Tag: elections

Five Democrats are vying to replace Representative Francesca Hong, one of five Democrats currently running for governor, in the 76th Assembly District. The district reaches from the isthmus to Madison’s north side, including Maple Bluff.

Isaia Ben-Ami and Juliana Bennett’s replies are below. Dina Nina Martinez-Rutherford, Zoe Sullivan and Tony Castañeda did not respond.

Isaia Ben-Ami’s responses:

What are you goals for your first term in office should you be elected?

We need to repeal ACT 10, fix our school funding formula, and pass a moratorium on data centers. In 2027, Democrats will have a larger say in our state government and possibly even a trifecta. We need to use that political power to meaningfully impact the daily lives of people. We will do that by restoring collective bargaining rights to our public workers and raise wages for workers across the state. We will do that by lowering property taxes and investing in the public schools that are anchors in our communities. We will do that by passing a moratorium on data centers, rolling back their corporate tax credits, and showing that we will stand up to the multi-national corporations trying to exploit our environment. These are all policies that, in a Democratic majority, we can pass in the State Assembly, and with a Democratic Governor, we can make a reality in Wisconsin. As a state representative, I will use my position to ensure that we make the most of our political power to deliver meaningfully impactful policy.

Please describe your qualifications and what sets you apart from your fellow candidates.

I have worked in the legislature for the last 6 years, and I know what it takes to make platform promises into actionable legislation. I have worked with key stakeholders, other legislative offices, and have been involved in negotiations. I am the only candidate with extensive experience in the state legislature. I am also the only candidate who has shown a commitment to electing progressive legislators across the state. In this political moment, we need leaders who will not just state a pro-education platform but are ready to do what is needed to create a state government that supports our institutions of higher education. We only have a short time before 2028 to make lasting change in our government. I am running as a leader who is ready to work for you on day one. Together, we will create a vision for a government that people can believe in.

While UW-Madison is situated in Dane County, its role as an economic engine benefits the entire state. UW-Madison also has unique needs that are different from the other Universities of Wisconsin. Please tell us how you would represent UW-Madison in the Legislature and encourage your colleagues from outside Dane County to understand the statewide benefit of a strong UW-Madison.

As a proud UW-Badger and a lifelong Madisonian, I know that the impact of UW-Madison has on the fastest-growing county in our state. UW-Madison generates professionals who will go on to teach, work, and live across our state. The skills, experiences, and talents that are taught at UW-Madison create the professionals needed in education, agriculture, business, and more. As a legislator, I will tout the economic benefit UW-Madison contributes to our entire state’s economy. In addition, it is important to always recognize that UW-Madison’s status as the flagship university means that it attracts talented individuals from across the nation. We need to uphold its reputation as a world-class university if we want to continue bringing in the talented engineers, scientists, and business professionals who contribute to both the public and private sectors of our state. Lastly, we need to do a better job of highlighting the cultural impact UW-Madison has through liberal arts education. The end goal of education is not creating a better economy, it’s creating a better society. That means valuing the pursuit of knowledge, and supporting artists, philosophers, and musicians that make our society a more vibrant place to live. The limitations of the University are the limitations of the state, and if we do not respect the impact UW-Madison has on our culture and economy, we are doing a disservice to the potential of our state.

While the 2025-27 state budget included a substantial increase for UW System, UW-Madison is facing unprecedented cuts in federal funding – cuts totaling $200 million – while still recovering from a ten-year long tuition freeze and flat state budgets. Meanwhile, the other UW System institutions are facing an enrollment crisis. How would you address these concerns if elected?

The federal cuts to our institutions of hire learning are an attack on progress. But, this attack on progress was not started by Republicans at the federal level, it was started right here in Wisconsin when we decided to keep the state investment in UW-Madison flat, effectively divesting from our flagship state institution over time. We have to be committed to our flagship university’s success if we want to be truly committed to the success of our state. We have to invest in the institutions that have the greatest demand, and that is UW-Madison. More students want to attend our flagship university, and we need to provide the resources necessary to make that university successful.

Wisconsin ranks near the bottom of state funding for four-year post-secondary education, while state funding for two-year technical education is among the best in the country. How would you address this disparity in the Legislature?

Budgets are moral documents. We need to value our four-year institutions because they contribute to the growth & progress of our society. Our post-secondary education systems create professionals that are on the cutting edge of what is possible in the modern world. We cannot continue to undervalue these institutions, or we will sacrifice our progress in science, mathematics, and the liberal arts. While it is wonderful to have access to technical education, and that technical education contributes greatly to our growing economy, it is not the only engine of growth.

