Kelda Roys

Kelda Roys was born in Marshfield, Wisconsin. She graduated from Madison East High School. She earned a bachelor's degree from New York University in 2000 and a law degree from the University of Wisconsin, Madison in 2004. Her career experience includes working as a legislator, attorney, and CEO and owner of OpenHomes.[1][2]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am running for governor to deliver higher wages, lower costs, fund our schools and protect our freedoms during this scary time.

We need a governor who will stand up to Trump’s authoritarian power grabs and deliver real change for Wisconsin families. Born in Marshfield and raised in rural Taylor County, I now represent Dane County in the State Senate. I am a mom and stepmom of five, attorney, small business owner, and former nonprofit executive who has spent more than two decades fighting to help everyday Wisconsinites thrive. I served two terms in the Assembly, where I helped expand healthcare to 80,000 people. In the Senate, I serve on the powerful Joint Finance Committee.

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?

Our country is in a moment of crisis; we need a governor who will stand up to fight this Republican regime’s authoritarianism, and protect Wisconsinites from Big Tech corporations who are weaponizing technological innovation against people. I’ve set forth the strongest plan to combat ICE’s violent abuses, and will use every tool to protect us from the many harms of the Republican regime, from their illegal tariffs to their cuts to healthcare and education. I have also authored the most robust legislation to stop data centers from destroying our state and protect Wisconsinites from the abuses of AI – technology should work for us, not exploit us.Affordability continues to be a major concern in every part of the state. That’s why I’ve set forth a bold plan to raise wages: increasing the minimum wage from $7.25 to $15 – with a path to $20 by 2030, and by restoring collective bargaining rights. I also have plans to lower costs on the biggest ticket items, including healthcare and prescription drugs, housing, childcare, and utilities. Several hundred thousand Wisconsinities are estimated to lose coverage in the coming years, causing rates to skyrocket and providers to close their doors. My KeldaCare plan would open up the state employee’s health insurance plan to everyone – a high quality, nonprofit public option that will enable us to save on healthcare while getting better coverage.After three decades of underfunding, I will prioritize our public schools to deliver a high quality public education for every Wisconsin child - from early childhood to higher ed. I will also bring the disastrous voucher scheme to a responsible end, stopping the privatization of our K12 schools. I have a plan to enact universal paid family leave and early childhood education, and to revitalize our public universities and colleges so they are accessible to all.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am personally passionate about public education and early childhood, economic opportunity and development, affordable healthcare, reproductive freedom, housing, workers’ rights, civil rights and liberties, democracy and voting rights, conservation, public safety and criminal justice reform, consumer protection, transit, and making Wisconsin more affordable and livable. Public education is the birthright of every Wisconsin child, and the basis of our democracy and economy I want to raise wages, lower costs, fully fund our public schools, and protect our rights and freedoms. As a small business owner, I’m also committed to entrepreneurship and helping Wisconsin’s startups and small businesses start, grow, and thrive.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Loretta Ross - the founder of SisterSong and an incredible visionary who created the  reproductive justice framework that is such a powerful way of describing the world we want to build. She’s one of my political heroes, who brings wisdom to some of the most challenging questions facing progressive political movements. She is an academic and an activist, an organizer and an author, and developed the “Calling In” framework as a response to cancel culture, and to focus activist energy on building movements and solving problems rather than fostering division and enforcing orthodoxy.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

WEAC, representing Wisconsin’s teachers, and the largest union in the state, has endorsed me as the candidate who will champion public education. This is the most important organizational endorsement that any candidate can receive in Wisconsin.

I’ve also received the most endorsements, by far, from Wisconsin’s elected and former elected officials in every part of the state, and hundreds more from community leaders. A partial list is below:

Wisconsin Education Association Council

Vote Run Lead Action

Moms Demand Action (Gun Sense Candidate)

Barbara Lawton, Lt. Governor*

Steve Kagen, Wisconsin Congressman District 8*

Sarah Keyeski, State Senator

Tom Nelson, Outagamie County Executive

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am state senator, a small business owner, attorney, and women’s rights advocate. In the Senate, I'm working tirelessly to make Wisconsin a place where everyone — no matter where you come from or who you are — can live, work, learn, and thrive.

