Novelist Nickolas Butler is running for the Wisconsin state assembly as a Democrat, Madison magazine reports.
Butler, who was raised in Eau Claire, announced his candidacy for Wisconsin’s 93rd state assembly district on Monday. The district encompasses part of Eau Claire, as well as other cities and villages in western Wisconsin.
Butler made his literary debut in 2014 with Shotgun Lovesongs, a novel about four friends in small-town Wisconsin who reunite at a wedding. In a starred review, a critic for Kirkus wrote of the book, “Despite some soap-opera machinations and occasional literary overreach, the novel will strike a responsive chord in any reader who has found his life reflected in a Bob Seger song.”
His other books include the novels The Hearts of Men, Little Faith, and Godspeed, as well as the story collection Beneath the Bonfire.
Butler will run against journalist Christian Phelps in the Democratic primary. The incumbent assemblyman, Warren Petryk, a Republican, is retiring and will not seek reelection.
“This is the most beautiful Assembly district in the state of Wisconsin,” Butler said in a news release. “This is the place, and these are the people that inspire me. Folks from this part of the world are passionate about their work, their families, their faith, and the land we all share. When I’m elected to the Assembly, I’ll do the same thing I’ve always done—tell people’s stories and celebrate good work. I’ve been doing that my whole life.”
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