UW-Madison is the only university in the Big Ten without bonding authority, severely limiting the university’s ability to efficiently plan and complete much-needed building and renovation projects. Would you be an advocate among your colleagues to grant UW-Madison this essential tool?

Yes. UW-Madison is a flagship university that resides in the fastest-growing part of the state. We need to have continued updates to our infrastructure if we want to continue to be a leader in innovation. I support the use of bonding authority so that we can capitalize our growth in Madison, and ensure we remain a world-class institution for years to come.

Shared governance has long played a role in how UW-Madison functions, in fact, shared governance was once enshrined in state statutes. Would you support legislation returning shared governance language to state statutes if introduced?

Yes. The decisions the university makes directly impact the lives and livelihoods of faculty, staff, and students. As such, they must have a voice in the decision-making process. UW-Madison belongs to all of us, and it is all of our responsibility to steer the ship. I would support returning shared governance language into state statute so that we can restore the rights of faculty, staff, and students.

Work on the 2027-29 state budget will begin shortly after legislators are sworn into office. What are your funding priorities?

Our budget needs to prioritize workers, people, and our planet. In the 2027-29 budget, we must have a repeal of Act 10 and a restoration of the rights taken away from our public sector workers. In addition, we need to invest in our people by making special education a sum sufficient provision, and ensuring every school is given the resources it needs to teach every student in our community. Lastly, we need to fight for a more sustainable economy. We have to invest heavily in a Green New Deal that will create the energy infrastructure we need to move off of fossil fuels and support renewable energy expansion.

PROFS has long advocated for paid family leave for all employees and is pleased that UW-Madison and the Universities of Wisconsin implemented a modest six-week paid parental leave benefit two years ago. We believe this is just the first step and more needs to be done. Will you support initiatives like those offered by Governor Evers that would expand paid leave to state employees and create a paid leave insurance program for public and most private sector employees in the state?

As a legislative aide, I am proud to have worked on Paid-Family and Medical Leave Act and would wholeheartedly support its reintroduction next legislative session. Access to healthcare should not come at the cost of losing your paycheck. In a time where it is harder to afford groceries, childcare, and housing we cannot call healthcare a human right if we do not provide paid family and medical leave.

Juliana Bennett’s responses:

What are you goals for your first term in office should you be elected?

My top three priorities are to lower rent and property taxes; fully fund our public schools; and raise wages. We’ll lower property taxes by 44% and fund our schools with the 17¢ Millionaire Tax, AB 1209. We’ll legalize rent control, and use the $2 billion in tax breaks for data centers to build homes instead. We’ll raise our minimum wage to $23/hr and tie it to the cost of living.

I’m ready to fight and win on these issues. We’ll measure progress by affordable homes built, property tax decreases, and wage increases. Along the way, I’m ready to organize across the state to earn votes for the policies Wisconsinites need. And I’ll always be seeking advice and feedback from my constituents to make sure that legislation is addressing their actual problems and making real change.

Please describe your qualifications and what sets you apart from your fellow candidates.

There are three things that set me apart from my opponents:

1. I am the only candidate with experience and a track record of success in city hall, in the state capitol, and in congress. As the campus alder, I served the needs of UW students by creating an original affordable housing program in collaboration with the city and campus. As a federal legislative liaison at the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority, I got Derek van Orden and Bryan Steil to sign onto bipartisan affordable housing bills. And in my most recent job as the Chief of Staff to Rep. Angelito Tenorio, I drafted the 100% Clean Energy bill.
2. I am the only candidate as of July 8th, 2026 that supports the 17 cent Millionaire Tax. This bill meets one of the most pressing needs of this district, to lower property taxes and fund our schools by supplementing school aid with funds from higher income earners.
3. I am the only candidate endorsed by Madison Area DSA and National DSA.

I’m deeply rooted in community as someone who got their start as a student activist on the UW campus. I’m now ready to take the fight to the state capitol.

While UW-Madison is situated in Dane County, its role as an economic engine benefits the entire state. UW-Madison also has unique needs that are different from the other Universities of Wisconsin. Please tell us how you would represent UW-Madison in the Legislature and encourage your colleagues from outside Dane County to understand the statewide benefit of a strong UW-Madison.

I have four years of experience with elevating the needs of UW-Madison to those unfamiliar and disinterested in serving students on campus. Throughout my time as the UW student alder on the Madison city council, my colleagues told me countless times “I don’t care about students.” This sentiment amongst Madison alders is unfortunately shared amongst many of our representatives in the state capitol.

