Wisconsin Working Families Party Candidates Announce Victories in Madison, Racine, Milwaukee

WISCONSIN —  WI WFP congratulates endorsed candidates Jill Underly (Wisconsin State Superintendent), Henry Leonard (MPS Board, District 7), Maia Pearson (MMDS Board, Seat 1), Brain Benford (MSN Common Council, District 6), Jael Currie (Madison Common Council, District 16), Nikki Conklin (Madison Common Council, District 9), Yannette Figeuroa Cole (Madison Common Council, District 10), Alder Natalia Taft (Racine Common Council, District 13), Auntavia Jackson (RUSD Board, District 6) on their victories in the April 6 election.

“Today voters across Wisconsin rejected the go-along-to-get-along status quo and elected leaders who will be accountable to the people,” said Aaron Shapiro, Campaigns Director for the Wisconsin Working Families Party. “It’s no surprise that after a year of Wisconsin conservatives fighting to make voting harder, overturning mask mandates and turning away aid– on top of years of privatizing education and pushing policies that hurt Black, brown, and Indigineous communities — voters are choosing candidates who are fighting for solutions that meet their needs.”

WI WFP provided candidates with critical support building and maintaining grassroots, volunteer-powered campaigns that adopted virtual and physically distanced electoral organizing. Since the primary, volunteers sent over 200,000 texts to voters across the state and WI WFP staff provided deep strategic support to priority candidates.

“I am grateful for the Working Families Party’s crucial support in helping our campaign succeed, and for helping pave the way for pro-public education candidates to win” said Jill Underly, Wisconsin State Superintendent. “I look forward to working with WI WFP to build a pro public-school Wisconsin that gives every child what they deserve, every day.”

“Today, voters sent a clear message that progressive values trump divisive attacks,” said Simrnjit Seerha, Middleton Cross Plains Area School District, Seat V. “I look forward to serving as an advocate for students, teachers and all public school families, and I’d like to thank the Working Families Party for its support throughout my campaign and it’s dedication to electing pro-public school candidates across the state. I look forward to working with them to make sure our public schools get the support and investment our families deserve.”

“I am grateful for the Working Families Party’s crucial support in helping our campaign succeed,” said Yannette Figueroa Cole, Madison Common Council, District 10. “It’s going to take all of us working together to change things here in Madison. I look forward to helping pave the way for a progressive future for our city.”

The Working Families Party is a grassroots political party that recruits, trains, and elects the next generation of progressive leaders to office. The endorsements come on the heels of the massive volunteer-driven get out the vote effort, where dozens of WFP members and activists came together from across the state to help elect President Joe Biden. Over the course of three months, the WI WFP collected 95,000 commitments to vote from voters across the state — nearly quadruple Trump’s margin of victory in Wisconsin for 2016, and helped protect Gov. Evers’ veto in the state legislature.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.