the seat will be Nov. 5.
