SEIU Wisconsin Endorsements

Kathy Hinkfuss is a former nurse, healthcare executive, and nonprofit leader. She believes in fair nonpartisan maps, a science based approach to the coronavirus pandemic, and affordable healthcare. Her opponent, Republican incumbent David Steffen supports Act 10 and the restrictions on public sector collective bargaining. He also favored the corporate giveaway to Foxconn that so far has yielded few jobs for Wisconsinites. Hinkfuss is the more progressive choice

Nurse, Healthcare Executive, and former CDC Epidemic Intelligence Officer Sara Rodriguez is running for Assembly on a platform of making healthcare more affordable and accessible, adequately funding public schools, and managing the economic reopening safely. Rodriguez decided to run when she saw residents of her community forced to choose between voting and risking their health in the April election. Rodriguez is a public health expert who will put community health ahead of profit. Her opponent, incumbent Rob Hutton, lists taxpayer funded private school vouchers and shrinking state government among his top priorities. Hutton is also anti-choice. Rodriguez is the progressive choice.

Robyn Vining is running for her second term in the State Assembly. Vining lists affordable healthcare, gun sense legislation, and nonpartisan redistricting as among her top priorities. She has been a leader when it comes to COVID-19 response, introducing and advocating for the Healthcare Heroes Act, which would provide hazard pay, paid sick leave, and healthcare coverage to frontline healthcare workers. Her opponent, Bonnie Lee, is an advocate of taxpayer funded private school vouchers, gun rights proponent, and fiscal conservative. She has been endorsed by right wing politicians and groups such as Scott Walker, Wisconsin Right to Life, the NRA, and Americans for Prosperity Wisconsin. Robyn Vining is the more progressive choice.

Jessica Katzenmeyer is a labor leader, activist, and rideshare driver. If elected, she would be the first transgender Assembly Member in Wisconsin history. Her campaign is focused on reducing the cost of healthcare and ensuring that no Wisconsinite has to incur significant debt to access life-saving care. She is also an advocate for a livable wage and voting rights. Incumbent Joe Sanfelippo has pushed a "tough on crime" approach and worked to make reproductive healthcare more difficult to access. Jessica Katzenmeyer is the progressive choice in this race.

Supreme Moore Omokunde is a member of the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors. His top priorities are criminal justice reform, expanding healthcare access, affordable housing, and economic development. His opponent is Republican candidate Abie Eisenbach. Moore Omokunde is the progressive choice.

South Milwaukee Mayor Erik Brooks is challenging Republican Assemblywoman Jessie Rodriguez. Brooks is running as a moderate with an emphasis on bipartisanship and practicality. His priorities include investing in public education, public health, and public safety while restoring local control. Although Brooks is a self-described moderate, his opponent, Assemblywoman Rodriguez, is a conservative school vouchers advocate. Brooks is the more progressive choice in this race.

Former District Attorney Sarah Yacoub's platform is simple: Healthy People, Healthy Economy. She believes in expanding Medicaid and creating a BadgerCare public option, while exploring a BadgerCare for All model. Mental health and addiction are also top priorities for Yacoub, which would mean expanding opioid treatment options, and improving access to mental health and addiction treatment. She also favors fully funding public schools, nonpartisan redistricting, enacting paid family leave, supporting affordable childcare, and more. Yacoub has progressive policies to meet every issue facing the 30th district. Also in the race is Republican incumbent Shannon Zimmerman, who was on the Joint Committee on Finance, which considers the state budget. He was a key opponent of Governor Evers' effort to expand Medicaid and increase education funding. Yacoub is the progressive choice in this race.

Nurse and Army veteran Melisa Arndt is running to unseat incumbent Republican Jon Plumer. Arndt is the Wisconsin chapter leader of Free Mom Hugs, an organization that affirms and supports LGBTQ+ children. She supports affordable healthcare, clean water, and nonpartisan redistricting. Jon Plumer's stated policy positions are ambiguous--indeed, when he first announced his run for the Assembly he forgot to mention that he was a Republican. Although Plumer fails to publicize it, he has served as a consistent conservative vote as a member of the Legisature. Arndt is the progressive choice.

Assemblyman Mark Spreitzer has made nonpartisan redistricting one of his top issues as a Representative of the 45th District; it was the first bill he ever introduced. He has also advocated for updates to marriage and family laws to ensure that gay and lesbian couples have access to the same rights as straight couples. He supports expanding broadband access, disability rights, and a science-based response to the pandemic. Spreitzer was one of the authors of the Healthcare Heroes Act, which provides hazard pay, paid medical leave, and free COVID-19 testing and treatment for frontline healthcare workers. His opponent, Republican Tawny Gustina is opposed to common sense gun violence prevention laws. Spreitzer is the more progressive choice in this race.

Madison Alderman Samba Baldeh has a progressive message. He is committed to 100% carbon-free energy by 2050. Baldeh is pro-choice and in favor of Medicaid expansion and criminal justice reform. His other priorities include increasing affordable housing to eliminate homelessness, and changing education funding from property taxes to state funding, while maintaining local control of schools. His opponent is Republican candidate Samuel Anderson. Baldeh is the progressive choice in this race.

Small business owner Mark Waldon is pledging that he would represent his constituents, rather than big donors. He supports BadgerCare expansion, marijuana legalization, prioritizing clean water resources over corporate farms, and making trade schools free to enable people to get family-supporting jobs without attending a four year college. He is challenging incumbent Republican Tony Kurtz, who was endorsed by the NRA. Waldon is the more progressive choice in this race.

