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

And in a low turnout election, like the midterms, wow, and a trifecta within our reach, this is just an amazing opportunity for Wisconsin and the front line, Attorney General, you know, Secretaries of State, that we are the front line against Trumpism.

Hello and welcome to the Dr. Kristen Lierly Show.

This is a special one because my guest is actually my dear friend and someone who I have an incredible amount of respect for.

Her name is Renee Peplen.

Renee, welcome to the show.

Hi, thank you so much for having me.

What an exciting time to be involved in politics in Wisconsin.

Oh, seriously, girl, you are running for assembly district one.

This is not the first time you have run for this seat.

It is Door County, which is like one of the bellwether counties in the state.

It's Kiwani County, which is where you're from.

You are running this beautiful heartfelt.

You're running the campaign that people, no matter whether they're Republicans or Democrats or independents, you're that candidate that people say they want.

Yeah, it's you know, I don't think the campaigning part is not hard as long as you stay true to who you are that part's not hard the time commitment Strategizing doing all of the things that's the difficult part to balance that with work life and being a mother But the campaigning part is just being true to yourself and doing it the way you want to because at the end of the day It's your campaign it is can we go back

to your origin story because I'll tell you my perspective

I heard about this woman who was out there doing organizing in Kiwani County.

And for our listeners who do not know about Kiwani, it's red.

It is a very red, very conservative, very Republican held county.

But after the Dove's decision, this incredible person just popped up and said, I need to do something.

And there she was.

And it has been all gas, no breaks since then.

It's been a real whirlwind.

You know, I had thought I have been

I've liked politics my whole life.

I've just been a very private person, so kept a lot of things to myself.

And at the time that Donald Trump was elected, I knew I needed to do something, but I had just had my child a couple weeks before.

So it was not in a position.

And once that Dopp's decision came down, you know, that was the time to really, okay, that's enough.

You know, it's hit the fan.

More people need to get involved and advocate because something is

really, really wrong here.

All of the red lights are flashing.

So yeah, I started organizing in Kiwani County and held our first ever women's rights rally.

The topic is a tough one.

And being a mediator, I think I am pretty used to having difficult conversations in civil ways.

This is not a black or white topic.

It is a topic of freedom, really, when you get down to it, because there's so many different issues surrounding the topic of abortion.

and to be completely transparent before I started organizing, I had never even had a conversation with anybody about abortion.

It's not something we talk about and it's not something I've ever had to experience.

But I do believe in women and I believe in empathy and I believe in understanding the nuances of problems.

And to have her in a national scale, the Supreme Court seems very, very political right now and how they were all appointed and by who.

This seems very anti-democratic to me.

So that was my in.

I mean, it's all for women and women's choice and supporting women because right now especially.

in the nation, we are seeing how women are being treated.

We are seeing that men, there's a hierarchy and men are trying to put us in our place and saying things like we shouldn't vote, let alone have these other choices that are very deeply personal to a lot of Americans, Republicans, Democrats, independents and those who are not involved in politics.

It's about fighting for progress, not taking giant steps backwards.

So

Once I started organizing, it's like a flip to switch, then became involved in my local Democratic Party, then got on some candidate search teams because you realize the crux of all of this is the vote.

The power comes from the vote and the leaders we elect.

And that's a very murky area, right?

We don't like someone if we don't like everything they say.

Well, that's not reality.

So it's just about...

collaborating with folks, finding the most areas of agreement you can, and convincing them that we have good leaders to vote for.

So when that candidate search then became a candidate, thanks largely to Kristen Lyrely, and those aren't things that happened overnight either.

You have to plant the seed and say, yeah, this is something we really can do, and yeah, we really do need working mom candidates to provide a more robust perspective.

in Madison and largely Democrats do that.

Our ticket is beautifully diverse and I think that's our strength.

No matter what they're saying in the nation here, I know better and I know we're on a good path.

