Goodwin Hangs Onto Northwest Side Assembly Seat
State Rep. Antonio Goodwin narrowly defeats primary challenger on northwest side.
Jordan Roman and Russell Antonio Goodwin.
Incumbent State Rep. Russell Antonio Goodwin, Sr. defended his seat in the state Assembly from a primary challenge Tuesday night.
Goodwin earned 3,746 votes (53.9%) to retain his District 12 seat on the city’s northwest side. He bested education consultant Jordan Roman, who earned 3,184 votes (45.8%) according to unofficial Milwaukee County results.
Goodwin was first elected to the state Assembly in 2024.
He is the author of several religious-themed books and founded Christians United on the Move Church in Milwaukee, where he is senior pastor. He was first elected to public office in 2020, winning a seat on the Milwaukee County Board.
He won his seat in the state Assembly in 2024, defeating veteran Milwaukee County Supervisor Deanna Alexander, a conservative who ran as an independent.
Goodwin has legislated as a moderate Democrat in the bitterly divided state Assembly where a Republican gerrymander has locked Democrats out of power for more than a decade. Early into his first term he even penned a letter to Democratic Minority Leader Greta Neubauer and Republican Speaker Robin Vos calling for partisan unity.
Goodwin’s politics have drawn attacks from the left wing of the Democratic Party in the Assembly. Democratic Socialist State Rep. Ryan Clancy took time out of campaigning in his own district to knock doors for Roman, who also received an endorsement from the progressive organization Citizen Action Wisconsin.
Most of District 12 sits in the City of Milwaukee, but it does include one voting ward in the village of Brown Deer and one in the city of Wauwatosa. The district runs is bordered by W. County Line Road on the north and W. Capitol Drive on the south.
The district has historically been held by Democrats. Before Goodwin ran, former state representative LaKeshia Myers held the seat for two terms. She gave the seat up to run for state senate.
There are no Republican candidates running, which will result in Goodwin running unopposed in the general election.
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