Republican Paul Melotik defeated Democrat Bob Tatterson in a special election Tuesday for a vacant Assembly seat representing Milwaukee's north suburbs, keeping the district in GOP hands.
Melotik's win keeps the Republican majority in the Assembly at 64-35. That is two seats short of a supermajority, which would be enough to override a governor's veto. But Republicans could have a supermajority if two or more Democrats are absent.
The seat was open after Republican Dan Knodl won a special election and is now serving in the state Senate. His win in that race this spring gave Republicans a 22-11 supermajority in the Senate, a power that allows them to remove state officials impeached in the Assembly.
Melotik co-owns and operated several businesses and served in Ozaukee County and Town of Grafton government, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported. Tatterson, a retired engineer and adviser to start-up businesses, conceded the race after results were tallied.
Before winning a seat in the Senate, Knodl defeated Tatterson in a reelection bid for his Assembly seat in November.
Melotik, who chairs the finance committee in Ozaukee County, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel he is interested in a spot on the Legislature's budget-writing Joint Finance Committee, a sought-after position for state lawmakers.