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?

Protect and expand reproductive rights and healthcare for allAdvance economic justice so that all families have the money they need to thriveOpen doors of opportunity by investing in and fully funding public education - from early childhood to K12 to higher ed

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Healthcare, public education, abortion rights, climate change and resilience, civil rights and liberties, housing, reproductive justice, workers' rights, criminal justice reform

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

A sense of humor and willingness not to take things too personally

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

Listening to and engaging with people from all walks of life and who have diverse perspectives, translating people's needs into public policy through collaboration and coalition-building, and the ability to communicate well with colleagues and constituents.

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

Yes. Legislating and policymaking and politics require skill sets just like any other profession, and learning to do it well takes time and experience.

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

Government should be fully transparent and accountable to the voters.

Candidate Conversations

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Campaign website

The following themes were found on Roys' official campaign website.

Economy

“For decades, an ever increasing share of the wealth in our country has gone to those at the very top. It’s time to build an economy that works for everyone, based in the values opportunity and fairness. As governor, I will strengthen and expand the middle class, and help those who have been left behind.”

For Wisconsinites to share in the American dream, we must foster a growing economy with fair rules and shared prosperity. Economic growth comes from increases in labor productivity, judicious application of capital, and innovation. Our government’s role is to ensure a level playing field, reduce uncertainty that hinders innovation, and to invest in the labor and infrastructure we need for a strong, vibrant economy. Tax cuts and giveaways to big corporations are one of the least effective ways to create jobs – but politicians tout them because of the undue influence that big businesses and the wealthiest have have over our political system. We must make strategic investments to ensure that workers and businesses are able to succeed today and long into the future. My plan to ensure a strong economy and family-supporting jobs will:

Help small businesses and homegrown innovators, because they are the key to a growing economy. The vast majority of net new jobs come from new businesses – startups and early state companies. As an entrepreneur and small business owner myself, I understand the challenges of starting a company and will prioritize the needs of small businesses and entrepreneurs willing to take a risk on an idea. Under Gov. Walker, Wisconsin has been dead last in startups for the last three years – I will change this and help build Wisconsin’s economy to finally thrive. My Small Business Plan will help new and existing entrepreneurs to succeed, while leveling the playing field for all workers and employers.

Repair and maintain our aging infrastructure. Too much of our infrastructure, which is our public wealth, needs significant maintenance or to be replaced and updated. While roads and bridges are part of this, we also must upgrade our rail corridors for passengers and freight. Many of our water systems are in desperate need of repair, both drinking water and sanitation/sewage systems. We should retrofit schools and public buildings for energy efficiency and remove toxic or environmental hazards.

Invest in the 21st Century infrastructure we need to succeed in a global economy. We need statewide broadband connectivity, wireless infrastructure, and computing power, just as communities needed electrification and telephone connectivity in the 20th Century.

Make Wisconsin a leader in clean energy tech/manufacturing. Our state has no fossil fuels, so every dollar we spend on dirty energy leaves our state and contributes to climate change. We can become energy independent by fostering local, clean, sustainable energy production, “smart” grids, better power storage, and multimodal transit options for people and goods. Wisconsin already has skilled workers and an advanced manufacturing base, and with a strong state commitment to renewable energy, we could help this burgeoning industry provide thousands of good-paying jobs. Finally, we should employ emerging technologies to increase the efficiency of industrial processes, for instance in waste management, to save energy and money, and to reduce the strain on our environment.

Increase our investment in education and training – no modern economy can thrive without skilled, educated workers. We must ensure that quality public education is available to all Wisconsinites. As governor, I will invest in public education, including universal access to early childhood education, K12 schools, higher education, and workforce development.

Ensure workers are treated fairly and have the right to bargain collectively. Workers deserve a voice in the workplace; I fought for and support collective bargaining rights for workers in the public and private sector. The decline in unions corresponds to the decline in the middle class – that’s because even non-unionized workers see higher wages and better benefits when unions are prominent in their communities.

Make sure every worker earns a fair wage and has benefits. No one who works 40, 50, or 60 hours a week should live in poverty. Our minimum wage should be raised to $15 an hour (it’s currently set at the federal minimum of $7.25/hr), and local communities should have the power to set their own standards for workers. Similarly, no one should risk losing her job because she is sick, has a baby, or needs to care for a dying parent or spouse.

