The district was created in the 1972 redistricting act (1971 Wisc. Act 304) which first established the numbered district system, replacing the previous system which allocated districts to specific counties.[5] The 27th district
was drawn somewhat in line with the boundaries of the previous Milwaukee County 12th district (downtown Milwaukee) with the addition of northern parts of what had been the Milwaukee County 17th district (Port of Milwaukee).
Following the 1982 court-ordered redistricting, which scrambled all State Assembly districts, the 1983 redistricting moved the 27th district to Sheboygan County, comprising the rural towns surrounding the more suburban municipalities of Sheboygan, Kohler, and Sheboygan Falls.[6] The controversial 2011 redistricting plan (2011 Wisc. Act 43) split the city of Sheboygan between the 26th and 27th districts, in order to create two safe Republican districts from what had previously been the competitive 26th and safe Republican 27th. The 2024 redistricting removed all of Sheboygan back to the 26th district and the 27th district reverted to a more expansive rural district.
^ abWisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau (1991). "Biographies"(PDF). In Barish, Lawrence S.; Theobald, H. Rupert (eds.). State of Wisconsin 1991-1992 Blue Book (Report). State of Wisconsin. pp. 38–39. Retrieved February 21, 2021.