Christian Phelps

Christian Phelps was born in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. He earned a high school diploma from Eau Claire Memorial High School, a bachelor's degree from Vassar College in 2016, and a graduate degree from Cardiff University in 2020. His career experience includes working as a communications director, journalist, and education professional. He has been affiliated with Madison Teachers Incorporated, the Wisconsin Rural Coalition, Support Eau Claire Public Schools, and the Eau Claire Public Schools Foundation.[1]

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Video submitted to BallotpediaReleased June 20, 2024

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I was born and raised in Eau Claire and graduated from Memorial High School in 2012. I've been an advocate in our community for over a decade.

As a 17-year-old, having been raised by a family of educators, Act 10's introduction launched me into action. I participated in walkouts, desperate to stop our state from dismantling public services. But it passed anyway, foreshadowing further threats against democracy in WI.

I earned a bachelor’s degree from Vassar College in 2016, then returned to Wisconsin, working as a special ed. paraprofessional in public schools in Madison; I was a member of Madison Teachers Inc., a WEAC/NEA affiliate union. I then earned a master’s degree in journalism from Cardiff University and returned to Eau Claire in early 2020. Since then, I have been Director of Digital Organizing and Communications for WI Public Education Network.

In my journalism, I've covered stories of LGBTQ+ rights, social programs, Indigenous sovereignty, public education, and more. I serve on the Support Eau Claire Public Schools steering committee and the board of the Eau Claire Public Schools Foundation.

I'm proud to be the pro-public candidate: pro-public education, pro-public health, pro-public land, pro-public participation in democracy, and more.

We have a responsibility in 2024 to elect someone with advocacy experience at the legislative level and a bold vision for our shared future. That sense of responsibility is what drives me to run.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

I'm a pro-public candidate. I believe the power to drive our communities should be in the public, and that we must invest in our public services and institutions so we can all thrive: public schools, public health, public participation in democracy, and public land.I bring the most aspirational and progressive platform, a deep knowledge of the state budget and the legislative process, and years of advocacy experience on the issues affecting our community. We need legislators who understand how the budget works, how to put a public awareness campaign into action alongside policy, and how to govern toward the major changes we deserve by making progress in strategic areas with colleagues of both parties. We can make something happen in 2025--and we can't afford not to.As a millennial candidate, I represent a generation that has been left out of our political infrastructure for too long. We have been at the receiving end of bad economic policies, rising housing prices, and reckless disregard for the environment. I believe a strong legislature is multigenerational. Each generation has unique challenges, and those challenges should be represented in our seats of power.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Wisconsin urgently needs to reinvest in the public. I’m proud to be the pro-public candidate: pro-public education, pro-public land, pro-public health, pro-public participation in democracy, and more. Here are some issues I care about because they are important for our community, popular among bipartisan coalitions of voters, and capable of making headway, even in divided government--but only if we have prepared and strategic legislators:

- Fund Strong Public Schools

- Restore Reproductive Freedom

- Expand Healthcare as a Human Right

- Protect the Environment

- Legalize Cannabis

- Broaden Workers' Rights & Restore Collective Bargaining

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

Before going to Wales, where I earned my master's degree, I watched the film "Pride" (2014), a movie based on the true story of a British group of activists from the 1980s called "Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners." It is a brilliant story that gets at the true meaning of solidarity: two seemingly unrelated groups both deserving of liberation, working through differences and fighting for each other unconditionally because no one is free until everyone is free. As an LGBTQ+ individual, the story speaks to me about the need to connect the dots between the fight for the working class, laborers, LGBTQ+ communities, and all populations and individuals disadvantaged by the status quo.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

One of the most common concerns we are hearing from voters in this process is about the personal integrity of our elected officials. The Chippewa Valley is eager and ready to unite around candidates who are honest, transparent, and trustworthy. While nobody can promise to agree with every single person on every single policy, I can promise that I'll listen and be able and willing to explain every decision I make in the Assembly, and why that decision was made in the best interest of our community.

Beyond that, I believe that a community organizing background is integral. A strong legislator understands not only policy but also how to build community-level power alongside it. I have a communications and community organizing background that will inform my governance strategy. I'll seek to educate constituents across Wisconsin on the impact of our state's policies, working directly with labor unions, organizations, and community leaders and listening to those closest to each individual issue. By engaging in a public awareness and power building campaign along with a strong policy strategy, elected officials can make a difference for our community faster, and can lay a strong foundation for sustained positive change.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

Communication: I am able to engage in productive conversation with anyone. Speaking with voters, I have found that almost all of us share some basic values for our community even if we don't identify the same way politically. I am skilled at identifying the values so that we can create change in pursuit of those values.

Curiosity: I make it a point to be as well-informed as possible about local, state, national, and international issues. I believe it is important to understand the world we live in, so that we can identify the strategies that make that world safer and more welcoming for ourselves and our neighbors.

Courage: I am not afraid to stand up for and speak out for the issues I believe are right, even if there is powerful opposition to those issues. This also translates to my belief that strong legislators govern with an accountability mindset. It sometimes takes courage to hold your friends accountable for doing what is right, and I intend to demonstrate that kind of courage in the legislature.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Assembly Representatives are up for re-election every two years precisely because this is not a career. It is a form of representation for our community. I believe the core responsibility is to serve as a bridge between the community and the capitol, ensuring that the power to drive our community lies in the public and not only in Madison.

