Former Wisconsin Governor Announces Endorsement

Sara Rodriguez.

Two months from the primary to choose the Democratic nominee for governor, with a field of seven candidates who have been campaigning for months, two-thirds of voters are undecided about who to support, according to the latest Marquette poll.

How can that be?

One thing I have heard from any number of Democrats, as I travel the state to talk about Alzheimer’s caregiving, is that they are undecided because they really want to find and back a candidate who can win in November. They know Republican Congressman Tom Tiffany as governor would be a nightmare scenario.

I’ve watched and listened for months and have just endorsed Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez, a proven winner with a compelling story to tell.

She’s a caregiver. A former Peace Corps volunteer and epidemic officer at the federal Centers for Disease Control who fought outbreaks in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. A nurse who worked emergency room night shifts to pay her way through school.

The rest of her story is what sets her apart. In 2020, when we all paid the price for the first Trump administration’s complete failure to effectively respond to the pandemic, Sara didn’t just sit on the sidelines and complain. She stepped up to run for State Assembly and won a Trump district, beating a four-term Republican in Waukesha County – one of only two seats that flipped Democratic that year.

When Governor Tony Evers needed a partner on the Democratic ticket in 2022, Sara stepped up again to run for Lieutenant Governor and they won statewide. She is the only candidate who is from a red county. She has never lost an election. Winning matters, and Sara Rodriguez is a proven winner. She will beat Tiffany and help take back Democratic majorities in the Assembly and Senate.

As a partner with Gov. Evers the last four years, she has fought for Wisconsin working families and produced a record of results: fighting to increase funding for public schools, protecting reproductive freedom, and delivering fair maps in the state Legislature. In addition, Sara has learned how important it is that our next governor continues standing strong for Wisconsin against Trump’s ongoing chaos, corruption and failure.

As Lieutenant Governor, Sara has traveled to all 72 counties every year because she knows how important it is to connect with people, listen to them, and stay grounded in Wisconsin. Sara is the granddaughter of Richland County dairy farmers. She grew up in a working-class union family. Her mom was a teaching assistant for kids with special needs and a proud WEAC member. Her dad served in the Navy during Vietnam and came home to fix phones for Wisconsin Bell. Sara knows what families are going through, because she’s been there too, living paycheck to paycheck. She gets it because she’s lived it.

Health care is a deeply personal issue to families across Wisconsin as it is for me. After more than 20 years as a nurse and public health leader, Sara knows the health care system from the frontlines and how too often it puts profits over people. And as a working mom, she knows what it means to juggle child care for her kids while facing the daunting challenge of caring for her father with Alzheimer’s. She knows the challenges Wisconsin families face every day and has put forward solutions to make life better for Wisconsinites.

When the Republican nominee is an out of touch MAGA extremist who just does what Trump says, the stakes could not be higher this year.

Congressman Tiffany has supported allowing insurance companies to deny quality health coverage to people with pre-existing conditions. Tiffany has voted to repeal Affordable Care Act tax credits and increase insurance premiums for Wisconsinites. He has even opposed capping the price of insulin and repeatedly voted against lowering the cost of prescription drugs.

Tom Tiffany raised costs; Sara Rodriguez has a plan to lower them. Her health care reform plan, Badger Choice, will always protect preexisting conditions no matter what happens in Washington. Her plan protects BadgerCare and creates universal access to an affordable, Wisconsin-based public health care option to bring down insurance premiums and prescription drug costs.

Making health care more affordable, fully funding our public schools and providing property tax relief, and reducing the cost of living for housing, rent and child care — all Wisconsin Democrats support getting this done, but we must elect a nominee for governor who will win in November and get the job done.

I support Sara Rodriguez for governor because I know Wisconsin can count on her to win and make a real difference in people’s lives. She has the passion, the determination, the ability and the energy to build on the success of Gov. Evers and move Wisconsin forward.

Martin Schreiber, Wisconsin’s 39th governor, author and leading Alzheimer’s caregiver advocate.