As state representative, I will make the needs of UW-Madison a priority the same way I did as an alder: organizing and elevating the voices of students, faculty, staff, and alumni. When Madison alders sought to expel student representation from the city council during the redistricting process, I organized a broad coalition, including then Chancellor Blank, to keep the student district together. We won. When luxury high rise developers sought to create unaffordable student housing, I revitalized that coalition to get affordable student housing. We won.

My advocacy as a UW-Madison student and alum will continue in the state legislature. I will fight to fully fund the UW system, invest in affordable student housing, repeal the GOP’s anti-DEI mandate, restore students’ rights to shared governance, and ensure fair compensation and bargaining agreements for faculty and staff. I look forward to making these improvements with an organized coalition of those most directly impacted.

While the 2025-27 state budget included a substantial increase for UW System, UW-Madison is facing unprecedented cuts in federal funding – cuts totaling $200 million – while still recovering from a ten-year long tuition freeze and flat state budgets. Meanwhile, the other UW System institutions are facing an enrollment crisis. How would you address these concerns if elected?

UW is founded upon the Wisconsin Idea – a simple principle that education should influence people’s lives beyond the boundaries of the classroom. Wisconsin Republicans have abandoned this principle which has decimated the university system and the communities that benefit from it.

I will address these issues by restoring Wisconsin Idea. To me, that looks like investing state aid into the UW System to provide a robust educational experience. It looks like prioritizing reopening four-year enrollment of closed UW branches. And it looks like addressing the root causes behind the enrollment crisis. For instance, investment in truly affordable student housing and restoring DEI program funding will help create a welcoming and inclusive campus environment that will attract more students.

Overall, I believe that addressing these concerns first comes through acting upon the demands of those impacted by slashing the UW System budget. For too long, we have been forced to reconcile with the impacts of top-down decisions that from leadership that actively works to silence dissent. As your state representative, I will bring the voice of the many to the state capitol to address these concerns.

Wisconsin ranks near the bottom of state funding for four-year post-secondary education, while state funding for two-year technical education is among the best in the country. How would you address this disparity in the Legislature?

Higher education should be a doorway to opportunity, not a lifetime of debt. Programs at both levels is necessary, but the state must recognize that funding four-year post secondary programs is necessary for the success of students and the state of Wisconsin. As representative, I will fight to give UW-Madison bonding authority immediately and increase state aid to the UW System. I will also advocate to implement statewide student loan forgiveness grants so graduates can build their lives here without being crushed by debt. This will ensure every student can thrive.

UW-Madison is the only university in the Big Ten without bonding authority, severely limiting the university’s ability to efficiently plan and complete much-needed building and renovation projects. Would you be an advocate among your colleagues to grant UW-Madison this essential tool?

Absolutely, yes. We know that not allowing UW-Madison to have bonding authority is a measure to restrict UW-Madison’s financial autonomy. The UW System increased tuition rates in 2024, in part because they do not have the borrowing capacity to remain competitive universities. Because the state does not provide adequate financial resources to UW-Madison, including bonding authority, they take on more students. Then, because UW-Madison cannot build more student housing when they need it, those additional students drive up rents in the local housing market. So, I will advocate to give UW-Madison bonding authority.

Shared governance has long played a role in how UW-Madison functions, in fact, shared governance was once enshrined in state statutes. Would you support legislation returning shared governance language to state statutes if introduced?

Absolutely, yes. As a former member of the UW-Madison Student Services Finance Committee, I know that shared governance is now only a ghost of what it once was in Wisconsin. Students’ rights were stripped by targeted campaigns by the GOP – specifically Robin Vos and Scott Walker – to defund the UW System and reduce the power of faculty and student government to make decisions. They sowed an unprecedented mistrust of shared governance into the legislature that we will need to recover from by restoring authority for faculty and students to act as true partners in decision making with real power.

Work on the 2027-29 state budget will begin shortly after legislators are sworn into office. What are your funding priorities?

The backbone of my core policies (affordable housing, public schools, and raising the minimum wage) is financial reprioritization. Currently, hardworking Wisconsinites pay their taxes expecting our state government to hold up their end of the deal. But, instead of supporting them, our Republican-controlled legislature compiles multibillion dollar surpluses all while handing out tax cuts to the ultra wealthy. Meanwhile, the neoliberal core of our Democratic Party cuts deals with them, pursuing ineffective incremental progress that is far outstripped by the Majority Party’s decade long crusade against public institutions. The cold, hard truth? The leftwing establishment has shelved economic policy, shifting away from bread-and-butter economic needs. That is why my funding priorities are lowering rent and property taxes, fully funding public schools, and raising wages.

