Here and Now
Kelda Roys on the 2026 Primary for Governor of Wisconsin
Clip: Season 2400 Episode 2423 | 4m 41sVideo has Closed Captions
Kelda Roys on running for Wisconsin governor in 2026 and politics of the race.
State Sen. Kelda Roys, D-Madison, discusses why she is running in the Democratic primary for Wisconsin governor in 2026 and how both state and national politics factor in the race.
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Here and Now is a local public television program presented by PBS Wisconsin
Here and Now
Kelda Roys on the 2026 Primary for Governor of Wisconsin
Clip: Season 2400 Episode 2423 | 4m 41sVideo has Closed Captions
State Sen. Kelda Roys, D-Madison, discusses why she is running in the Democratic primary for Wisconsin governor in 2026 and how both state and national politics factor in the race.
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
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>> All right.
David Crowley, thanks for your time.
>> Thank you so much.
Thank you for having me.
>> Another of the total of seven Democrats running for governor, State Senator Kelda Roys tells us about her experience and candidacy in this interview with Zac Schultz.
>> Kelda.
Roys, thanks for joining us.
Zach.
elevator pitch, introduce yourself and say, why are you running for governor?
>> I'm running for governor because Wisconsin needs higher wages, lower costs and more freedom.
We face a huge threat from the Trump administration, and we need a governor who is willing to stand up to the bullies and billionaires and fight to protect Wisconsinites same time, we also have an incredible opportunity to actually elect a governor who is able to govern and pass laws with a new, fairer legislature.
>> Is there a single issue that drives you, or perhaps a lane within the Democratic Party that may define you?
>> I think it's all about making it possible for working people to have the freedom to thrive in this have seen their wages stagnate or even go down.
Meanwhile, the cost of living are skyrocketing.
Everything from housing to healthcare, childcare and utilities is going up.
We have to make Wisconsin a place where people can afford to live and have a good life.
need to raise to be competitive and win this primary?
And will that leave any room for the general election after that?
>> Yeah, I'm very confident that we're going to have a good pot of money that's been raised by the Democratic Party and national partners for whomever our nominee is.
I think the primary, it depends on who all is running, but I'm confident I'm going to have the resources needed to run a strong campaign and prevail.
>> When it comes to a competitive primary, you're no stranger to those.
your view, between negative campaigning against a versus defining differences between candidates?
>> Well, I think primaries are really important opportunity for voters to vet the candidates and see what their experience is, see how they perform under pressure.
There's going to be a huge spotlight on Wisconsin.
This is an incredibly important high stakes race in one of the most pivotal states in the country.
And it is essential that we have a governor who not only is able to stand up to the Trump administration when needed, but also capable of actually making the change that we need in this narrow window of opportunity that we're going to have.
>> When primary voters are looking at these candidates, should they be thinking in terms of which issue they most closely relate to, a candidate or simply electability?
>> Well, I think each voter is going to decide for him or herself what matters.
And I ask everyone in Wisconsin for your vote on August 11th and November 3rd.
But I really want to make the argument that whatever the issue that you care about is, the most important thing is having a governor who can win and who can actually get things done.
I have spent over 20 years working in and around state government in a variety of capacities as a legislator in the Senate and the Assembly, as the only candidate running that served on the Joint Finance Committee, small business owner, mom, attorney and I have been able to get meaningful legislation passed on a whole variety of issues through every split.
Those skills are going to be essential for our next governor.
If we want to actually make change in this state.
>> All of the Democrats running for office have connections either to Madison or Milwaukee.
What is your job in terms of introducing yourself to the rest of the state, especially rural Wisconsin, that may not recognize your name?
spent my career traveling around the state and building relationships and trying to build democratic power.
And I'm actually from Taylor County.
I was born in Marshfield, grew up in a one room schoolhouse in rural Taylor County, north of highway 29.
I'm the only candidate that had a pet goat as a child, and so it's been really fun for me to travel around the state, areas where I have deep family roots or other connections that I've built throughout my career, reconnect with people and meet new people, and the reception has been really strong.
impact of Donald Trump will be on this election?
>> I think that people in Wisconsin are feeling angry and hopeless about the economic situation, the chaos and the corruption that we are seeing by this administration is unprecedented, and we're also seeing him shredding our Constitution and the and as a patriotic American, I think that what Trump is doing is totally unacceptable, and we need to have strong governors who are willing to stand up and hold him accountable, you know, private paramilitary force that he's building with ICE.
We can have secure borders without violating people's rights and destroying the rights and destroying the
David Crowley on the 2026 Primary for Governor of Wisconsin
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: S2400 Ep2423 | 6m 4s | David Crowley on running for Wisconsin governor in 2026 and politics of the race. (6m 4s)
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Video has Closed Captions
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