Wilanne Stangel

Wilanne Stangel is a Democratic candidate running in Kentucky’s 69th House District for the 2026 election. Stangel will face Bryan Snapp in the Democratic primary.

Stangel is no stranger to her district’s electoral ballot, as she was the Democratic challenger to current GOP Rep. Steve Doan in 2024, where she garnered around 37% of the vote.

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A lifelong resident of Erlanger, Stangel attended Erlanger-Elsmere Independent schools and later earned a degree in industrial management from Northern Kentucky University. Upon graduating, Stangel entered the workforce, where she told LINK nky that she faced gender-based barriers, including workplace inequities and employment challenges related to pregnancy and family responsibilities. 

Eventually, she went back to school to earn a master’s degree in library media education from Western Kentucky University. Afterward, she worked as a school librarian in various public and parochial schools throughout Northern Kentucky.

Stangel’s campaign is focused on expanding education funding, health care access, worker protections, and environmental concerns. She is especially passionate about health care and education systems, which she became familiar with through raising a child with autism. Those experiences have influenced her perspectives on access to care, disability services, and family support systems.

Moreover, Stangel has expressed concerns about the Republican Supermajority in the Kentucky General Assembly, which she says has led to a shift in priorities by the state GOP toward appeasing the national Republican Party rather than delivering for statewide voters. If elected, Stangel said she hopes she can bring more balance to the legislative body.

“As a veto-proof supermajority in Frankfort, our legislators have been more
concerned with currying favor with their national party and its agenda,” she told LINK nky. “I refuse to stand by while the hard won rights and protections for MY children and grandchildren, and for MY community are dismantled to feed the greed of oligarchy.”

Stangel has been involved in Democrat Party politics in Northern Kentucky for decades, having previously volunteered on campaigns and supported policy efforts related to civil rights, education and social services.