PROFS has long advocated for paid family leave for all employees and is pleased that UW-Madison and the Universities of Wisconsin implemented a modest six-week paid parental leave benefit two years ago. We believe this is just the first step and more needs to be done. Will you support initiatives like those offered by Governor Evers that would expand paid leave to state employees and create a paid leave insurance program for public and most private sector employees in the state?

I support expansions to paid family leave for all employees, regardless of whether they work in the public or private sector. I support Representative Francesca Hong’s Paid Family and Medical Leave for All legislation. We need to ensure that all Wisconsinites, including the self-employed, independent contractors, and those at smaller businesses, have access to robust paid family and medical leave. I support the bill’s proposed funding model, which would utilize shared payroll contributions from both employers and employees. I also support its broadening of the definition of family members and added qualifying leave for victims of domestic abuse, sexual abuse, and stalking.

Three Democrats are vying to challenge incumbent Republican Senator Howard Marklein in the 17th Senate District. Marklein has represented the southwestern Wisconsin district since 2015. Responses from Corrine Hendrickson, Jenna Jacabson and Lisa White are below.

Corinne Hendrickson’s responses:

What are you goals for your first term in office should you be elected?

Fully fund education and acknowledge it starts at birth (child care) and goes through secondary school. Public education has been a cornerstone of the United States and the only way to ensure everyone has access to opportunity and the career path of their choice.

Health care including reproductive rights, paid leave, and public option while we work at the federal level towards universal health care.

Second, we have got to overhaul campaign finance laws (I support Hawaii and Montana’s models) and also close the loophole for the state democratic and republican candidate committees ability to donate as much as they want to the candidate of their choice. Then pass and Independent Redistricting Commission so that we have it set up and active in time for the 2030 census. These are foundational to ensure the people choose their representatives instead of them choosing both their voters and who the candidates are.

Third, ensure we have a robust Joint Finance Committee listening sessions for the budget and we write a budget that works for the people and not the already powerful and wealthy.

Please describe your qualifications and what sets you apart from your fellow candidates.

I’m Corrine Hendrickson, a small business owner, educator, former New Glarus School Board member, wife of a volunteer fire chief (and full time firefighter), mom of two teenage boys, former child care provider and former Wisconsin Early Childhood Association Board President. I have been advocating for better policies and funding for children with special needs for over a decade, and for better policies to ensure small businesses can compete with larger ones.

I co-founded Wisconsin Early Childhood Action Needed to empower and engage Wisconsinites in the political process in 2020. We organized, held press conferences, offered trainings with elected representatives to learn about the budget process, legislative process, talk to committee members, and more. I have organized and built a community across the entire senate district and state. I have also worked with local, state, and federal representatives to write legislation, and testified at a US House Small Business Committee Hearing in February of 2023.

I was also a Cub scout Cubmaster taught children how to appreciate nature, fish, hike, camp, and become good stewards of our environment. My husband has been a volunteer firefighter for over two decades and I have seen how much harder it has gotten to recruit and retain as our rural communities have been hollowed out, small businesses are no longer robust in these communities, and people are commuting further or working more jobs just to get by and don’t have the capacity to volunteer. This will be the next crisis our communities face.

While UW-Madison is situated in Dane County, its role as an economic engine benefits the entire state. UW-Madison also has unique needs that are different from the other Universities of Wisconsin. Please tell us how you would represent UW-Madison in the Legislature and encourage your colleagues from outside Dane County to understand the statewide benefit of a strong UW-Madison.

The Wisconsin Idea and the UW Extensions are in every single county and impact/benefit every single person. We need to remember that. Furthermore, UW Platteville is in district and people of all ages within the district access classes and degrees online all throughout the state. For example, I did the Infant Early Childhood Family Mental Health Capstone online through UW Madison. I also just graduated from UW-Whitewater with my Masters in Education, Early Childhood Education Policy in December of 2025 and accessed the courses on-line. My oldest is a student at UW Madison currently pursuing Wildlife Ecology. Students from all over the state do internships, practicums, and more within the 17th. We have to remember that we are all interconnected and what impacts one impacts us all.

While the 2025-27 state budget included a substantial increase for UW System, UW-Madison is facing unprecedented cuts in federal funding – cuts totaling $200 million – while still recovering from a ten-year long tuition freeze and flat state budgets. Meanwhile, the other UW System institutions are facing an enrollment crisis. How would you address these concerns if elected?

