Vernon County

Union Leader Joni Anderson is the progressive candidate for the 14th Senate District. Anderson is a strong advocate for labor and favors Medicare for All and the Green New Deal. She has also made non-partisan redistricting and voting rights central to her campaign. Her opponent is current Assembly Rep. Joan Ballweg, who has been endorsed by Pro-Life Wisconsin, Wisconsin Right to Life, and the NRA. Anderson is the progressive choice.

Brad Pfaff grew up on a dairy farm in Western Wisconsin and continues to farm today. He has a son with diabetes, protecting coverage for pre-existing conditions and getting the cost of drugs like insulin down are personal for him. Pfaff knows there are many people willing to work hard but who college isn’t the right path for. He’ll push for funding to bring more job training programs and invest in technical colleges. Pfaff is pro-choice and has called for more investment in education. Republican candidate Dan Kapanke served in the Senate before being recalled in 2011. His tenure was marked by votes that favored his corporate donors. He has also been a subject of multiple ethics scandals, including using taxpayer resources to staff a campaign event and using money from a charity foundation to pay down personal debts. Kapanke has voted for corporate tax cuts and defunding BadgerCare and supported repealing the law that protects people with pre-existing conditions.  He also favors repealing the Affordable Care Act. He is anti-choice and has been endorsed by right wing groups that want to outlaw abortion. Brad Pfaff is more progressive than Dan Kapanke.

Democrat Nate Zimdars is focused on the rural issues that most affect his constituents. As a member of a farming family, Zimdars is focused on supporting the agricultural community as it has contended with changing weather patterns, trade wars, and declining prices. He also prioritizes improving rural infrastructure by improving roads, preserving clean water, and expanding broadband access. Zimdars' third priority is ensuring that everyone has access to affordable healthcare. His opponent, Alex Dallman, is anti-choice and opposed to gun violence prevention legislation. Zimdars is the progressive choice in this race.

Shaun Murphy-Lopez is running to represent rural Wisconsinites. He wants to support small farms, small towns, and small schools. He aims to even the playing field for small farmers who are competing with large corporations. He supports common sense gun safety laws, assisting families with their childcare and early education needs, and investing in local roads. He supports accepting Medicaid funding, nonpartisan redistricting, and anti-corruption efforts. His opponent, incumbent Travis Tranel, has frequently voted against conservation and water quality and is a member of the NRA. Murphy-Lopez is the more progressive choice in this race.

Small business owner Mark Waldon is pledging that he would represent his constituents, rather than big donors. He supports BadgerCare expansion, marijuana legalization, prioritizing clean water resources over corporate farms, and making trade schools free to enable people to get family-supporting jobs without attending a four year college. He is challenging incumbent Republican Tony Kurtz, who was endorsed by the NRA. Waldon is the more progressive choice in this race.

Josefine Jaynes is invested in making her community a place where young people want to return to after college or technical school. She believes that building a vibrant economy is crucial to this effort, as well as investing in affordable housing and small businesses. She is facing Republican incumbent Loren Oldenburg. Jaynes is the more progressive candidate.