JoCasta Zamarripa

JoCasta Zamarripa earned a high school diploma from St. Joan Antida High School, and a bachelor's degree in fine arts from the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee in 2005. Zamarripa's career experience includes working as a community outreach coordinator for Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin.[1][2][3]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I'm JoCasta Zamarripa, and I've spent my life fighting for working people. I got my start organizing in my community on the issues that matter most to families, and I carried that fight into office, serving nearly a decade in the Wisconsin State Assembly and now on the Milwaukee Common Council. Along the way I've led on affordable housing, championed small businesses, and built coalitions to get real results. I'm running for Secretary of State because families from Kenosha to Superior are working harder than ever and still falling behind, squeezed by the cost of child care, housing, and groceries, and by schools forced into constant referenda. I'll use this office's statewide platform to push for affordable child care, housing relief, and fully funded public schools, and I'll be a careful steward of the Board of Commissioners of Public Lands, which supports our public schools and libraries. I'm also running at a moment when the freedom to vote is under attack and trust in our elections is being deliberately undermined. I'll be a strong, credible voice against voter suppression and disinformation and a fierce advocate for a democracy where every eligible voter can participate and know their vote counts. I'll be a Secretary of State who never stops fighting for working families or for a democracy that works for all of us.

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 running to fight for working families. Across Wisconsin, families are squeezed by the rising cost of child care, housing, and groceries, while wages haven't kept up. I'll use the platform of this office to push for bold, statewide investment in affordable child care, housing relief, and real support for the families who power our state.I'll fight for fully funded public schools. I've seen what happens when the state underfunds education: constant referenda, underpaid teachers, and families forced to fill the gaps. As a member of the Board of Commissioners of Public Lands, I'll protect and grow the Common School Fund that supports every public school library in Wisconsin, and defend it from efforts to raid it.I'll protect the freedom to vote. Our democracy only works when every eligible voter can participate and trust that their vote counts. I'll use this office as a strong, credible voice against voter suppression and disinformation and for expanding access to the ballot, so every Wisconsinite's voice is heard.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I'm passionate about the cost-of-living issues squeezing Wisconsin families: affordable child care, housing relief, and fully funded public schools. I care deeply about protecting the freedom to vote and defending our elections from those who would undermine them, and about standing up for immigrant, LGBTQ+, and working communities against those who would push them aside. My whole career has been about delivering for the people too often left behind, and that's what drives me every day.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin, U.S. Congressman Mark Pocan, the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund, Vote Run Lead Action, the Wisconsin Working Families Party, the Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers Union, and the Northern Midwest Regional Council of Carpenters. I'm also proud to have the support of leaders from across Wisconsin including Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson, Green Bay Mayor Eric Genrich, Superior Mayor Jim Paine, State Senators Tim Carpenter and Mark Spreitzer, and more than a dozen other current and former legislators and local officials from Kenosha to Superior.