We need to fund our UW system with more state dollars so that students can access your programs. I also would like to look at creating a public bank and part of that would be a state level student loan program for public state tech schools and universities, that would cap interest at 2%, instead of the predatory federal loans that make it impossible for too many to pursue higher education. The Badger Promise of free tuition for those with household incomes below $60,000 is a good start, but Minnesota goes up to $80,000 and I have talked to DPI and our reciprocity program is now tilted towards our students going to Minnesota as their in state tuition is less expensive AND we are not getting their students to come here as they don’t get the free college tuition. This is impacting our brain drain even more than it has been over the last few decades. Our public dollars have paid for those students education and we need to keep them here.

Wisconsin ranks near the bottom of state funding for four-year post-secondary education, while state funding for two-year technical education is among the best in the country. How would you address this disparity in the Legislature?

Same as above.

UW-Madison is the only university in the Big Ten without bonding authority, severely limiting the university’s ability to efficiently plan and complete much-needed building and renovation projects. Would you be an advocate among your colleagues to grant UW-Madison this essential tool?

Yes.

Shared governance has long played a role in how UW-Madison functions, in fact, shared governance was once enshrined in state statutes. Would you support legislation returning shared governance language to state statutes if introduced?

Yes.

Work on the 2027-29 state budget will begin shortly after legislators are sworn into office. What are your funding priorities?

Public education including universal child care, k-12, increase special ed reimbursement, and the UW system and tech colleges. Next is health care and ensuring our public health and health and human services are funded with state dollars to replace the federal cuts coming from 2025’s HR 1.

PROFS has long advocated for paid family leave for all employees and is pleased that UW-Madison and the Universities of Wisconsin implemented a modest six-week paid parental leave benefit two years ago. We believe this is just the first step and more needs to be done. Will you support initiatives like those offered by Governor Evers that would expand paid leave to state employees and create a paid leave insurance program for public and most private sector employees in the state?

Yes. I have been advocating for this for years with 9to5, Motherhood for Good, Main Street Alliance, WECAN, Family Friendly Wisconsin, and others at the state and federal level. I recently was in Washington D.C. and was shocked when Sen. Johnson’s office asked us about paid family leave advice and I asked them to look into how much it costs us because people don’t have paid leave and go on disability due to not healing appropriately from accidents or surgeries. Another increase in cost is that people put off knee surgeries and other surgeries until they can no longer function and it then causes multiple secondary problems costing more to fix and more complex surgeries because they don’t have access to paid leave OR return to work too soon for the same reasons.

Joanna Jacobson’s responses:

What are you goals for your first term in office should you be elected?

Everybody is feeling the pinch of rising costs of prescription drug prices, utilities, groceries, food, and gas. The people of the 17th and all across Wisconsin deserve someone who’s making sure that they’re not getting nickeled and dimed to death because the state refuses to look after families and Wisconsin workers. In addition to costs, I hear a lot about public school funding – which is another way we can help alleviate rising costs. Properly funding our schools will lower property taxes. Schools, like the rest of us, are facing budget pressures. Wisconsin must properly fund our schools so every child has access to a high-quality education.

Please describe your qualifications and what sets you apart from your fellow candidates.

I am the only candidate with a record of accomplishment on the Village Board and State Assembly. I’ve fought for middle class tax relief, more money for schools, and for more affordable and accessible healthcare. I know what it takes to stand up to the special interests because I’ve done that and I know what it takes to get stuff done and deliver real results for people who are counting on it.

While UW-Madison is situated in Dane County, its role as an economic engine benefits the entire state. UW-Madison also has unique needs that are different from the other Universities of Wisconsin. Please tell us how you would represent UW-Madison in the Legislature and encourage your colleagues from outside Dane County to understand the statewide benefit of a strong UW-Madison.

I believe that my Democratic colleagues truly understand the importance of a strong UW-Madison. Believe it or not, I also think some Republicans feel the same way too – they’d just rather exploit it politically for their own gain than admit it. As Senator, I look forward to partnering with UW Madison to be a strong ambassador for one of the economic engines of our State.

While the 2025-27 state budget included a substantial increase for UW System, UW-Madison is facing unprecedented cuts in federal funding – cuts totaling $200 million – while still recovering from a ten-year long tuition freeze and flat state budgets. Meanwhile, the other UW System institutions are facing an enrollment crisis. How would you address these concerns if elected?

