Incumbent Representative Calvin Callahan seeking third term
For the Tomahawk Leader
NORTHERN WISCONSIN – A member of the Lincoln County Board of Supervisors this week launched a campaign for State Assembly.
On Monday, May 13, Merrill resident Elizabeth McCrank, who currently represents District 3 on the Lincoln County board, announced her candidacy for the 35th Assembly District, which encompasses all of Lincoln and Langlade Counties, as well as parts of Shawano, Oconto and Marathon Counties.
McCrank is currently the only candidate set to run against incumbent Representative Calvin Callahan (R-Tomahawk), who last month announced that he will seek a third term.
A release from McCrank’s campaign said she “pledges to focus on real district problems and challenges, including rural population decrease, school and library support, comprehensive care needs of the youngest and oldest in our communities, the climate for entrepreneurs and people’s right to make healthcare decisions for themselves.”
As a Lincoln County Supervisor, McCrank has served on the Highway, Land Services, Social Services, Local Emergency Planning and Solid Waste Committees, as well as the T.B. Scott Free Library Board of Trustees. She serves on the Historic Preservation Committee and the Enrichment Center Committee for the City of Merrill and is a member of the Merrill Historical Society, the Merrill Noon Optimists Club and the Lincoln County Sports Club.
McCrank’s voting record as a Lincoln County Supervisor relating to the recently-sold Pine Crest Nursing Home in Merrill was highlighted in the release.
“McCrank twice supported a referendum on the status of Pine Crest Nursing Home, introducing a resolution tabled by Supervisor Calvin Callahan in May 2023, and then supported Supervisor Norbert Ashbeck’s Aug. 15, 2023 resolution that died by a vote of 13-9,” the release stated.
The release said McCrank’s “diverse private and public sector work experiences help her identify and understand real-life issues,” noting that she is presently employed by the University of Wisconsin-Madison, but has worked in light construction, taught college and GED students, bussed restaurant tables and bagged groceries.
“We need leaders who believe that government is not just of the people and by the people, but for the people,” McCrank said in the release. “We need to focus on real-life issues that the majority of our residents face, not contrived crises and gimmicky culture war issues meant to distract from our legislators’ ineffective governance. Working people need someone honoring them, focusing on them and, most importantly, listening to them. We need to re-open the conversation about what the public wants from its government, and if the public wants a government different from a party’s desires, the public should win out over the party. Rather than disassembling local government and making our communities less attractive, we need to develop customized solutions for local circumstances, involving those most affected. Freedom for all includes freedom for women to make their own healthcare choices without interference from government or others who assert their personal freedom but choose to treat others like second-class citizens.”