She Withdrew From the Race — Then Won Anyway: Dina Nina Martinez-Rutherford

What does it take to step back from a race — and still win it? Dina Nina Martinez-Rutherford did exactly that when Madison voters elected her to the Common Council even after she suspended her campaign. Turns out, the people of Madison had other plans.

In this episode of The Dr. Kristin Lyerly Show, Dr. Lyerly sits down with the first transgender woman elected to the Madison Common Council — and quite possibly the only elected official in Wisconsin who's also a stand-up comedian. Dina Nina has been a traveling evangelical pastor, a small business owner, a housing justice advocate, and the founder of Lady Laughs Comedy. She brings all of it to this conversation, and it shows.
We talk about the wild election nobody saw coming, what it actually feels like to govern from lived experience, and why she thinks trans leadership isn't just historic — it's exactly what Wisconsin needs right now. It's honest, it's a little funny, and it does not pull punches.

In this episode:
The election she withdrew from — and still won
From the pulpit to the punchline: her unlikely path to public office
Why lived experience will be her superpower in the legislature
Her vision for housing, fair maps, and a blue Wisconsin
New episodes of The Dr. Kristin Lyerly Show drop on YouTube every week — subscribe and come hang with us.

Follow Dina Nina
www.votedinanina.com
Instagram | @votedinanina
Facebook | @votedinanina
BlueSky | votedinanina.bsky.social

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Dr. Kristin Lyerly is an OB-GYN based in northeast Wisconsin and a leading voice on healthcare, politics, and the issues shaping our collective future. As the named physician plaintiff in a landmark Wisconsin abortion decision, she brings a perspective to these conversations that goes beyond politics. New episodes drop every week. Subscribe to stay current on reproductive rights, health politics, all things Wisconsin, and everything else that matters.