APPLETON, WI—(WISS)— Known for her activism, for chairing the Democratic Party in Outagamie County, and for supporting the Fox Valley through many charitable endeavours, Emily Tseffos now wants to be a Senator in District 19.

Earlier this month, Tseffos announced her bid to replace Republican Senator Rachael Cabral-Guevara. She said she wants to work on the district’s foundational problems and bring the voices of people living with the effects of policy choices to Madison.

“ Frankly, the district deserves better representation. There’s a lot of issues that I became aware of through my run in AD 56 (Assembly District 56) that are endemic in that we never treat the root of them,” Tseffos explained. “Whether it’s the way that we fund our local governments, or the way that we support our rural emergency services or fund our public schools–I am so tired of putting band-aids on arterial bleeds.”

While running as a Democrat, Tseffos said compromise and listening to all is paramount to her run.

“I am really dedicated to finding that common ground. If you want what’s best for your family, for your community, for your state, let’s talk. I’m your gal,” Tseffos said. “Let’s figure this out together, and let’s do it with a mutual respect.”

Platform

Tseffos promotes a three-pronged platform.

She said, “My mantra, I guess, is lower cost supported kids, safer communities, like that’s what I’m trying to go for.”

Lower Costs

Tseffos said that when looking at affordability issues in Senate District 19, one needs to consider everyday costs for utilities and groceries, as well as the larger issues facing families.

”Healthcare. And the fact that we’re about to see premiums going up, like that’s a huge issue for a lot of people. It’s gonna make or break whether they choose to be covered at all, which is going to put more strain on our rural hospitals and our local healthcare systems,” said Tseffos.

Supported Kids

When Tseffos says she wants to see “supported kids,” she is talking about how the state funds its public schools. She called out that public schools have to go to operational referendums more and more frequently simply to cover the costs of educating children.

But, she also said, the safety of children in schools is an issue.

“So, I mean, I’m a parent of three with kids that go through active shooter drills, so making sure that our gun ownership is responsible,” she said. “Gun ownership is a big deal for me because I’m really struggling right now with my kids being young and just understanding what that means to go to school in America. I want to do what I can for them to make sure that we’re doing the right thing there.”

Supporting kids also means making sure they have nutritious food in schools, safe environments at home, and affordable child care options for families.

Safer Communities

When discussing safer communities, Tseffos said there are policies in place that make it harder for police departments, volunteer fire departments, and emergency services to operate in rural Wisconsin.

“They’re all asking across the board, police chiefs, they need more mental health support and people that are trained in mental health so that they don’t have to spend their valuable resources and time dealing with something that frankly they’re not trained in,” Tseffos explained. “So, really just investing the right way and beginning to shift the perspective on what policing is. So that everyone’s feeling supported, that they’re able to recruit in those rural districts without it being such a huge ask.”

19th Senate District needs

Tseffos called out several symptoms of what she calls the 19th Senate District’s systemic needs—starting with property taxes.

“ Property taxes. You know, like that is a symptom of chronically underfunding our local governments and our public schools. Frankly, our priorities with some of that funding situation seem to be all backwards to me,” said Tseffos. “Because we’re not considering the ROI on the investment and the fact that down the road it actually costs people more money if we’re underfunding our public schools, if we’re underfunding our local governments.”

She went on to say that affordability at the grocery store, in the cost of living, is also a symptom of something greater. She said the minimum wage is not a livable wage. People who are doing everything they can still rely on things like SNAP and Medicare.

“ So, really trying to think through how to best support those working folks so that they can be as independent as possible. They can contribute to the local economy. All of these things are so tangled up, but we need to talk about where the hurt is coming from, at the very foundation. Instead of just being like, ‘This is a problem, let’s try this,’ when really we’re not considering how we got here in the first place!”

Background

Tseffos also ran for Assembly District 56 in 2024 but lost to Republican David Murphy. During her run, she found that people are hurting and need to have a voice in Madison.

“And it needs to be like meeting with people that are, you know, that are hurting, because how do you know how to solve a problem unless you’re talking directly to those people?” said Tseffos. “I don’t want to talk to lobbyists. Like, I know that’s part of the game, but I’d rather be talking to normal people. To be like, where’s the hurt? And let’s trace that back to why.”

Her advocacy efforts have ranged from organising protests to holding food drives during the recent federal government shutdown.

“Everything is tied. The hurt or the goodness is tied to policy in some way, shape, or form. And I talk to so many people that don’t make that connection. I wanna connect the dots. So it’s meeting that immediate need is what I’m dedicated to doing, frankly, because it’s salve for my soul right now with everything going on. But, always connecting it back to the policy decision to remind people we don’t lead to live in this kind of crisis every day. We don’t need to exist in this space where everything is so hard. We can do better for each other, and that’s what we’re gonna try to do up here,” she said.

Overview of Senate District 19 race

In 2026, the odd-numbered Senate Districts in Wisconsin are up for election.

Senate District 19 includes all of the Assembly Districts 55, 56, and 57. It consists of all of Waushara County and parts of Winnebago, Outagamie, Waupaca, Adams, and Portage Counties.

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