Provide universal paid family and sick leave to all workers. I will make sure every full time worker has twelve weeks of paid leave to use when having a baby, caring for a loved one, or dealing with a serious illness. Paid leave is a basic necessity that every other developed nation already provides, and that states are beginning to adopt. Paid leave will help Wisconsin attract and retain younger workers who are leaving our state in droves. Making coverage universal, rather than based on individual companies, will level the playing field, helping small businesses compete for employees and allowing would-be entrepreneurs to take the risk of starting a business. It also disproportionately helps lower income and middle class workers, who are less likely to have the flexibility and financial cushion to take time off for family or medical needs. No one should risk losing his or her job or housing because of illness, a new baby, or caring for a family member.

Make the Wisconsin Retirement System open to all workers and companies. As a state legislator, I paid into to the WRS – one of the strongest and best run public pension programs in the United States. Every worker – public and private – and deserves a secure retirement after a lifetime of work and should have the option of buying in to the program. Every small business should have access to the kinds of pension programs that large employers can provide. Creating a parallel pension fund that private sector and nonprofit workers and employers could buy into will help increase the number of Wisconsinites with a financially secure retirement, while strengthening the WRS by increasing the number of people who benefit from it.

Ensure equal pay for women. Unlike Gov. Walker, who repealed Wisconsin’s Equal Pay laws, I believe that women should be paid equally for the same work, and that no worker should have to face discrimination or harassment at the workplace.

Healthcare

“Healthcare is a right – not a privilege. As governor, my first act will be to accept federal healthcare dollars. I’ll make Badgercare a public option and available to all to buy in. I won’t rest until every single Wisconsinite has access to quality, affordable, comprehensive healthcare.”

Every other industrialized nation recognizes the government’s obligation to ensure its citizens have healthcare. While Obamacare established the principle of universal coverage, much work remains to ensure affordable, quality, comprehensive care for all. Our current system still rations healthcare based on ability to pay, employment status, geography, etc. To be competitive, workers and businesses need to be free from the insecurity, inefficiency, cost-shifting, and skyrocketing costs of our current employer-based for-profit insurance system.

Healthcare access increases individual freedom. When coverage is determined by employers, people are less free to change jobs, retire, start a business, take time to care for a child or loved one, or pursue education — they can’t risk going without coverage. Making Badgercare available to all would help unleash people’s economic potential and afford them flexibility in caring for their families.

Increased access to healthcare will help our businesses compete. Right now, small businesses like mine have a hard time affording high-quality health insurance, making it difficult to attract and retain employees, and costs are unpredictable. America’s medium and large businesses are at a disadvantage in a global marketplace, because their international counterparts do not pay for health insurance.

Build on the protections of the Affordable Care Act, making Badgercare a public option. I will build a Wisconsin exchange to reign in costs and provide more options than currently available. I also support increasing the medical loss ratio over time, to ensure that insurance companies become more efficient and use our premiums to provide care rather than line the pockets of executives.

Expand successful pilot programs to reduce health care costs and increase quality. Many successful programs have proven it is possible to both improve patient outcomes and quality of life while decreasing costs. Many of these programs have changed the payment model away from fee-for-service to allow providers to be paid for keeping patients healthy. This is especially important for populations like the elderly and those with chronic diseases, who may require more care and incur higher costs.

Accept federal Medicaid expansion dollars. Rejecting federal healthcare money has cost our state a lot: over $1 billion in healthcare funds, 10,000 lost healthcare jobs, and nearly 80,000 Wisconsinites lost access to affordable health care.

Treat mental and behavioral health needs in the healthcare system, not the criminal justice system. Too often, people struggling with substance use disorder or mental illness are funneled into jails and prisons, where they don’t get the services they need and their challenges are exacerbated. With Wisconsin’s opioid crisis continuing to grow, this is even more urgent – we must redouble our focus on prevention, treatment, and harm reduction, using evidence-based public health strategies.

Ensure culturally competent, non-discriminatory care for all populations. We must work to eliminate healthcare disparities based on race, class, national origin, sexual orientation or gender identity, age, or any other factor. Every person deserves access to high quality care. Politicians should never interfere in private medical decisions.

