Making Wisconsin Work for Working Families

Last month, I stood alongside local and federal leaders surveying the flood damage that devastated neighborhoods across Milwaukee in August. Families were hauling soaked furniture out of their basements. Small businesses were sweeping mud from their floors, trying to salvage what they could. As I talked with people who had lost so much, not one of them asked whether I was a Democrat or a Republican. They just wanted help. They wanted leadership that could bring people together and get things done.

That moment reminded me why I got into public service in the first place. When a crisis hits, politics doesn’t fill sandbags or repair broken homes, people do. And they deserve leaders who meet them where they are, listen to their struggles, and work side-by-side to find solutions. That’s the kind of leadership I’ve tried to bring as Milwaukee County Executive, and it’s the kind of leadership I want to bring to the entire state as your next governor.

I know what it means to struggle. Growing up in Milwaukee, my family faced eviction three times. I know what it’s like to feel unseen, unheard, and unsure how you’ll make it through the next week. Those experiences shaped who I am. They made me want to learn how I could hold leaders accountable and help make the government a source of stability for families trying to build better lives.

Too many Wisconsin families today are feeling the same kind of pressure I once felt. Wages aren’t keeping up with the cost of living. Housing prices are rising faster than paychecks. Groceries, electricity, health care, and childcare take bigger chunks out of every dollar. It’s getting harder and harder for people to make ends meet, and the challenges reach far beyond Milwaukee. This affordability crisis is affecting families in every corner of our state.

As governor, I’ll make it my top priority to make life more affordable for everyone. That starts with expanding access to safe, stable, and affordable housing because every family deserves a roof over their head and a neighborhood they can be proud to call home. We also need to build an economy that rewards hard work, with job training, small business support, and good-paying jobs that don’t require leaving the communities we love.

Healthcare and education must be cornerstones of this vision. No one should have to choose between seeing a doctor and paying the electric bill, and every child should have access to a strong public education, no matter their ZIP code. These aren’t partisan issues, they’re Wisconsin issues.

When I visited those flood-damaged neighborhoods this summer, people didn’t care about political labels. They cared about results. As governor, that’s the kind of leadership I’ll bring — practical, compassionate, focused on delivering for all of us. Because at the end of the day, we’re not divided by party lines when our basements flood or our bills come due. We’re united by the shared hope that tomorrow can be better, and together, we can make it so.