Habush Sinykin Defeats Stroebel, Flips Senate Seat For Dems

Jodi Habush Sinykin. Photo courtesy of her campaign.

Attorney, business owner and first-time political candidate Jodi Habush Sinykin narrowly defeated Republican Duey Stroebel for a seat in the Wisconsin State Senate.

Before the City of Milwaukee reported its absentee ballots, Habush Sinykin was winning with approximately 51% of the vote, leading Stroebel by more than 1,800 votes according to unofficial results from the four counties with voting wards in the district: Milwaukee, Washington, Ozaukee and Waukesha Counties.

The win marks a key pick-up for Democrats in the state Senate, reducing the large Republican majority held in place by a decade of heavily gerrymandered legislative districts.

Habush Sinykin is an attorney and co-owner of Monterey Mills, a textile manufacturer, with her husband Dan Sinykin. She is a native of Whitefish Bay and the daughter of Robert Habush, chairman of Habush Habush & Rottier, where she has worked as a partner. Habush Sinykin has extensive experience in environmental law and worked on the Great Lakes Compact — regulating the use of Great Lakes water — as an attorney for Midwest Environmental Advocates.

Stroebel is a real estate agent and Cedarburg resident first elected to the state Legislature in 2011. He previously served in the Assembly as a representative of District 60.

This story will be updated as absentee votes are reported.