“It’s Not About Me”: Renee Paplham on Flipping Wisconsin’s Door County Assembly Seat

Renee Paplham is running for Wisconsin Assembly District 1 in Door and Kewaunee Counties, and Dr. Kristin Lyerly sits down with her one week before the November 3, 2026 election. Renee is a working mom and mediator who started organizing after Dobbs, and she’s building grassroots power in Kewaunee County’s red territory and in Door County, a purple bellwether that people across the country are watching closely.

They talk about why she’s running against incumbent Joel Kitchens, how mediation shapes the way she’d lead in Madison, and what’s at stake for Wisconsin voters: clean water and PFAS testing, the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship program, public schools, childcare, local services, and the impact of gerrymandered legislative maps. They also dig into why Door County keeps shifting, the community groups doing the work, and why every voter needs a plan to vote, all the way down the ballot.

Find Renee:
Website: https://paplhamforassembly.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paplhamforassembly
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/paplhamforassembly
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@reneepaplham

CHAPTERS
0:00 Welcome and meet Renee Paplham
1:13 From Dobbs to organizing in Kewaunee County
4:52 Abortion, reproductive rights, and what voters are saying
7:13 How a mediator leads in Madison
9:22 What Joel Kitchens says at home vs. how he votes in Madison
14:34 Clean water, PFAS, and Wisconsin’s environmental legacy
17:23 Getting the message out without big money
21:42 Make your plan to vote, all the way down the ballot
23:05 The vibe in Door County
26:50 Northern Door Activism and community building
28:13 Supporting immigrant neighbors in Kewaunee County
32:21 What this race says about what voters want
35:42 Local budgets, schools, and police
37:47 How to find and support the campaign
39:06 Closing

The Dr. Kristin Lyerly Show brings you honest, unfiltered conversations at the intersection of medicine, politics, and the fight to build a healthcare system that actually works. New episodes on YouTube, Substack, and wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe so you never miss one.

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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.

Producer: Abraham Lyerly
Music: Nic Tierman
Graphics: Nathaniel Gonzalez