During his time in office and as co-Chair of Joint Finance, Howard Marklein has been the chief architect behind the UW System’s struggles. He’s starved the System of much-needed funding, forcing campuses to close across the state and has intentionally politicized the System to exploit political gain. Rather than work as adversaries, as Senator, I’m eager to work as a partner with campuses in my district, like UW-Platteville, and across the State to restore UW to what it once was.

Wisconsin ranks near the bottom of state funding for four-year post-secondary education, while state funding for two-year technical education is among the best in the country. How would you address this disparity in the Legislature?

There’s no doubt that we need to fund higher education at a higher level. That said we need to be intentional about our plan to address this disparity and ensure that additional funding is going to the places that need it the most. Additionally, with a much more welcoming legislature, I would expect UW to engage us as partners in our overall mission to strengthen higher education here in Wisconsin.

UW-Madison is the only university in the Big Ten without bonding authority, severely limiting the university’s ability to efficiently plan and complete much-needed building and renovation projects. Would you be an advocate among your colleagues to grant UW-Madison this essential tool?

Yes.

Shared governance has long played a role in how UW-Madison functions, in fact, shared governance was once enshrined in state statutes. Would you support legislation returning shared governance language to state statutes if introduced?

Yes.

Work on the 2027-29 state budget will begin shortly after legislators are sworn into office. What are your funding priorities?

There are a number of priorities I would like to see in the next budget. For starters we need to address the economic pinch that working families are feeling all across Wisconsin – so whether that be by capping the cost of prescription drugs (like insulin and asthma medication), making housing more affordable by expanding the homestead tax credit, or investing in our public education to take the strain of property taxpayers, we need to do all we can to tackle this problem from all angles.

PROFS has long advocated for paid family leave for all employees and is pleased that UW-Madison and the Universities of Wisconsin implemented a modest six-week paid parental leave benefit two years ago. We believe this is just the first step and more needs to be done. Will you support initiatives like those offered by Governor Evers that would expand paid leave to state employees and create a paid leave insurance program for public and most private sector employees in the state?

Yes. I have been a supporter of paid family leave in the past and am eager for us to make headway on this issue in the majority.

Lisa White’s responses:

What are you goals for your first term in office should you be elected?

My first‑term goals focus on making Wisconsin fairer, more affordable, and more democratic for everyday people.

I will work to revamp our public school funding model so state dollars go first to neighborhood public schools, not to vouchers, and to gradually phase out and ultimately end the school voucher program. I will fight to restore collective bargaining rights so workers have a real voice on the job and can secure fair wages, benefits, and working conditions.

Making life and homes more affordable is central to my agenda: I will push for policies that reduce the burden of property taxes, expand access to affordable housing, and protect families from being priced out of their communities. I will also support expanding Medicaid so more Wisconsinites can get the care they need without risking bankruptcy or going without treatment.

Finally, I will prioritize returning more local control over land‑use and environmental protections to our communities. People who live in a place should have a strong say in how their land, water, and natural resources are managed, and I will stand with them to protect our environment, rural heritage, and quality of life.

Please describe your qualifications and what sets you apart from your fellow candidates.

What sets me apart from the other candidates is the depth and breadth of my lived experience in the 17th Senate District. For more than 30 years, I have owned and operated a small business that serves communities across the entire footprint of this district, giving me a broader and deeper résumé than most political insiders and a practical understanding of what families, farmers, and small businesses face every day.

I have already been working across party lines to protect our communities—most recently by helping build support for a moratorium on the proposed Grant County data center. That effort shows I can bring people together, regardless of party, to stand up for local residents and our land instead of just accepting whatever outside interests put on the table.

Because I’ve conducted business and built relationships across party lines for decades, I know how to bridge the social and cultural divide that clearly exists from the western part of the district to the eastern part. My lifelong farm‑family background and being raised and educated in the western part of the district give me a grounded perspective and a new voice that Madison desperately needs. My expansive geographic presence and deep roots across the district make me uniquely positioned to build the coalition we need to defeat Howard Marklein and truly represent the 17th in the state senate.

While UW-Madison is situated in Dane County, its role as an economic engine benefits the entire state. UW-Madison also has unique needs that are different from the other Universities of Wisconsin. Please tell us how you would represent UW-Madison in the Legislature and encourage your colleagues from outside Dane County to understand the statewide benefit of a strong UW-Madison.

UW–Madison is one of Wisconsin’s greatest assets. While it is physically located in Dane County, its impact reaches every corner of our state through research, healthcare, agriculture, engineering, business development, and workforce training. The innovations developed at UW–Madison strengthen family farms, help small businesses grow, improve healthcare, and attract employers that create good-paying jobs across Wisconsin.

