Wisconsin lawmaker sued over credit card debt

The youngest member of the Wisconsin State Legislature appears to share a problem with many in his age group: major credit card debt. A collection agency is suing state Rep. Kalan Haywood II, a 27-year-old Democrat from Milwaukee, for about $5,600. Haywood denied having any credit card debt in collections, according to his legislative staff.

Absolute Resolutions Investments, a company that buys debt, filed the small claims lawsuit in Milwaukee County in April. Haywood was summoned to appear in court May 15, but he didn’t show up, according to online court records.

“He was never made aware of the court date,” said Adrian Catacutan, one of Haywood’s staffers. “He’s looking into it.”

It wasn’t until Haywood made some “routine checks in terms of his online presence” that he became aware of the lawsuit, said Catacutan.

“To his knowledge,” Catacutan said, “he has not defaulted on any credit card debt.”

The complaint claims Haywood owed about the thousands in credit card debt as of October 2023. It also claims he repeatedly failed to make required debt payments within a 12-month period.

Absolute Resolutions Investments bought the debt from U.S. Bank and is suing for the $5,600, as well as for post-judgment interest and the agency’s legal expenses.

State legislators in Wisconsin get an annual salary of $60,924 in 2026. That will increase to $64,023 for the 2027-2028 legislative session.

Haywood was elected to the state Assembly in 2018, when he was 19. Born June 5, 1999, Haywood is the second-youngest legislator in Wisconsin’s history. The youngest is Michael Elconin, from Milwaukee as well, who was born June 20, 1953. He was also 19 when he assumed office in January 1973, beating Haywood by about two weeks.

Haywood represents the state’s 16th Assembly District, which includes the Fiserv Forum and Marquette University. In 2022, he became the state Assembly’s Assistant Minority Leader.

There are no other Democrats running in the primary against him in August, though Haywood is scheduled to face off against Republican challenger Alciro Deacon in the November midterm elections. Deacon has also been sued for an even greater debt. The Wisconsin Department of Revenue has taken Deacon to court over unpaid taxes. The state says he currently owes nearly $30,000 in back taxes, interest and penalties.

The Democrat Haywood is heavily favored to win in the left-leaning district.

He is not the only legislator in Wisconsin facing a lawsuit for credit card debt at the moment. State Rep. Francesca Hong, a 37-year-old Democrat from Madison who is running for governor, is being sued by Capital One for $30,000 in credit card debt, according to recent news reports. Her campaign says she’s paid it.

These youthful politicians aren’t outliers.

Those in the 18-29 and 30-39 age cohorts topped the chart of those transitioning into serious credit card delinquency in the first quarter of 2026, according to a report from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. One in six adults aged 18 to 24 had some form of debt in collections in 2023, according to the Urban Institute, a Washington-based think tank.

Haywood’s next court date is scheduled for June 18.

The Badger Project is an independent, reader-supported news nonprofit in Wisconsin.