Wisconsin WFP 2021 Endorsements
We’re so proud to be behind this team of real working class activists looking to bring change to common councils, school boards, and circuit courts all around Wisconsin!
Statewide
Jill Underly
State Superintendent
I’ve worked in urban, rural, and suburban districts. I have experience as a teacher, as a principal, as a university advisor, and as a Department of Public Instruction leader. I have the strongest and broadest experience and am ready to lead DPI on day one. My focus is making sure every child has what they need to succeed every day, no matter where they are coming from. We need more investment in early childhood education and to fix the school funding formula.
State Senate and Assembly
Melissa Winker
State Senate, District 13
I am running to fight for our healthy families, our neighbors, our small businesses, and the health and safety of our community. I am running to fight for decency and a responsible government that is working for you – not the ultra-wealthy and large corporations. My love for Wisconsin and our country is driven by the hope I see in my children’s eyes. We have a responsibility to create safe neighborhoods, provide educational and economic opportunities, and work together for a better tomorrow.
Karl Jaeger
State Assembly, District 89
I want to live in a place my children will want to stay and raise their own families. I am ready to get to work for every citizen of the 89th Assembly District. I am in this race because I believe in standing up for my neighbors. We have seen the consequences of corporate lobbyists representing us in Madison, and it’s time for the people of Wisconsin to have their voices heard. I will put people first and represent their needs.
Kenosha County
Angela Cunningham
Kenosha Circuit Court Judge, Branch 6
I am running for judge so I can use my breadth of personal and professional experience to ensure justice for all in my community. I am a single mother who experienced personal struggle to achieve my goals. I have always been active in my community, including serving on nonprofit boards and participating in community groups and coalitions. And I have experience in various areas of the law. I previously worked as a prosecutor, and as a public interest attorney. I am now a defense attorney and guardian ad litem with my own law practice in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
Todd Price
Kenosha Unified School District, At Large
I’m running for office because students matter. I want to ensure that every teacher feels valued, to serve our tax paying community well, and for the administration to be supported. My own two boys are doing well, making my wife and I very proud and we appreciate the hard work of our KUSD teachers and administration. I want other parents to feel the same and am running to make sure that their children have a curriculum customized to meet their own family’s needs. What every parent wants for their own son or daughter is what we all should want for our community: an excellent system of public schools.
Racine County
Auntavia Jackson
Racine Unified School District, District 6
I am running for School Board because I believe our children should be at the center of every single decision that our School District makes, every single day. As a School Board member, I want to help our district create opportunities for all students to learn new skills and access the high quality learning experiences that they deserve. We can improve access and opportunities so all students can see themselves thriving in Racine after they graduate; able to continue their education, learn a trade, work, and, if they choose, raise a family.
Alder Natalia Taft
Racine City Council, District 13
I think I’ve always been called to public service. I try and keep racial justice and social equity at the heart of my decision-making process. I take those values into account when we have to make tough budget decisions to make sure any cuts or changes are equitable. As a biologist, I am a fierce environmentalist and work hard to protect the natural resources of our community, especially Lake Michigan. As a city we have supported the creation of a new Financial Empowerment Center to help all residents for free, and planning for a local federally qualified health clinic, as well as a small grants program to help local businesses affected by the pandemic.
Dane County
Simrnjit Seerha
Middleton Cross Plains Area School District, Area V
I could not think of a better place to begin to support my community than running for school board. I have always been very involved in the school district attending school board meetings and diversity/inclusion events. I was once again reminded of the ways in which I had to self teach concepts that were not readily available to my parents as immigrants. Over the past months, I watched my cousins and sister struggle to stay motivated during the pandemic. However, the district’s issues run deeper than the pandemic.
Maia Pearson
Madison Metropolitan School District, Seat 1
I am running again for Madison school board, so that all students and parents have what they need to be successful. To advocate and ensure that the education system is equitable and safe for students and their families, and teachers. That the board and district reflect the students and families it serves. This is an important time for Madison Schools as COVID-19 has made very clear the realities we face in our education system. We have the opportunity to make them work for all of our children.