Environmental health affects human health. Pollution can cause or exacerbate human ailments; we must protect clean air, water, and soil for the wellbeing of people and planet.

Guarantee reproductive health care access. I have been a champion for reproductive rights and justice my entire career. Women and men deserve access to comprehensive healthcare, including the full spectrum of reproductive healthcare, from family planning and contraception, to healthy pregnancy and birth, to abortion care, to the right to parent healthy children. Politicians should never interfere with the most personal, private, family healthcare decisions.

Education

“As a mother, an employer, and a proud graduate of Wisconsin’s public schools, I care deeply about making sure that every Wisconsinite has access to the best educational opportunities. Wisconsin used to be the education state, before the current governor slashed billions from our K12 schools, colleges, and universities. As governor, I will reinvest in education at all levels so that every child has the opportunity to learn and succeed in Wisconsin.”

Wisconsin’s constitution guarantees a free, quality public education to every child; public education is the cornerstone of our democracy. Wisconsin’s schools have been under relentless attack from the GOP – from slashing over $1 billion in funding, to demonizing educators, to privatization schemes. That ends the day I become governor. Here are my priorities for education:

Prepare kids for success in a modern economy. Our children need to develop skills needed for the jobs of tomorrow. We ought to emphasize STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) as core areas for learning, in addition to critical thinking, communication, and cooperation skills. All students should have the opportunity to participate in the arts, humanities, and physical education/athletics, regardless of their parents’ income levels.

Provide equitable and sufficient funding for urban and rural schools. I will reverse Walker’s massive cuts to our schools and restore public education as a core priority for Wisconsin. For too long, politicians have focused on affixing blame rather than having the courage to truly commit to funding our schools at a level and in a way that would ensure educational excellence. It’s time for the state government to fulfill its obligation to provide a great education for every child. All kids in low-income areas should be able to have free breakfast and lunch, to ensure they are ready to learn.

Recruit and retain excellent teachers. The most important factor in a child’s success is the teacher at the front of the room. We must attract the best and brightest young people to careers in education, and keep them in the classroom with adequate professional development and mentorship, sufficient prep time, and student debt forgiveness for taking on challenging teaching assignments. That means ensuring dedicated young people an affordable college education, wages that support a family and a middle class life, a voice in their workplace, and above all, respect for their profession. One cannot value education and disrespect the educators who provide it.

Free 2 year college. Wisconsin should make its two-year colleges and technical schools free, increasing access to low- and moderate-income students who don’t have family support. Several other states have seen significant increases in the number of students, especially students from low-income households, by utilizing a “last dollar” scholarship that minimizes the cost to the state and greatly increases career and earning prospects of people who otherwise might not be able to afford higher ed.

Reduce student loan debt. A college education is no longer possible for most Wisconsinites without taking on massive debt that impedes their ability to buy a home, start a business, have children, or get on sound financial footing. We must provide more public support to public universities to reduce the massive tuition increases that have priced many Americans out of a college education. We should increase availability of grants and subsidized loans for students who need assistance. We should regulate predatory for-profit schemes that don’t deliver results for their students. And we should make it possible to refinance all student loans just like you can refinance a mortgage or auto loan.

Offer universal early childhood education. The more we learn about brain development, the more we’ve understood how critical the early years are, particularly birth through age 5. Wisconsin should address the high cost of childcare by expanding the availability of early childhood education. We should make 3K and 4K universally available to all children in Wisconsin. This will not only ensure that all kids have a safe environment in which to play and develop emotionally, socially, and intellectually, but it will help prevent racial and economic disparities, and help parents with the huge cost of childcare.

Build a culture of lifelong learning. In today’s global economy, it is increasingly difficult to maintain a middle-class life with only a high school education. We should provide more training and employment assistance to displaced workers, and help employees keep their skills up to date. In addition, we ought to expand educational and training opportunities for adult learners – including vocational and technical college and universities – to help workers succeed in a knowledge-based economy. Finally, we must make libraries a priority again – access to the world’s knowledge ought to be available for every citizen in our democracy, and in today’s interconnected world, libraries are safe, welcoming community spaces for kids and seniors alike.