As a State Senator representing a largely rural district, I would make the case that investing in UW–Madison is an investment in every community—not just Madison. Whether it’s agricultural research that supports our farmers, partnerships with manufacturers, medical discoveries that improve lives, or educating the next generation of professionals, the university provides returns that benefit all Wisconsinites.

I also recognize that UW–Madison has unique needs as a world-class research university. To remain competitive nationally and internationally, it must be able to recruit and retain outstanding faculty and staff, support cutting-edge research, and provide students with an affordable, high-quality education.

I would work with colleagues from every region of Wisconsin by focusing on results rather than geography. Strong universities strengthen local economies, create new opportunities for businesses, and prepare the workforce our state depends on. Supporting UW–Madison is not about favoring one community over another—it is about investing in Wisconsin’s future, ensuring our state remains innovative, competitive, and economically strong for generations to come.

While the 2025-27 state budget included a substantial increase for UW System, UW-Madison is facing unprecedented cuts in federal funding – cuts totaling $200 million – while still recovering from a ten-year long tuition freeze and flat state budgets. Meanwhile, the other UW System institutions are facing an enrollment crisis. How would you address these concerns if elected?

UW–Madison is a true economic engine for our state, but it does not stand alone. As a legislator from the 17th Senate District, I will represent UW–Madison as our flagship research university while also championing UW–Platteville and the other Universities of Wisconsin as critical regional drivers of opportunity and growth.

I am deeply dismayed by recent cuts to research funding. Those dollars support discoveries in agriculture, engineering, health care, and technology that benefit communities far beyond Dane County. I will push the Legislature to restore and expand research support at UW–Madison, because strong research is how we attract federal funds, create high‑value jobs, and keep Wisconsin competitive—while also insisting that the benefits reach rural and small‑town Wisconsin.

At the same time, UW–Platteville is the university in my district, and I know firsthand how important it is as a regional anchor for engineering, agriculture, and the local workforce. I will encourage my colleagues to see the UW system as a network that must all be tended to: UW–Madison as a powerhouse for research and innovation, and campuses like Platteville as engines of local talent, rural development, and community vitality. My goal is a Legislature that restores research funding and strengthens UW–Madison, while enhancing the entire UW system, because our students, communities, and economy depend on both.

Wisconsin ranks near the bottom of state funding for four-year post-secondary education, while state funding for two-year technical education is among the best in the country. How would you address this disparity in the Legislature?

Wisconsin’s funding imbalance between four‑year universities and two‑year technical colleges is not sustainable if we want a strong, well‑educated workforce in every part of the state. The most important step is to modernize the state funding model for our public universities so it actually meets today’s needs.

In less than a generation, campuses like UW–Platteville have seen their state reimbursement fall from roughly 40 percent to somewhere around 17 percent. For a state university system, that is simply unacceptable. It forces campuses to rely heavily on tuition, fees, and constant belt‑tightening, which puts more burden on students and families and makes it harder to maintain high‑quality programs in engineering, agriculture, and other fields our rural and small‑town communities depend on.

In the Legislature, I would push to increase base funding for four‑year UW campuses, with particular attention to regional institutions like Platteville that serve rural areas and first‑generation students. At the same time, I would protect our strong support for technical education, which has proven its value for skilled trades and mid‑career training. Our goal should be a balanced, fair approach: keep technical colleges strong, while bringing four‑year university funding back up to a respectable level so students have real choices—whether they pursue a trade, a four‑year degree, or both over the course of their working lives.

UW-Madison is the only university in the Big Ten without bonding authority, severely limiting the university’s ability to efficiently plan and complete much-needed building and renovation projects. Would you be an advocate among your colleagues to grant UW-Madison this essential tool?

Bonding authority is really about who gets to make decisions and control the pace of university growth—and in Wisconsin, that power has been kept tightly in the hands of the state, not the campuses themselves. UW–Madison is the only university in the Big Ten that cannot issue its own bonds, which means every major building and renovation project has to wind through the state capital budget and political process, even when the money could be repaid from university revenues like housing, fees, or other income. That structure is rooted in a long‑standing tradition of state‑level control and, frankly, political gatekeeping: some legislative leaders want to retain direct veto power over big projects and are skeptical of UW–Madison’s priorities, and others are wary of public institutions taking on more debt, even when it is responsibly managed and essential for staying competitive.

