Voters in southeast Wisconsin’s Assembly District 63, which covers most of the city of Franklin and the village of Caledonia, are looking at a straight-up two-way showdown this year. Republican incumbent Robert Wittke is seeking reelection, while Democrat Eddie Phanichkul is mounting a challenge centered on affordability and data-center development. The race heads first to a partisan primary on August 11, 2026, with the general election scheduled for November 3, 2026.
Meet the candidates
Robert Wittke, a Racine native who has served in the Assembly since 2019, is pitching a familiar platform: lower taxes, careful state spending, workforce development and stronger K–12 outcomes, according to Wittke for Assembly. On the other side, Eddie Phanichkul, an entrepreneur who describes himself as CEO of VIDA and founder of M2Z Consulting, told the local NPR station that affordability and increased state support for local governments are at the top of his to-do list. WUWM sent both candidates a detailed questionnaire and published their profiles and responses, as reported by WUWM.
New maps, narrower margins
This is only the second election under Wisconsin’s new legislative maps, approved after a bruising redistricting fight, and the fresh lines have turned several suburban seats into tighter contests. Political analysts and election watchers still see District 63 as leaning Republican on paper, but they note that turnout and local pocketbook issues could shrink that edge. The remap reshaped districts statewide and put a premium on suburban turnout, as outlined by WisPolitics.
Endorsements and the AI debate
Phanichkul lists state Rep. Chris Sinicki among his endorsers, and he told WUWM he supports hitting pause on any proposed AI-scale data-center projects until a full study of environmental, resource and community impacts is completed. That position lands in the middle of a growing backlash to mega data facilities: a Marquette Law School survey from February through March 2026 found about 70% of respondents saying the costs of large data centers outweigh their benefits, according to the Marquette Law School Poll. The data-center fight has already sparked moratoriums and local ordinance proposals in communities across Wisconsin, a trend documented by the Marquette Law School Poll.
On the ballot
Both Robert Wittke and Eddie Phanichkul appear on local sample ballots for the August 11 partisan primary and in statewide voter guides for November’s general election. Franklin’s official sample ballots list the two names for Assembly District 63, and voter-information platforms such as BallotReady flag the contest as one of this cycle’s contested Assembly races. For polling-place details and sample ballots, voters are directed to their municipal clerk’s website, where Franklin’s sample ballots are already posted, or to statewide voter guides.
Why this race matters
Control of seats like AD-63 helps decide who runs the Assembly and who sets priorities in Wisconsin’s next two-year state budget, which in turn shapes school funding, shared revenue and tax policy. The Legislature’s Joint Committee on Finance and the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau take the lead in drafting and revising that biennial budget, according to state budget references. For a step-by-step overview of how the budget is built and the Joint Committee’s role, voters can look to the Wisconsin State Law Library’s guide to the state budget process.
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