From a One-Room Schoolhouse to the Wisconsin Governor's Race: Kelda Roys

  Wisconsin State Senator Kelda Roys is running to be the state’s next governor, leveraging years of legislative experience and proven bipartisan wins to make her case to Wisconsin voters. From growing up in a converted one-room schoolhouse in rural Taylor County to leading fights for reproductive rights and workers’ freedoms in the state legislature, Roys brings more than two decades of progressive advocacy to this race. As a mom and stepmom of five, small business owner, attorney, and longtime champion for women’s health, Roys has built a reputation for seeing political threats before they materialize and building coalitions to fight back. She was in the streets protesting Scott Walker’s Act 10 in 2011, helped pass Wisconsin’s first pro-choice legislation in 30 years, and now co-chairs the Legislature’s Reproductive Freedom Caucus. In this wide-ranging conversation, we discuss how she thinks about leadership and compromise in a purple state, her vision for education and healthcare, what drives her advocacy work, and how she manages the chaos of running a small business and raising five kids while serving in the state Senate. This is the first in our series of conversations with candidates for Wisconsin governor across the political spectrum. Listen to other episodes from this series of conversations with candidates for Wisconsin governor across the political spectrum. Mandela Barnes was Wisconsin’s first Black Lieutenant Governor. In 2022, he ran a nationally watched Senate race against Ron Johnson and lost by just 27,000 votes. Now he’s running for Governor, and Wisconsin voters have questions. Listen HERE In this episode, Dr. Kristin Lyerly sits down with Missy Hughes, the former CEO of Wisconsin’s Economic Development Corporation and longtime Organic Valley executive who’s running on a platform of economic opportunity for all 72 counties. Listen HERE. State Representative Francesca Hong isn’t your typical gubernatorial candidate – and she’ll be the first to tell you that. Listen HERE Lieutenant Governor Sara Rodriguez joins Dr. Lyerly to discuss her campaign to become Wisconsin’s first female governor. Listen HERE Guests: Kelda Roys