The result is that UW–Madison loses time and money, falls behind peer institutions that can move quickly, and sees critical projects delayed or scaled back—not because campus leaders are incapable or uneducated, but because the state doesn’t fully trust them with the tools nearly all of their peers already have. To people on campus and many in the public, that absolutely feels insulting and short‑sighted. It suggests that those closest to the educational mission and the students cannot be trusted to plan and finance the facilities they need, even as those delays hurt Wisconsin’s students, research capacity, and economy.

My answer is: yes, I would advocate among my colleagues to grant UW–Madison bonding authority. Withholding this tool is not about competence; it is about political control, and it is costing Wisconsin dearly. I would make the case that responsible bonding authority is a practical way to let UW–Madison plan and build efficiently—while still maintaining transparency and oversight—and that trusting our flagship and our other campuses with modern financing tools is part of treating higher education as the statewide economic engine it truly is.

Shared governance has long played a role in how UW-Madison functions, in fact, shared governance was once enshrined in state statutes. Would you support legislation returning shared governance language to state statutes if introduced?

Yes. I would support legislation returning shared governance language to state statutes if it is introduced.

Shared governance at UW–Madison means that faculty, academic staff, university staff, and students all have a real voice in major decisions about how the university operates. It is a long‑standing Wisconsin tradition that the people most affected by decisions—those who teach, study, and work on campus—help shape those decisions, instead of everything being handed down from the top with little input. When shared governance language was removed from state law, it weakened that guarantee and sent the wrong message about whose voices matter in higher education.

As a legislator, I believe our public universities work best when they are accountable to their communities and when decision‑making is collaborative and transparent. Restoring shared governance to statute would reaffirm that Wisconsin values the expertise and lived experience of faculty, staff, and students, and that we trust them to be partners in shaping the future of UW–Madison and the broader UW System. I would encourage my colleagues to see shared governance not as a threat to oversight, but as a practical tool for better decisions—ones that reflect the needs of students and workers and strengthen the university’s ability to serve the entire state.

Work on the 2027-29 state budget will begin shortly after legislators are sworn into office. What are your funding priorities?

My funding priorities for the 2027–29 state budget center on three core commitments: fully funded education at every level, real support for women, children, and caregivers, and protecting the land and environment that make life and housing affordable.

My top priority is to strengthen public education—from early childhood through technical colleges and four‑year universities. That means increasing state support for K‑12 public schools so we can reduce over‑reliance on property taxes and phase out vouchers that drain resources from neighborhood schools; investing in child care, early education, and special education so families are not forced to choose between work and their children’s well‑being; and restoring fair funding for UW campuses and technical colleges, especially regional institutions like UW–Platteville that serve rural communities and first‑generation students.

Too many recent cuts and policy choices have fallen hardest on women and children, and for generations our culture has relied on the unpaid and underpaid labor of women to solve problems, provide care, and hold families and communities together. In the budget, I will prioritize affordable child care, strong maternal and child health services, and support for caregivers and women‑dominated professions. Finally, I will prioritize protecting the “very earth under our feet”—our soil, water, and land—by safeguarding clean air and water, supporting sustainable agriculture, and funding policies that make housing more affordable by aligning land‑use, infrastructure, and environmental protection.

PROFS has long advocated for paid family leave for all employees and is pleased that UW-Madison and the Universities of Wisconsin implemented a modest six-week paid parental leave benefit two years ago. We believe this is just the first step and more needs to be done. Will you support initiatives like those offered by Governor Evers that would expand paid leave to state employees and create a paid leave insurance program for public and most private sector employees in the state?

Yes. I will support expanding paid leave for state employees and creating a paid leave insurance program that covers most workers in Wisconsin.

Paid family and medical leave is essential if we want our economy and our families to be healthy and stable. A modest six‑week paid parental leave benefit at UW–Madison and across the Universities of Wisconsin was an important first step, but it is not enough. Too many parents, caregivers, and people facing serious health issues are still forced to choose between a paycheck and their own or their family’s well‑being. That is wrong, and it falls especially hard on women, low‑wage workers, and rural families who have fewer backup options.

I will support initiatives like those offered by Governor Evers to expand paid leave for state employees and to create a paid leave insurance program that covers public and most private sector workers in Wisconsin. A well‑designed paid leave insurance system spreads the costs broadly while ensuring that individual employers are not crushed by the expense of doing the right thing. It keeps people attached to the workforce, reduces turnover, and helps businesses keep experienced employees. Most importantly, it recognizes caregiving, parenting, and healing as real work that deserves real support—not unpaid labor that families are expected to shoulder alone.

For me, expanding paid leave is part of a larger effort to make Wisconsin more affordable and humane for the people doing the hard work of raising children, caring for loved ones, and keeping our communities going.