Use evidence-based policymaking for educational excellence. Many educational reforms are based on political ideologies and assumptions rather than solid evidence of what works to help children learn and succeed. Our educational policies should be based on evidence of classroom success, not rhetoric that serves the needs of politicians.

Ending Gun Violence

“This mom is having no more thoughts and prayers. I demand action. When I am governor, Wisconsin will stand up to the NRA and do what’s right so our kids can go to school without being shot to death or fearing it.”

End the NRA’s stranglehold on our politics. The gun manufacturers’ lobby has spent over $3.5 million to back Gov. Walker. I have never taken a penny from them and I never would. I urge all recipients of NRA money to donate it to organizations supporting responsible gun ownership laws or those supporting victims of gun violence.

Address gun violence as the public health emergency it is. The vast majority of Wisconsinites and Americans – gun owners and non-gun owners alike – support common-sense reforms because we all want our kids to be safe in school and in our communities. Wisconsin’s hunters and sportsmen and women know that gun ownership comes with responsibility, and that includes basic laws like background checks. We must address the rising epidemic of gun violence, including mass shootings, by keeping guns out of dangerous hands.

I support common sense gun reform for public safety. Among the many proposals I support to reduce gun violence are:

Buyers: Require universal background checks for all gun sales, closing the private party and gun show loopholes. Prohibit people on the terrorist watch list from buying weapons. Prohibit anyone convicted of a violent crime, including a domestic violence misdemeanor, from possessing firearms. Allow “Red Flag” laws so family members or law enforcement could petition a judge to temporarily suspend someone’s gun buying privileges if he is a danger to himself or others.

Sales: Reinstate Wisconsin’s 48 hour waiting period, especially important for preventing domestic violence and suicides. Raise the age of purchase for guns to 21. Limit the number of firearms that can be purchased at once and within a month. Require gun dealers to secure all weapons prior to sale.

Weapons: Ban assault weapons as well as high capacity magazines, bump stocks, silencers, armor-piercing bullets, and other equipment that makes mass shooting easier.

Enforcement: We should also consider ending state preemption of local gun laws, banning replica guns, restricting the movement of weapons across state lines, and building a law enforcement database to allow for tracing weapons.

No guns in schools. I oppose arming teachers and increasing the presence of other armed guards or firearms in schools. Children should be free to learn without gun violence or the presence of guns – they should be free from the fear of violence too. We should not turn our schools into prison-like atmospheres, with locked doors and metal detectors and armed personnel.

Expand access to health care, including mental health care, to better help people who might harm others or themselves. While people struggling with mental illness are not likely to be mass shooters, and are in fact more likely to be victims of violence than perpetrators, every person deserves mental health care and this can help our communities be safer. It should not be easier to obtain an assault weapon than a doctor’s appointment.

Implement and fund effective violence prevention and reduction strategies, so we can change our culture that too often equates violence with strength.

Stop pretending gun reform is about hunters and sportsmen. Wisconsin has a great tradition of hunting and sportsmanship that is part of our heritage. That has nothing to do with whether we should pass responsible gun reforms to keep dangerous weapons out of the wrong hands. Every responsible gun owner knows that having a weapon comes with responsibility, and that’s why the vast majority of them support common sense measures to improve safety. I grew up with firearms: my dad carried a gun as a law enforcement officer and his service weapon was in our home. My stepdad and many family members are hunters. That has nothing to do with whether or not a dangerous or disturbed person can get unlimited weapons and ammunition at any time with no checks or regulation.[6]

—Kelda Roys for Governor[7]

Campaign website

Oh her campaign site Roys listed her positions on a number of issues, including:[8]

Healthcare - "We must address the health care crisis, and provide universal coverage for all Wisconsinites."

Education - "Kelda is the only candidate supported by our teachers."

Jobs & Economic Development - "To sustain a strong and stable economy, we must enable diverse businesses and skilled workers to innovate and thrive."

Fiscal Responsibility - "Our state budget and its process should reflect the values and priorities of Wisconsin voters - state government must tax and spend responsibly and fairly."

Government Accountability - "Elections should be publicly financed, not bought by private special interests."