I know we've been organizing like crazy and our voting block is on point.

So I am super, super excited for November

3rd.

There's so much to unpack there.

I want to go back to a book because I'm an OBGYN doctor and I also ran for an assembly seat back in 2020.

I did not talk about this was before Dobbs.

I didn't talk about abortion at all.

I had been an abortion provider.

I talked about abortion with my patients all the time, but in the political arena and in public in Northeast Wisconsin, where we are so deeply Catholic and this is a topic that you just don't reach.

I didn't talk about it at all.

But after Dobbs, it felt like that was all that I talked about.

And we've continued to have these conversations because we are forced to, but

you

know,

It's hard and it's uncomfortable and it's something that it was the thing that made you realize you had to step up.

You had to step up for yourself and for your daughter and for your community.

It's still something that is at the forefront that we are continuing to talk about.

How does abortion fit into abortion and reproductive rights?

Because it really is a full spectrum that also includes healthcare.

How does this fit into

What you're hearing from voters and the messages that you're sharing in your little corner of the world?

I

mean, just to be quite honest, I think the topic itself has cooled off quite a bit.

It's popping into the news again, but on the ground, I'm not hearing a bunch about it.

But I know my supporters are supporters of women and women's choice by and large.

So it's something that even at the doors for Democrats, they struggle with.

This is not, again, it's not an easy topic, but just like the topic of domestic violence, if we don't talk about it, we're not going to find solutions.

And that means being uncomfortable.

But again, as a mediator,

We can talk about really really uncomfortable things as long as I help folks maintain a level of civility that is just basic We can talk about anything and we can have rights to our feelings and emotions whether I agree with anyone's perspective or not It's it's respecting people's position

positions on this topic.

And it is saying that we can come together as the people to determine what is best for Wisconsin and women and not some politicians in a gerrymandered rigged map situation in Massen where they, you know, they didn't honestly come by these majorities.

These were based on map numbers.

So please don't use that.

to enact an 1849 abortion ban on women.

That's just not so.

They didn't

honestly come by these majorities.

That is so true.

That's something to keep in mind because we just assume that this is how it is.

This is just the world that we are living in, but it doesn't have to be this way.

And because of people like you, we can make that change.

And I want to go back to you.

in your role as a mediator and how that is influencing not only your campaign but as you are looking at what happens after the campaign once you're elected how do you bring those skills to leadership in Madison.

Yeah I was saying at the forum that even Democrat Republican either side it's hard to balance the needs.

and interests of rural Wisconsin with the bigger cities, right?

So that in and of itself, let alone having the political divide in there on ways that we want to advance.

But I think it's always important that when we're finding areas of disagreement, we dig deeper to see if there is a level that we can agree on.

Like, do we agree we want good public schools?

Do we agree we need to invest in public schools?

And I think that's where you're going to find, you need to find the exact area where we

fork off in positions.

So do I believe my Republican colleagues want to invest in public schools?

Not really.

They I mean like yes to some degree it looks like that they'll say well we're still giving them money.

You're not giving them adequate money and you haven't given them adequate money for 16 straight years.

So to the public again on the outside it looks like business as usual but it's my job to like point out hey we have this big stark divide in how we want to proceed.

And if we are allowed power in Madison, we're going to proceed accordingly in a different direction.

So again, just kind of boiling arguments down to their most basic level, I think is very, very helpful for the public.

In terms of strategy in Madison, of course, finding those areas of agreement to build, build, build, build, you don't have to focus always so much on what you disagree on.

What can we agree on?

And then how can we find a path forward based on that?

It feels like the opposite of what we're doing right now.

Like right now

it feels

like.

Yeah, like how much can we fight?

How much can we induce fear in people?

How much can we talk about things that make people uncomfortable so that they're not doing the positive work, the building, the stuff that we need in our communities?

And I think a great example of that is what's happening with your opponent.

Joel Kitchens is a long time.