Brian Benford
Madison Common Council, District 6
For the last 30 years — right up until today — I have dedicated my service to marginalized children, their parents, families and communities to help them reach their full potential. Long before COVID-19, I supported our neighbors with exactly the same issues — only now they are amplified beyond comprehension to most. I believe that people of diverse backgrounds — NOW more than ever before — need to come together in love, unity and respect to forge a new, safe, socially just and equitable Madison.
Nikki Conklin
Madison Common Council, District 9
As a community activist, mother, first-generation college graduate, and deeply-rooted neighborhood leader, I have experienced firsthand the issues that need tackling in this district. As a Black mother with a degree in Human Services living, working and raising her children in poverty in one of the most segregated districts in the most segregated state, I have lived experiences that no other candidate has and the skills needed to bring change.
Yannette Figueroa Cole
Madison Common Council, District 10
My passion for service has inspired my active participation in my community as a volunteer and I am a healthcare data professional. I’m running for Madison Common Council, District 10 to secure the long-term health and safety of our community. Through collaboration and participatory budgeting, we can ensure all people have the resources to thrive. I strongly believe that 2020 & COVID-19 have brought us the opportunity to focus on issues that impact our community the most.
Brandi Grayson
Madison Common Council, District 14
Madison is the city that I love, and the city that has loved me back in many ways. I am running for alder because I want to continue to work hard to ensure that all Madisonians have a chance to succeed. Prioritizing investing in the people is at the heart of my effort and I understand that affordable housing, a livable wage and equitable opportunity go hand in hand with ensuring our City is a safe and prosperous space for all to work, live, and raise a family.
Jael Currie
Madison Common Council, District 16
I’ve come to a crucial junction in my career where I can no longer stay silent about system failures and the plethora of inequities that come as a result. I am running to bring the concerns of ordinary people to Madison’s Common Council. I will bring those concerns through several perspectives of both personal lived and professional experiences. I am also running to serve with a collective goal of co-creating this community to truly be a place where every resident feels safe, heard, and can thrive.
Alder. Rebecca Kemble
Madison Common Council, District 18
The burning question that informed my shift in focus was this: How are we going to take care of ourselves, one another, and the air, water, and land we depend on in the face of deepening ecological, social, and economic crises? While national and state politics have been flooded with the influence of big money, there are still opportunities in Madison to help shape decisions and policy, and to represent people fairly. I want to create the space in city government for the needs, concerns and bright ideas of my neighbors to be heard and engaged.
Milwaukee County
Dana Kelley
Milwaukee Public School Board, District 14
I am running to ensure a quality education through Music, Arts and Mental Health programs available to MPS students of color. I am running to fight for MPS and strengthen MPS by holding Charter Schools accountable for the funding they receive from each district. I am running to implement a Green New Deal in MPS for a healthy infrastructure, a healthy meal program and a climate equity curriculum. This also creates living wage jobs in the community and is an opportunity to teach skills and trades to the students.
Henry Leonard
Milwaukee Public School Board, District 7
I strongly believe and have worked at defending the rights of minorities, and all other injustices including social, labor or economic since becoming an adult. This requires complete commitment to the cause of being a representative of my district. I want to create much better rapport between our district, teachers and the progressive goals of our leaders. This requires the same structure as that of building labor actions. I want to use our common ground to develop a level of support that will strengthen our district as a whole.
Winnebago County (Oshkosh)
Michael Beardsley
Oshkosh Common Council, At Large
It is important to me that Oshkosh is a city that is sustainable, equitable, and thriving for future generations. Being proactive in putting people first so residents are supported, protected, and provided opportunities to live their best life is what drives me to want to be your next council member. I want to help continue working towards an Oshkosh that life long residents are proud to call home and a place new residents are excited to lay down their roots.
