MADISON, Wis. — Over the last several weeks, Wisconsin’s Democratic Starting Line-Up candidates appeared on Civic Media and local radio to share how they plan to move Wisconsin forward after they finally put an end to Republican obstructionism in Madison. Thanks to new, fair maps, Democrats have the chance to flip the Legislature so that it is finally accountable to the people.
Over the airwaves, candidates shared what they’re hearing as they talk to constituents in their districts, as well as their plans to solve a range of issues that impact Wisconsinites. From expanding BadgerCare, protecting reproductive freedoms, and ending the Republican politicking that has paralyzed our state government for far too long, Democrats are ready to make change in Madison—and they’re making sure every voter knows it, too.
See what Democratic Starting Line-Up Candidates are saying on the radio:
In Milwaukee Suburbs, Democrats Hear From Constituents on Health Care, Reproductive Freedoms
- 61st Assembly Candidate LuAnn Bird: “I’m running because I want to get women’s rights back, I care about gun safety, public education, and of course doing something about the high cost of living […] Oftentimes [voters] are bringing up [reproductive rights]. This guy says, ‘I want my daughter to be able to make their own decision.”
- 21st Assembly District Candidate David Marstellar: “I am a number one advocate for affordable, accessible health care, having survived a heart transplant which was made possible by the Affordable Care Act. I had a pre-existing condition which my brother passed away of in 2003 and as I got more and more ill, insurance companies said ‘We can no longer cover you because you have a pre-existing condition.’ So I am here, 6 years later, running for office to advocate for other Wisconsinites to have access to affordable healthcare because it is a right and it shouldn’t be a privilege.”
- 8th Senate District Candidate Jodi Habush-Sinykin on Civic Media: “At the doors first and foremost—it’s just frustration at lack of progress. And the second most common comments and discussions I’m having is around women’s reproductive freedoms. It is front and center on everyone’s mind—and I mean it. It’s not just the women answering the door, it is most certainly also men who put that as their first or second top issue. […] [Duey Stroebel] is literally the most extreme, far-right legislature in Wisconsin on this issue.”
- 8th Senate District Candidate Jodi Habush-Sinykin on WTMJ: “What I’m very much hearing is that people in this district have had it up to here on the divisiveness in Madison and the fact that Wisconsin is not making progress on important issues that we need to move us forward. And it really is that obstructionism that is a cause of quite a bit of our problems in the state, and there’s a lot of frustration concerning that. I would just add […] that people are extremely concerned about access to reproductive health care for families, and for women in particular. Doctors are sharing those concerns, women, husbands, fathers. It is a major concern to folks because it is not just putting their families in danger, but it is also creating an impediment to folks wanting to live and stay in Wisconsin.”
In Central and North Central Wisconsin, Democrats Choose People Over Politics
- 14th Senate District Candidate Sarah Keyeski: “People are really recognizing that we need to do all we can, especially for the next generation. […] People care about their kids. People want their daughters to have choices. They want their kids to not be afraid to go to school […] I hear this on both sides of the aisle, how frustrated [people] are to see government not work…to see so much political divide, loggerhead, unwillingness to compromise, unwillingness to seek solutions, gaveling in and gaveling out [of session]…and they’re tired of that….They’re ticked, and I’m like, yup, me too. That’s one of the reasons why I’m running.”
- 85th Assembly District Yee Leng Xiong: “Expanding BadgerCare is going to be the #1 first step—not just seriously considering it—but actually taking action on it and making it happen. The reason why I say this is because it helps give access to 89,000 Wisconsinites right away, access to healthcare. But we also have to remember that in rural areas, especially areas like the 85th Assembly District and the Marathon County area, access to healthcare in the rural areas is already limited. […]We, as elected leaders and representatives, need to do what is best for Wisconsinites and put our people over politics.”
Western Wisconsin Democrats Fight For Health Care, Education, and Clean Water
- 30th Assembly District Candidate Alison Page: “Everybody in the state has heard about the two hospitals shutting down in Chippewa and in Eau Claire. Yeah, the two hospitals shut down, but 15 clinics shut down with those two hospitals and the substance use disorder treatment and recovery place also shut down.”
