Welcome!

My name is Mark Garthwaite and I’m running to represent Madison in Wisconsin’s 77th Assembly District. I look forward to meeting you out in the district and it would be my honor to serve as your Democratic Representative in the State Assembly.

I’m running for Assembly because I believe that in the midst of this period of sustained economic growth, our collective output should be more effectively put to use for the public good. In a growing economy, reinvesting in public education should be among our highest priorities. In a time of low unemployment, wages and workplace protections for employees should grow along with the businesses that employ them. Most importantly, expanding access to truly affordable healthcare should be widely available to all so that entrepreneurs can pursue their dreams and make a good living while doing it.

I believe that we have an obligation to commit ourselves to restoring faith in our public institutions and to expand access to opportunity. I believe that we should commit ourselves to ensuring that the basic needs of our citizens can be met without impediment and without prejudice.

About Mark


Mark Garthwaite, 47, grew up on a dairy farm in Mt. Hope, WI. While a student at UW-Madison, he turned a part-time student job into a 17 year career as a molecular biology research specialist in the Department of Ob/Gyn at the UW-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health. He worked on a research team focused on characterizing immune interactions at the maternal-fetal interface during pregnancy and also worked on projects utilizing embryonic stem cells to develop in-vitro models that mimic early implantation in pregnancy. Mark helped graduate students and postdoctoral research associates with the hands-on work necessary to take research projects from the design phase to completion. He shares a byline on 16 biomedical research publications.

In 2014, Mark was hired as Executive Director of the Wisconsin Brewers Guild, the non-profit trade association for the small and independent craft breweries of Wisconsin. His role ranges from policy direction, marketing and program development, to assisting with regulatory compliance. Mark is currently working toward implementing an affordable health insurance and benefits plan that small breweries can provide for their employees.

Mark and his family live in the near west side Midvale Heights neighborhood. His wife, Jenn, is a Bilingual Resource Specialist in the Madison School District. They have a daughter who attends Madison West High School and their son attends Hamilton Middle School.

Where Have I Heard That Name Before?

While this is his first run for public office, Mark is no stranger to the political arena. In 2006 his brother, Phil Garthwaite, won the first of his two electoral victories for the Assembly’s 49th District where they both grew up. Phil’s election made him the first Democratic candidate to represent Grant County in the Assembly after 92 consecutive years of Republican representation. He remains the only Democrat to have ever been re-elected for that Assembly seat.

Politics is not a family business but the call to public service is a family value. Mark has the unique background to help bridge the urban/rural divide that has been unnecessarily sown between the good, honest, and hardworking people in every part of this great state.