HAZEL GREEN — The Lafayette County Democratic Party will host the Senate District 17 Candidate Forum at noon on July 26 at the Hazel Green Opera House, 2130 N. Main Street. 

Seven citizens are considering a run for the Wisconsin Senate in the newly mapped 17th District where Republican Howard Marklein has been seated for 11 years. According to the Lafayette County Democratic Party, in his time in the Wisconsin Senate as co-chair of the Finance Committee Marklein has stopped expanded public school funding; stopped child care and caregiver investments; stopped higher education support for UW campuses; stopped affordable housing and clean water initiatives, and has frozen shared revenue increases for municipalities; frozen health care expansion and mental health services; and frozen clean energy and conservation funding. 

The seven candidates will speak and answer questions pertinent to present day issues and the 17th District. 

Lunch will also be served. 

The Lafayette County Democratic Party is a membership organization of volunteers committed to civic engagement, and civil conversation about current pressing issues. The group meets monthly to plan events. Reach out to LafCoDems22@gmail.com or 608-520-0635 for more information. They can also be found on Facebook at Lafayette County Democratic Party.