Senate District 16

Former warehouse employee and paralegal Melissa Ratcliff has been involved in Dane County politics since being elected to the Cottage Grove Village Board in 2018. Since then, she has served three terms on the Dane County Board and one term in the State Assembly, all while continuing her paralegal career. Ratcliff now plans to serve as a full-time legislator working to increase investment in roads and public safety, ensure safe communities for our LGBTQ+ neighbors, and create more affordable housing. She is also a strong supporter of reproductive freedom and will fight Republican efforts to dismantle diversity, equity, and inclusion measures. Melissa Ratcliff is unopposed in this race and is the progressive choice.

Joan is a former Jefferson County Board supervisor, a Wisconsin native who has taught high school math for 33 years, and a mom of two. While teaching, Fitzgerald was an active member of the Jefferson Education Association and served as President, Vice President, and Treasurer, as well as sitting on the Negotiations Team. As part of the County Board, Fitzgerald was chair of the Broadband work group and developed partnerships with businesses to bring in $5 million of grant money for Jefferson County. She is passionate about making sure Wisconsinites can access affordable childcare, can send their children to strong public schools, and can live in safe neighborhoods free from gun violence. Opposing Fitzgerald is Republican candidate Jenifer Quimby. Joan Fitzgerald is the progressive choice in this race.

Fifth-generation Wisconsinite, former Fitchburg City Council member, and current Dane County Board supervisor Randy Udell knows the 47th Assembly District well. Recently retired from a long career in finance and telecommunications engineering, Udell wants to bring constituents from villages, small towns, and cities together to create positive solutions for Wisconsin. Udell will fight for expanding Medicaid, protecting the right to choose an abortion, and addressing climate change challenges. As the first publicly out LGBTQ+ person to serve as a local elected official in Fitchburg, Udell is also committed to codifying the freedom to marry who we love into state statutes. Randy Udell is unopposed in this race, and he is the progressive choice.

Attorney and former legislative aide Andrew Hysell has over twenty years of public policy experience and plans to use his expertise to represent the 48th Assembly District. Hysell has worked to holistically support veterans, advocated for public education in underserved rural areas, and supported a nonprofit seeking to lower the cost of prescription drugs. He believes in legalizing cannabis, supporting small businesses, and investing in protection for our natural resources. Hysell also has promised, on day one of the new legislative session, to introduce an amendment to the state constitution expressly codifying the right to privacy - the right to choose an abortion, the right to marry who we love, and a right to contraception. He is opposed by Republican candidate Lisa Rubrich. Andrew Hysell is the progressive choice in this race.