A few months ago, Wisconsin Sen. Jon Erpenbach (D-West Point) began to question whether he should run for office in 2022. He said that made him think it was time to give up the District 27 seat after 23 years of holding the office.

"It's time for something different, time for something new," he said.

Erpenbach said he first ran for the seat because he was part of the State Assembly staff and wanted to make a bigger difference in the lives of Wisconsinites.

"My kids were small at the time, and I come from a politically active family–my parents were on the Middleton City Council. I knew I...