We must also be prepared for meticulous policy work. The state budget, drafted and passed in odd-numbered years, has an enormous impact on our state. Assembly Representatives must have a deep understanding of how the budget works and where the needs of the public are, in order to negotiate in good faith, mold the budget in collaboration with their colleagues, hold themselves and their colleagues of both parties accountable, and ultimately take a vote on the budget that comes out of committee. This work is largely studious and unfit for headline news, but it is the most consequential piece of legislation passed in Wisconsin every two years.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

Other than mowing lawns and shoveling snow for my neighbors (although I did plenty of that!) I had a summer job in high school as an assistant tennis instructor at the Eau Claire Country Club in Altoona. Occasionally, members would finish their lessons and invite me to join them as a guest for some free country club food -- a welcome treat!

Teaching and coaching tennis followed me for quite a while, as I then spent summers in college working as a counselor and coach at the UW-Whitewater Warhawk Tennis Camp. Both jobs were fun!

What is your favorite book? Why?

The Hobbit. Do I really need to explain that one? It had me drawing fake maps and embarking on imaginary adventures as a kid. If you haven't read it and loved it yet, make this year the year!

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

The year I turned 13 -- 2006 -- the state of Wisconsin constitutionally banned same-sex marriage. It was also a time when I was coming to personally understand my own LGBTQ+ identity. Since that moment, I have had a deep understanding of how irresponsible rhetoric and leadership can harm young people. While I didn't fully understand policy intricacies at that age, and I certainly didn't have marriage on my radar, I remember feeling like I needed to wonder whether I was safe and welcome in the community around me. I felt the impacts of the words and actions of leaders.

Every time disrespectful dialogue bubbles up in our public discourse, I think about its impact on children. Having navigated my own life in the LGBTQ+ community in Wisconsin, I know that the children can hear us.

What do you perceive to be your state's greatest challenges over the next decade?

I am extremely concerned about the state's disinvestment in public schools and other public services in Wisconsin. Some of our public institutions literally cannot survive further cuts and disrespect; some cannot survive one single additional bad budget. School districts and municipalities in Wisconsin are increasingly forced into local referendums to keep their basic operations going, while the state of Wisconsin hoards multiple billions of dollars in taxes already paid; legislative Republicans have refused to fund our public services with those dollars. We need strategic, bold plans immediately to restore Wisconsin's investment in the public, to make our public schools, municipalities, universities, technical colleges, lands, and other public services solvent for the years ahead.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

I believe there are many forms of relevant experience for this legislative role--direct government or political experience, policy analysis experience, community organizing, etc.--and that some relevant experience is very important. I have a background as a community organizer, communications professional, and writer around issues and shared values. I have campaign experience--I have personally knocked doors for local-level candidates and helped pass referendums for the Eau Claire Area School District. I also have professional experience assisting community groups passing school referendums in communities of all sizes and political persuasions across Wisconsin. I have deep advocacy experience, both personally and professionally, at the legislative level. I know where the current legislature is most out of alignment with public opinion and am ready to hold myself and my colleagues accountable on precisely those pressure points.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

Yes. I am proud to have personal relationships with and endorsements from some of the boldest incumbent legislators in the Assembly who have been standing up for our values and keeping our state from the brink over the past few years. I am ready to serve with them in the legislature starting on day one. I also believe in working in coalition to actually get something done. My advocacy work has shown me how many of our values are popular among individuals across the political spectrum: strong public schools and stable healthcare as a human right, as examples. I will work to hold myself and my colleagues of both parties accountable for standing up for those values and am willing to work with anyone who's ready to do what's right.

What is the first bill you would introduce if elected?

It would be an honor to introduce a bill restoring the collective bargaining rights of our public sector labor unions, 13 years after the introduction of Act 10 launched me into political action. I also have plans to work with allies in the legislature on a bill to fix our school funding formula so it is based on students' needs rather than property taxes. However, our first priority will be the 2025-27 state budget bill, in which I hope to see progress made on both of these issues: specifically, I will advocate for a significant increase in state funding for special education in public schools.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

As of 6/22:

American Federation of Teachers (AFT)-WI

Citizen Action of WI

Mandela Barnes, Former Lt. Gov. of Wisconsin

Francesca Hong, State Assembly District 76

Ryan Clancy, State Assembly District 19

Darrin Madison, State Assembly District 10

Kate Felton, Eau Claire City Council

Charlie Johnson, EC City Council

Roderick Jones, EC City Council

Larry Mboga, EC City Council

Aaron Brewster, EC City Council

Jeanne Nutter, Trempealeau County Board

Tim Nordin, President, Eau Claire Area School Board

Lori Bica, Vice President, EC Area School Board

Jarrett Dement, EC Area School Board

Stephanie Farrar, EC Area School Board

Rachel Henderson, President, Menomonie Area School Board

Angela Wolf, Menomonie Area School Board

and many more.

What committees interest you?

Assembly Democrats are losing three incumbent members of the Education Committee this year. We need representatives with a deep understanding of school funding and education issues to fill those gaps as quickly as possible. As a former school paraprofessional and lifelong advocate for public schools, I would be very interested in this assignment. Besides Education, I'd be happy to serve on any committees as assigned and am also interested in Environment, Mental Health and Substance Abuse Prevention, and others.

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

The more the better. I believe we need to get big money out of our elections. We should make it as easy as possible to access where politicians' (and legislators') donations come from, and whether those donations align with their voting patterns.

Would a state ballot initiative process be good or bad for your state?

Good. I support anything that expands democracy. I have watched skilled community organizers in other states use ballot initiatives to ensure that the will of the people prevails and protect against overreach by regressive lawmakers.