Dane County

Abigail Lowery has spent her life in education and healthcare as a special ed. teacher, autism line therapist, respite care provider, group home coordinator, and special education assistant. She is advocating for Medicaid expansion, a minimum wage increase, more rural broadband investment, nonpartisan redistricting, campaign finance reform, a transition to clean energy, and fully funding public schools. She also supports the Black Lives Matter movement and increasing voting accessibility. She is challenging incumbent Republican Representative John Jagler. Lowery is the progressive choice in this race.

Democrat Melissa Winker is running to unseat incumbent Republican Barbara Dittrich. Her top issues are affordable healthcare and expanded coverage, education, creating good jobs, gun violence prevention, and clean water. On these issues, her proposed policies are Medicaid expansion, mental health funding, preventing unfair billing practices, lowering the costs of prescription drugs, reducing student loan debt, investing in worker training, and universal background checks. Dittrich favors keeping police officers in schools and opposes reproductive freedom and fair maps. Winker is the progressive choice in this race.

Longtime educator Don Vruwink is running for re-election to his third term in the Assembly. Vruwink has been a leader in the fight for nonpartisan redistricting and an advocate for fair compensation for teachers. Vruwink supports a worker's right to join a union and collectively bargain and sees the creation of family sustaining jobs as a top priority. He is being challenged by Republican Beth Drew, whose principles include limited government and family. Drew has not released more specific policy positions. Vruwink is the more progressive choice in this race.

Madison Alderman Samba Baldeh has a progressive message. He is committed to 100% carbon-free energy by 2050. Baldeh is pro-choice and in favor of Medicaid expansion and criminal justice reform. His other priorities include increasing affordable housing to eliminate homelessness, and changing education funding from property taxes to state funding, while maintaining local control of schools. His opponent is Republican candidate Samuel Anderson. Baldeh is the progressive choice in this race.

Small business owner Francesca Hong is running on a progressive platform that is built around an intersectional understanding of Madison's challenges and a commitment to addressing systemic economic inequalities. Hong believes addressing racial inequity is an issue not just of police reform but also education and healthcare policy. Hong believes in reversing Act 10, supports universal child care benefits, and increased funding to public schools, especially for special needs programs. She is also proposing a carbon tax to address climate change, nonpartisan redistricting, Medicaid expansion, making BadgerCare accessible to more people, and a $15 minimum wage. Her opponent is Republican candidate Patrick Hull. Hong has a comprehensive progressive platform and is the most progressive choice for District 76

An advocate, neighborhood organizer and Dane County Board member, Shelia Stubbs was elected as the first Black State Assembly Representative from Dane County in 2018. Stubbs is running unopposed for re-election. She is a strong advocate for restorative justice and racial equity, and in her first term authored legislation on women's health, marijuana decriminalization, and gun safety. She also supports policies to protect our clean air and water, increase access to health care and strengthen the safety net for seniors, children and people with disabilities. Stubbs is the progressive choice.

Assemblywoman Sondy Pope has been serving in the legislature for 18 years and is up for re-election to her 10th term. As a legislator, Pope has contributed to legislation or advocated for directing more funding to public schools, creating a paid family leave program, expanding Medicaid, improving water quality, and strengthening our democracy through voting and gerrymandering reforms. Her opponent, Republican Chase Binnie, was endorsed by Wisconsin Right to Life, a radical organization that wants to ban abortion. Pope is the progressive choice in this race.