He's an incumbent.

He's a Republican.

He's been in office forever.

He, when he's in the community, he's a friendly guy.

He's a nice guy.

I'm happy to shake Joel Kitchens.

I have worked with him on some birth control pills.

This is not a situation where he is not there.

He's liked, but when he's in Madison, he is voting 100% of the time with his Republican colleagues.

He is saying things back home and doing entirely different things in Madison, and public schools is really where that culminates in Door County.

Talk a little bit about what is being said and done.

What is being said by Joel kitchens and what is actually being done by Joel kitchens?

Well and more than public schools, of course, that's a top issue everywhere around the state I specifically think the Knowles Nelson is a beautiful beautiful example of what that side just being

They're just blocking everything so as a mediator you can tell and I respect people's position to go whatever direction they feel is best But you can tell when someone's dug in and they're not moving They're not willing to work or compromise and that's what the gerrymander has done and something as important and as bipartisan as 37 years of the Knowles Nelson stewardship program

to not be reauthorized when Republicans have full control of the legislature.

They don't even need Democrats to do this.

They can pass it themselves and they didn't because they are not willing to work.

They say you either take our low ball number or buh-bye and let's not forget in 2016 Scott Walker wanted to zero out that program.

Republicans are not friendly to the things that are bipartisan in Wisconsin.

It's a very strong arm to say

I'll fight for this, I'll fight for Knowles Nelson, but guess what your colleagues are doing?

Guess what they're not allowing a balance in the conversation, even in something that has great bipartisan support.

Yes, that also applies to public schools.

That also applies to childcare.

They have no interest in investing our tax dollars in the things that help the working class and those on fixed incomes, which is the majority of us.

So I just think like, you know, the defiance, I mean, this started probably a Newt Gingrich era where basically it's all or nothing, baby.

Like we're getting everything we want and we're going to fight as dirty as we can to get it.

And there's lots of examples we can give you of the gerrymandered control and what they did, especially when they started losing power.

The dirty tactics they'll take.

This isn't about a specific policy.

This is about political strategy.

and folks that want to operate at a level of integrity, doing the best work of all Wisconsinites, and about a team that really has no interest in that.

It's what they want.

It's what their political party wants.

It's what the national PACs want and the dark money groups.

You know, voucher schools is an Alec thing.

That's not a Wisconsin legislature thing.

That is a right wing, you know, think tank group.

Giving us boilerplate legislation and we adapt it for Wisconsin.

That's not the work of Wisconsin That's not and again all all with gerrymandered power.

So I think honestly what we need is balance in no world Do I think Democrats should dominate everything?

I mean, I think we should for a while now because We need a little bit of restorative justice.

Yes, you know, you never would have had act 10 had you not had gerrymandered control not in a purple state

not in a blue-collar state like ours, not in any world.

So I think Democrats do need control for a while, but no, I think there needs to be more balance.

I think these need to be, these are purple problems, they need to be purple solutions.

this person who grew up as a Republican and always voted for Republicans as a young person.

It has seen such a change in the party and there is no balance.

You're right.

They're completely dug in.

They have forgotten who they were elected to serve.

The concept of actual representation is lost.

And I think that's why you see a lot of this frustration in rural areas because people are just angry at the entire system and they voted for Donald Trump because he was different and they thought he was going to fix it because he was different and what they've

gotten out of it is higher gas prices and tariffs

and

all of these things that have just made their lives harder.

So now they're even more angry and even more desperate

and even

more frustrated.

And that just makes it harder for true community builders like you and me to fix.

But we're not going anywhere because we love our friends and neighbors and we are actually in it for the people.

And I want to go back to Knowles Nelson because this is an environmental stewardship.

program that was put together in recognition of the historical contributions of Governor Knowles and of course Gaylord Nelson, the father of Earth Day, one

of my

personal heroes.

