Leon Young

Leon D. Young (born July 4, 1967) is a former police officer who has been a Democratic member of the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing the 16th Assembly District, since his 1992 election.

Gaining office

In 1992, his aunt, incumbent Marcia P. Coggs, waited until just hours before the deadline for filing nomination papers to announce her retirement. Only one potential competitor had time to file nomination papers, since no challengers had planned to file against Coggs for the Democratic nomination (tantamount to election in this heavily-African-American, reliably Democratic district). (Wisconsin's statutes have been changed to prevent such a surprise being repeated.) Young was elected to his aunt’s seat and has been re-elected ever since.