LAKE NEBAGAMON — The race to replace outgoing state Rep. Nick Milroy for the 73rd Assembly District seat will be competitive.
Angie Sapik of Lake Nebagamon announced Monday, May 16, that she is running to serve as a Republican.
She’ll be challenging Democrat Laura Gapske of Superior, who announced her candidacy in April after Milroy announced he wouldn’t be seeking reelection this year. It’ll be the first time in the 73rd District’s history that the race will be decided between two women.
Sapik, a newcomer to politics, works for the company her father started, Vee’s Marketing in Superior, which specializes in onion and potato sales across the U.S. and Canada. Married for 10 years to her husband, Nate, Sapik is the mother of Calvin, 5, and Reba, 4.
Sapik said while she hasn’t been in politics before, she tends to be vocal on issues. She said she was approached by the Republican Assembly Campaign Committee about a possible run in the 73rd Assembly District.
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While she interviewed with RACC and has remained in communication with them, Sapik said it took her some time to decide whether she would run for the office.
“Then Nick Milroy decided he was no longer going to be in the Assembly,” Sapik said.
The decision offered the right timing for a run for an open seat.
“I’m coming in,” Sapik said. “I have no voting record. People are going to have to learn about me and the things that I stand for. I think it’s really exciting to have the seat completely open and have two people that have no voting record for what the Assembly is. I think it’s really exciting that it’s two ladies that are fighting for this seat. I wish Laura the best of luck. I know she’s really active in the community.”
Both candidates will have to appeal to voters in Burnett County and portions of Douglas and Washburn counties after new districts were adopted in April by the Wisconsin Supreme Court following legal challenges that went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Sapik said getting involved in politics can be challenging, which is why it took her a long time to make the decision to run.
“No one else was throwing their hat in the ring, and I thought, 'If I don’t do this now, we’re going to miss the boat,'” Sapik said.
Sapik said she has two priorities—business and the environment—if elected to office.
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“I think some of the smaller businesses were left behind in this tumultuous time,” Sapik said. “It was difficult for everyone. There were some grants that were handed out, but I don’t think there was enough done to keep them afloat.”
However, Sapik said a pro-business attitude doesn’t mean conservation and the environment can’t also be priorities.
“I like to hunt,” Sapik said. “I like to fish. Conservation is also very important to me. The environment is important to me. I think because I am someone who is out in the woods, out fishing, I bring a lot to the table that Nick Milroy did because he was someone who was an outdoorsman and you understand what outdoorsmen need … I think I bring a lot to the table for those networks.”
She hopes people recognize the false narrative that being Republican doesn’t mean you’re pro-business at the expense of the environment simply because it’s not true, she said.
“I’m not so right that I’m a swimming-in-circles kind of a candidate,” Sapik said. “I’m more of a centrist for issues that matter for this area.”
If no additional candidates step into the 73rd Assembly District race, voters will decide the election Nov. 8.
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