For the first time since 1984, voters in Wisconsin’s 77th Assembly District will send someone other than Spencer Black to the Capitol.

The district, which encompasses parts of the University of Wisconsin campus, Madison’s West Side and parts of Middleton, has become the scene of an increasingly contested race between four candidates from varied political backgrounds all seeking to replace Black, who has become one of the most well-known names in local politics.

Black, who voters in the district sent to the state Legislature in 1984 when he was in his mid-30s, has gained a reputation throughout his tenure as one of the most vocal environmental advocates in the Assembly.

When Black announced this summer he would not run for reelection, it set off a flurry of predictions about who would fill his seat.

By the end of the summer, a field of several Democrats was whittled down to two prominent candidates, Dane County Supervisors Brett Hulsey and Dianne Hesselbein, both of whom represent West Madison on the County Board.

In September, Hulsey won the primary, and with it, the opportunity to face Republican Dave Redick, the Constitution Party’s David Olson and Green Party candidate Ben Manski, who has gone head-to-head with Hulsey in television ads and endorsements.

Throughout the race, Manski and Hulsey have traded barbs about who is the more environmentally-friendly candidate and who will fulfill Black’s legacy the most successfully. Black said he hopes his successor maintains a progressive tradition consistent with the seat’s history.

The seat, once held by longtime U.S. Sen. Gaylord Nelson, the founder of Earth Day, has been one of the most historically progressive seats in the Legislature for decades.

Although many conservatives throughout the country, especially in Wisconsin, seem poised to perform well both nationally and statewide Tuesday, Black said he does not anticipate the Wisconsin State Assembly changing hands, and said he hopes whoever replaces him continues his progressive tradition.

Black said if progressives become the minority in the Assembly this year, the District 77 representative traditionally becomes one of the left’s most vocal proponents.

“I tried to use my position…to rally public support – grassroots support – for progressive policies,” Black said. “I was able to mobilize strong support not just from my district but from around the state, and that’s the role the representative from this district has played.”

Black added he believes the role of the District 77 seat in rallying progressives in the state sometimes is more important when progressives sit in the minority than in the majority

The two liberal candidates vying to replace Black both have said they would continue this tradition regardless of who controls the Assembly.

Manski, despite his membership in a third party, has said he will work closely with Democrats, while Hulsey has previously endorsed a “coordinated statewide strategy” to combat any challenges to a progressive agenda.

Manski said he believes victory for his campaign would launch the Green Party into the national and statewide spotlight. He also said the District 77 seat is regarded as a progressive institution in the Assembly.

“Nationally, the news [Tuesday] is unlikely to be good for progressives,” Manski said. “But voters in District 77 have an opportunity to light the way for a rejuvenation of the progressive movement nationally.”

Hulsey has also labeled himself as Black’s rightful progressive successor.

“I am a practical progressive in that I not only believe about talking about progressive things but also delivering on them,” Hulsey told The Badger Herald in a previous interview. “I think what we need is a little less talk and a lot more action.”

While one candidate will open a new door into state politics today, Black did not say he plans to close the door on his life in politics despite his retirement from the Assembly.

“I think it’s an appropriate time to let someone else have a chance,” Black said. “I don’t know what the future will hold.”