Wisconsin › Columbia County › Wisconsin Assembly District 40
2 candidates are tracked for Wisconsin Assembly District 40 on the November 3, 2026 ballot: Julie Helmer and Karen DeSanto. Candidate information follows official Columbia County election filings; verify with the official election office linked below.
Julie Helmer (Republican), Karen DeSanto (Democratic) meet on the November 3 ballot; Karen DeSanto is the sitting member, per the Wisconsin Elections Commission's incumbent listing and the Legislature's roster. Wisconsin has no runoffs; the August 11 partisan primary set each party's nominee, and unopposed nominees still print. The field is the Wisconsin Elections Commission's certified Candidates on Ballot list for the November 3, 2026 general election (read September 7, 2026). This seat is elected by district; only the district covering your address appears on your ballot.
Helmer works as a customer service representative at a local insurance agency and previously worked in administration for a tax and accounting firm in Madison, per her campaign site. She has served as vice chair of the 2nd Congressional District GOP, secretary of the Sauk County GOP, and as one of Wisconsin's presidential electors in 2024.
2026 priorities
- Keep Sauk County a place where families can thrive, per the campaign site
Source: candidate campaign site.
Campaign site →
DeSanto is a former professional circus performer who later served as CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of West Central Wisconsin from 2011 to 2024, per her official legislator page. She graduated from the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Clown College in 1993 and was named the National Boys & Girls Clubs of America's 2021 CEO of the Year. No campaign website or questionnaire response was found as of September 7, 2026.
