Todd D. Novak is an American newspaper editor and politician. Born in Cobb, Wisconsin and currently residing in Dodgeville, Wisconsin, Novak was the government and assistant editor of the Dodgeville Chronicle newspaper from 1990 until his retirement in 2014. In 2012, Novak was elected mayor of Dodgeville, Wisconsin. In November 2014, Novak was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly as a Republican by a 64-vote margin. The Democratic candidate, Dick Cates, did not seek a recount. On November 8, 2016, Novak was re-elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly by a margin of 723 votes, defeating Democrat Jeff Wright. In 2018, Novak defeated Jeff Wright for a second time. Novak was also successful in winning an Assembly District also won by Democratic Governor Tony Evers. Novak is the first openly gay Republican to serve in the Wisconsin state legislature. On taking office, became one of four openly LGBT members of the Wisconsin State Legislature, alongside Sen. Tim Carpenter and Reps. JoCasta Zamarripa and Mark Spreitzer. Although a Republican, Novak has positioned himself as an "independent voice" and has touted a bipartisan voting record, which is helpful in his liberal-learning district.
In his inaugural term in the State Assembly, Novak authored a bill creating the Frank Lloyd Wright Trail which links the architects notable creations using existing roadways. On February 11, 2019, Speaker Vos appointed Novak chairman of a 16 member bipartisan task force on water quality. The task force was created to provide recommendations on assessing and improving the quality of surface water and groundwater throughout the state of Wisconsin. The task force has traveled extensively throughout the state, visiting the cities of Milwaukee, Madison, Green Bay, Janesville, Racine, Lancaster, LaCrosse, Mauston, Stevens Point, Menomonie, Tomahawk, Marinette, and Superior holding public hearings to gather information on specific concerns in the various regions of the state.
Electoral History
Election box candidate with party link| |party = Republican Party |candidate = Todd Novak |votes = 12,445 |percentage = 50.6% |change = -.7% Election box candidate with party link| |party = Democratic Party |candidate = Jeff Wright |votes = 12,113 |percentage = 49.3% |change = +.6Election box hold with party link without swing |party = Republican Party |candidate = Todd Novak |votes = 13,912 |percentage = 51.3% |change = +3.8% Election box candidate with party link| |party = Democratic Party |candidate = Jeff Wright |votes = 13,189 |percentage = 48.7% |change = +1.5%Election box hold with party link without swing |party = Republican Party |candidate = Todd Novak |votes = 10,619 |percentage = 47.5% |change = Election box candidate with party link| |party = Democratic Party |candidate = Dick Cates |votes = 10,560 |percentage = 47.2% |change = Election box candidate with party link| |party = Libertarian Party |candidate = Adam Laufenberg |votes = 1,177 |percentage = 5.3% |change = Election box hold with party link without swing