Campaign websiteZamarripa's campaign website stated the following:JoCasta’s PlatformCost of LivingAcross Wisconsin, families are feeling squeezed. Prices are up, but wages and support haven’t kept pace. As the daughter of a single mom who worked multiple jobs, JoCasta knows how hard it is to stretch every dollar. She’s using this campaign to call for bold, statewide investment in affordable child care, attainable housing, and relief at the grocery store—not in five years, but now. These aren’t luxuries. They’re essentials every family should have access to.Housing AffordabilityJoCasta has led the way on housing solutions in Milwaukee and understands how deeply the affordability crisis is affecting families across the state. She believes the state must play a more active role in supporting affordable housing development, preventing displacement, and making sure renters and first-time buyers have a fair shot. Every Wisconsinite deserves a safe, stable place to live.Access to Affordable Child CareThe rising cost and limited availability of child care is holding back families and our economy. JoCasta supports major state-level investments to expand access, improve quality, and ensure child care providers are paid fairly. She knows that child care is infrastructure—and essential to helping working parents thrive.A State That WorksJoCasta has seen up close what happens when government underfunds our schools: constant referenda, underpaid teachers, and families forced to fill in the gaps. She’s fighting for a Wisconsin where public education is fully funded by the state—not pieced together through emergency votes and bake sales. Our kids deserve better, and our communities do too.Public Lands, Public GoodThe Secretary of State serves on the Board of Commissioners of Public Lands, which manages over $1.3 billion in trust funds and 77,000 acres of land. Those funds support public schools and libraries across the state. JoCasta sees this responsibility not as a footnote, but as a real opportunity to invest in Wisconsin’s future. She’ll ensure these resources are protected, expanded, and directed to where they’re needed most.A Better Future for Every CommunityWhether you’re a farmworker in the Driftless, a teacher in Appleton, or a parent raising kids in Milwaukee, JoCasta believes you deserve a fair shot. That means building systems that include everyone—especially the people too often left out. As someone who’s spent her life breaking barriers and delivering results, she’s committed to using this office to uplift the communities that power our state.— JoCasta Zamarripa's campaign website (September 15, 2026)Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.

Campaign ads

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Zamarripa's campaign website highlighted the following issues:[24]

Public safety

Excerpt: "The need for state and local assistance in combating violence in our neighborhoods is more apparent than ever."

Healthcare

Excerpt: "With medical advances being made every day, lawmakers in Madison need to be working to expand health choices to men and women in every corner of Wisconsin. The Republican health care agenda is misguided in extreme right-wing ideology."

Election integrity & voter rights

Excerpt: "I will always fight to increase civic engagement in underrepresented communities and work to expand access to the ballot for every eligible Wisconsin voter."

LGBT equality

Excerpt: "Wisconsin took a major step forward this year when a federal judge struck down the state’s unconstitutional ban on same sex marriage. Unfortunately, the Walker administration has not backed away from their enforcement of the ban despite this historic ruling. I wrote a letter to Attorney General Van Hollen asking him to abandon his legal efforts in defending this out-of-date law."

Immigration

Excerpt: "Representing the state’s largest Latino district, I am honored to author legislation that would provide so many immigrant families in my district a shot at the American Dream while we wait for the passage of comprehensive immigration reform at the federal level."

Zamarripa's website highlighted the following campaign themes:[25]

Bipartisanship

Excerpt: "This past November, I passed my first bill and I am very proud to be able to say that it was a bipartisan effort. Senate Bill 259 (SB 259), that creates the office of Milwaukee County Comptroller, was signed into law as 2011 Wisconsin Act 62 on November 11, 2011."

Budgeting & Finance

Excerpt: "We need a budget process that is more open and honest than we’ve seen in the past. I know that in tough economic times, tough decision must be made. However, we cannot balance budgets off the backs of working families. I will continue to push for budgets that truly 'share the sacrifice'."

Crime Prevention

Excerpt: "As the State Representative of the 8th District, I will continue to work with the Milwaukee Police Department to make sure that they have the resources they need to keep our community safe. I would also like to outline clear expectations for these resources and hold the Department accountable for meeting community expectations."

Healthcare

"Excerpt: "Wisconsin used to lead the nation in access to quality affordable health care. As a candidate for the Assembly in 2010, I strongly supported programs such as BadgerCare and SeniorCare."

K-12 Education & Higher Education

Excerpt: "I will work to make sure that tax dollars for education are used wisely and that any school receiving public dollars, whether it be MPS or a voucher/choice school, is meeting expectations and is held accountable; I will continue to push for more funding for our universities and technical colleges."

Redistricting Issues

Excerpt: "There must be a public voice in any redistricting process and that partisan politics must be taken out of the process."

Zamarripa's website highlighted the following campaign themes:

"Investing in our youth through education.

Making our community safer by decreasing crime

Providing property tax relief to home owners"

...strong leadership to protect and bring jobs to Milwaukee"