Democratic Leader Gordon Hintz is up for his eighth term in the Assembly. He has been a leader in pushing back on Robin Vos and Scott Walker throughout his years in office. Hintz has been outpsoken in seeking to crack down on the predatory payday lending industry and reducing student loan debt. Elected Assembly Democratic leader by his colleagues in 2017, he's continued to advance progressive policy like expanding access to affordable health care, investing in public education, addressing climate change, ending partisan gerrymandering of state legislative districts, and protecting worker rights. Republican Donnie Herman is Hintz's opponent. Hintz is the progressive choice in this race.

Longtime union leader Dan Schierl is running on a platform of social justice, changing school funding formulas, supporting small business, closing the Dark Store Loophole, and ending corporate tax giveaways. He also supports a referendum on marijuana legalization, expanding BadgerCare, and overturning Citizens United via a constitutional amendment. His opponent, Rachael Cabral-Guevara, is a pro-life fiscal conservative who supports welfare reform. Dan Schierl is the more progressive choice in this race.

Tod Ohnstad was elected to represent workers at AMC/Chrysler for the UAW for 25 years and has since been elected to represent the citizens of the 65th District for 8 years. His priorities are healthcare, education, and tax fairness. He has sponsored bills on those issues and others, including LGBTQ+ rights, environmental protection, criminal justice, and union rights. His opponent is Republican challenger Crystal Miller.  Ohnstad is the most progressive choice in this race.

Greta Neubauer has been working in progressive politics for over a decade and is completing her first term in the Assembly. She has pushed for increased access to affordable healthcare and programs to reduce racial disparities in healthcare. She has authored legislation on job creation, democracy strengthening reforms, and climate change. Neubauer was recognized by WI Conservation Votes for the Forward on Climate bill package that she collaborated on with Rep. David Crowley. Her opponent, Will Leverson, was endorsed by WI Right to Life, an organization that wants to ban abortion. Neubauer is the progressive choice in this race.

Mental health professional and business owner Emily Berge is running to help create an economy that works for everyone, not just big corporations. She believes in investing in her community through accessible healthcare, reliable internet, and quality education. She also believes in non-partisan redistricting and conservation efforts. Her opponent, Jesse James, is a private school vouchers proponent who opposed the Safer at Home order, and was one of the signatories of a letter pressuring school superintendents to reopen their local schools. Berge is the more progressive choice.

Rep. Katrina Shankland believes in investing in public education and technical schools, repairing roads and bridges, and supporting family-paying jobs. Shankland has authored the most original bills of any Assembly Member, the majority of which were bipartisan and has been a leader in the efforts to enact measures to protect clean water. Her opponent is Republican candidate Scott Soik, who was endorsed by the NRA. Shankland is the more progressive candidate in this race.

Beth Meyers worked for a non-profit that served senior citizens in northern Wisconsin before her election to the State Assembly. This experience has helped her become a leader in the legislature on aging and long term care, supporting policies like lowering the cost of prescription drugs, stepping up inspections of nursing homes during the pandemic, and cracking down on fraud. She has advocated for fair elections, college affordability, and environmental preservation. She is a union supporter who favors a minimum wage increase, and reinstating collective bargaining rights for state employees. Her opponent, businessman James Bolen, has tied himself to former Governor Scott Walker, and holds many of the same damaging positions as Walker. In contrast to Meyers, who is an ardent supporter of BadgerCare expansion, Bolen opposes accepting federal money to expand access, saying that he views BadgerCare as sufficient. Beth Meyers is the more progressive candidate in this race.

22 year old Jacob Malinowski is running for Assembly to be a more accessible and empathetic representative than he feels has been representing his hometown. His priorities for this term would be expanding the Wisconsin GI bill, covering more seniors on SeniorCare, reducing the gas tax, funding a mental health counselor for all school districts, and making technical college free for high school graduates. He also believes in a $15 per hour minimum wage, nonpartisan redistricting, and closing the Dark Store Loophole that shifts property taxes onto homeowners. His opponent, Ken Skowronski, opposes common sense gun violence prevention laws, is against a woman's right to choose, and in favor of taxpayer funded private school vouchers. Malinowski is the more progressive choice.

Dr. Kristin Lyerly is running as a Democrat in the 88th district. As a physician, she believes that the COVID-19 crisis has demonstrated the need for change on issues such as healthcare and showcased the importance of responsible leadership. Lyerly favors BadgerCare expansion, tax fairness to benefit small business as opposed to large corporations, changing the school funding formula, and common sense gun reform, among other relatively progressive policies. Her opponent, incumbent Republican John Macco has voted against initiatives to address many of these issues in the state Assembly. Lyerly is the more progressive choice in this race.

Amanda WhiteEagle is running to solve the concerns that she hears from both her parents and her children, which range from social security to active shooter drills. Her platform focuses on climate change, healthcare, education, and rural broadband. WhiteEagle believes in Medicaid expansion, investing in green jobs, making college and technical training more affordable. She is facing Republican Representative Treig Pronschinske. The City of Mondovi settled a lawsuit for $325,000 brought by a former city police office over Pronschinske's alleged sexual harassment and discrimination towards her while he was Mayor. WhiteEagle is the progressive choice in this race.