Melissa Ratcliff
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
from the 46th district
Assumed office
January 3, 2023
Preceded byGary Hebl
Member of the Dane County, Wisconsin, Board of Supervisors from the 36th district
Assumed office
September 6, 2018
Preceded byDanielle Williams
Personal details
Born
Melissa Amy Larsen

November 1976 (1976-11) (age 47)
Wausau, Wisconsin, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouses
  • Daniel Kartes
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1995; div. 1998)​
  • Philip Ratcliff
    ​
    ​
    (m. 2002; div. 2023)​
Children2
ResidenceCottage Grove, Wisconsin
Alma materMadison Area Technical College
OccupationParalegal
WebsiteCampaign website

Melissa Amy Ratcliff (née Larsen; born November 1976) is an American paralegal and Democratic politician from Cottage Grove, Wisconsin. She is a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing Wisconsin's 46th Assembly district since January 2023. She is also currently a member of the Dane County Board of Supervisors. She served on the Cottage Grove Village Board of Trustees from April 2018 to December 16, 2022.

Biography

Melissa Ratcliff was born Melissa Larsen and was raised in Wausau, Wisconsin. She graduated from Wausau East High School in 1995.[1] She earned her paralegal certification from Madison Area Technical College and has worked for over 20 years as a paralegal at the Eisenberg Law Offices in Madison, Wisconsin.[2]

Political career

In the Spring of 2018, Ratcliff won her first public office when she was elected to the Cottage Grove village board.[3] Later that year, in the summer of 2018, incumbent Dane County board member Danielle Williams resigned her seat in order to accept a job as a lobbyist for the county government. The Dane County board chair, Sharon Corrigan, chose Ratcliff from a number of applicants to fill out the remainder of Williams' term, and Ratcliff's selection was ratified by a vote of the county board on September 6, 2018.[4] She was subsequently elected in spring of 2019 to finish the term, elected to a full term on the board in the 2020 Spring election and was re-elected in 2022.

Just after the Spring 2022 election, incumbent state representative Gary Hebl announced he would retire after nine terms in the Assembly. Within hours of his announcement, Ratcliff entered the race for the Democratic nomination in Hebl's 46th Assembly district.[5] Ultimately, four other candidates would also join the Democratic primary contest in the heavily Democratic district. Ratcliff centered her experience with local and county government, and ultimately prevailed in the primary with 36% of the vote.[6] Her opponent in the general election was Andrew McKinney, who she had earlier defeated in the April 2022 county board election. She ultimately won 70% of the vote in the general election.[7]

Personal life and family

Melissa Larsen married Daniel Kartes in August of 1995,[1] but ultimately divorced three years later.[8] Subsequently, she married Philip Ratcliff and took his last name. Melissa and Philip Ratcliff have two children together and reside in Cottage Grove, Wisconsin. They were divorced in June, 2023. [3]

Electoral history

Dane County Board (2020, 2022)

Dane County Board of Supervisors, 36th District Election, 2020
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
General Election, April 7, 2020[9]
Nonpartisan Melissa Ratcliff (incumbent) 3,427 98.65%
Scattering 47 1.35%
Total votes 3,474 100.0%
Dane County Board of Supervisors, 36th District Election, 2022
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
General Election, April 5, 2022[10]
Nonpartisan Melissa Ratcliff (incumbent) 1,132 64.69%
Nonpartisan Andrew McKinney 605 34.57%
Scattering 13 0.74%
Total votes 1,750 100.0% -49.63%

Wisconsin Assembly (2022)

Wisconsin Assembly, 46th District Election, 2022
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Primary, August 9, 2022[6]
Democratic Melissa Ratcliff 3,112 36.22%
Democratic Syed Abbas 1,895 22.05%
Democratic Andrew Hysell 1,525 17.75%
Democratic Analiese Eicher 1,178 13.71%
Democratic Mike Jacobs 876 10.19%
Scattering 7 0.08%
Plurality 1,217 14.16%
Total votes 8,593 100.0%
General Election, November 8, 2022[7]
Democratic Melissa Ratcliff 20,710 69.65% +1.95%
Republican Andrew McKinney 9,001 30.27% -1.94%
Scattering 24 0.08%
Plurality 11,709 39.38% +3.89%
Total votes 29,735 100.0% -22.33%
Democratic hold

References

  1. 1 2 "Kartes-Larsen". Wausau Daily Herald. March 19, 1995. p. 47. Retrieved December 6, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ↑ "Candidate Q&A: Assembly District 46 Democratic Primary". Wisconsin State Journal. June 30, 2022. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
  3. 1 2 "About Melissa". Melissa Ratcliff for Assembly. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
  4. ↑ Becker, Abigail (September 7, 2018). "Dane County Board confirms Melissa Ratcliff as District 36 supervisor". The Capital Times. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
  5. ↑ De Laruelle, Scott (April 13, 2022). "Hebl won't seek re-election; Ratcliff to run for 46th district seat". The Stoughton Courier Hub. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
  6. 1 2 Canvass Results for 2022 Partisan Primary - 8/9/2022 (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. August 26, 2022. pp. 41–42. Retrieved December 4, 2022.
  7. 1 2 Canvass Results for 2022 General Election - 11/8/2022 (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. November 21, 2022. p. 19. Retrieved December 4, 2022.
  8. ↑ Dane County Case Number 1998FA000833 Melissa Kartes vs Daniel Kartes (Report). Wisconsin Circuit Court Access. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
  9. ↑ 2020 Spring & Presidential Preference Election - County Supervisor District 36 - Official Canvass (Report). Dane County Clerk. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
  10. ↑ 2022 Spring Election - County Supervisor District 36 - Official Canvass (Report). Dane County Clerk. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
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