- 91st Assembly District Candidate Rep. Jodi Emerson: “You know, we’re closing enough of the two year campuses around the state. And that’s going to be really hard for these […] communities to bounce back from. I cannot imagine what River Falls would be like if that campus needed to close. It would be a tragedy for the entire community. […] we need to make sure that we are funding our universities and our tech schools. ”
- 92nd Assembly District Candidate Joe Plouff: “The Republicans have gerrymandered themselves into a position where there is no Democratic challenge, alternative—there is no opposition. […]. An example—remember when Act 10 came to be, Governor Scott Walker and his Republican-controlled legislature basically destroyed public unions in the state. And […] within a year, maybe two, they had started attacking and going after the private unions as well.”
- 93rd Assembly District Candidate Christian Phelps: “These are some places that have had some pretty high stakes referendums, people having to raise their own property taxes to fund schools that haven’t been funded adequately by the state […] You know, if they are struggling to pay their bills as it is, they can’t really handle another property tax hike. And that gets at how having more responsible and representative people in the legislature can help drive down the cost of living […] the state has so many left-over dollars that haven’t been used of the taxes we already paid in state income taxes that if you used to fund our municipalities and public schools then we wouldn’t have to raise our own property taxes..”
- 94th Assembly District Candidate Rep. Steve Doyle: “You know, when we had cigarettes, when we had asbestos, ultimately the manufacturers of those products were held liable. Right now, the Republican proposal is to give a waiver or immunity to the producers. And we’re not talking about the farmers who may have spread those products on their fields—we’re talking about, you know the big companies like DuPont or Monsanto or whoever it might be who created those products. That’s who we’re talking about. And for the life of me, I don’t understand why you would want to give a pass to the polluters and instead say that the taxpayers should pick up those costs.”
- 32nd Senate District Candidate Sen. Brad Pfaff: “The money’s already been approved [for PFAS mitigation]; $125 has been approved. We could get money out to the Town of Campbell, but partisan politics is holding that up. […] Nobody should be drinking bottled water exclusively going on 3 years. They should be able to turn on their tap and take a drink of water.”
Fox Valley and Northeast Wisconsin Democrats Focus on Finding Solutions to Local Issues
- 30th Senate District Candidate Jamie Wall: “Housing […], healthcare, that hits people, […] and this isn’t everybody, but it really matters for the people it is relevant for, but that’s child care. Right now, if you have your two year-old in daycare that’s about the same as having your nineteen year-old in college in terms of costs. I think those are the three things that state government actually can do something about.”
- 88th Assembly District Candidate Christy Welch: “We can incentivize the construction of affordable housing, particularly apartments. In so many places in Wisconsin—and where I live, for sure—we need more supply. In a certain price range, houses go on the market and they sell in a day way over asking price. It’s untenable.”
- 18th Senate District Candidate Kris Alfheim:“Wherever the districts can be flipped, it affects where you live and your kitchen table and the policies that are going to go into play over the next 4 years. […] We have to take action to solve the problem in Wisconsin, which has been lack of representation of all people. […] There are major issues on our ballot: women, children, health care, you name it. We have got to work together across the state […] to help all of these seats get turned so that we are once again a proper, functioning, representative government in Madison doing what is best for people in the state.”
- 53rd Assembly District Candidate Duane Shukoski: “First and foremost, I hear, ‘where’s the bipartisanship? When are we gonna get back to that?’ It’s been so lopsided in Madison […] Beyond that, it’s obvious things like child care. It’s prescription drugs. It’s women’s reproductive health care. […] That’s one thing I would never get in the way of. […] No way in hell should the government be sticking their nose in and telling women what to do. I have two beautiful granddaughters and I would hate anyone from the state to tell them how to manage their lives. Period.”
- 26th Assembly District Candidate Joe Sheehan: “We’ve got smart people in Sheboygan. […] They’re saying, ‘Just get along.’ This gavel in and gavel out business doesn’t cut it. […] That is the bottom line and that connects with my whole ‘we’ attitude: We’re in this together.”