Wisconsin is a state that relies on our environmental gifts, whether it's tourism or forestry or agriculture.

We need a good, solid environmental ecosystem here in order for us to live and to thrive.

And for Republicans not to acknowledge that and to completely disinvest in that is, in my perspective, a total disinvestment in the future of Wisconsin.

I'm sure you would agree.

Yeah, I think, you know, growing up here in rural Wisconsin, we're in an environmentally progressive state, you know?

So it's kind of in our DNA.

And I think as they have locked in powers, they have, you know, slowly dismantled the DNR, right, and oversight for those things.

They have rolled back regulations, so polluters can get away with it more easily.

they're working I don't know who they're working for but it's not again the people of Wisconsin who are historically trying to protect nature because it is directly linked to our economy.

I mean that's not why all of us do that but I mean the fisheries and the clean water this is a big issue in this area and I think again boiling it down to its most basic form

I think we can all agree we all deserve clean drinking water.

Yes.

And if you're not at that table, if you don't agree with that, then you're not at this table trying to find solutions to make sure that that happens.

And to be honest, my Republican colleagues can say a lot of things about how they are for one thing or another, but they're not showing up with holding PFAS money for two years and nine months.

Tells me, listen, I get it.

You are trying to use the Joint Finance Committee as some political bludgeon.

It was passed by the legislature.

It is appropriated money that needs to be used so that we can understand the scope of this problem that will have detrimental impacts on innocent people all over Wisconsin.

And yet there's no push, there's no priority.

Again, I think we just need to take power so that we can stop some of these things from happening.

Like we need to work together to make sure people have clean drinking water.

And if you're okay with withholding this funding for testing for PFAS for two years and nine months, what does that tell me about your priorities?

And what do you think about everybody having access to clean water, especially in Marinette?

I mean, the shores of Dork County in my district, we don't think there's PFAS there.

I mean, there's probably way more than we understand and we haven't.

Maybe we could understand the scope of it by now had they released that money almost three years ago.

I think about the people in Pestigo who've been drinking bottled water for years now and the people and I can't get the image of the person turning on their faucet in Kiwani County and green sludge coming out of it because of agricultural runoff and irresponsible management that

Republicans have failed to attempt a reign in.

Renee, when you are out talking to people, they get it.

The message that you are sharing with them and the way you share it, they understand that.

But it's hard to get the message out in any sort of a big way without money and support and all of that backing.

The communication piece is really hard, especially when your opponent and the Republican Party has so much money.

We've got to figure out a way to connect the dots between clean water and the decisions that the Republicans are making in Madison.

How are you doing that on the ground as you're moving around and talking to people?

Well, and whether it's clean water or public schools or really the cost of living and recently corruption, that word has been coming up at the doors just as National Poll suggests.

It's about relating to folks that they're

reassuring them that there are people that care about that and the candidates that are knocking on their doors.

That's why we show up.

That's why we're at events.

That's why we make ourselves available for public forums for, you know, freestyle questions.

These aren't I got you moments.

These are ways and opportunities to connect with voters to say, I'm here to listen, you know, they're your problems.

And once somebody hears a certain theme over and over and over again from the engaged public,

then you know what your priorities should be.

I don't set them.

Representatives don't set them.

The people on the ground set them.

So in terms of getting your message out, you're right.

Wow, is it?

That is the most complicated thing to do.

And I think I have relied heavily on the local Democratic parties and the grassroots groups, like the environmental groups, the public school advocates, child care advocates.

It's about using all of these coalitions

to do the same work, to get out the vote.

Because again, it all boils down to the vote.

And as a working mom and a candidate, I can only get to so many doors.

I can only get to so many events.

I mean, I wish I could do it full time, honestly, to get that vote.

But the thing is, is encouraging others to help me do this lifting because we are all in this vote together.

So

if they can reach out to their social circles and just say, hey, there's a big vote coming up.

Do you have a plan?

It's not about coercion.

It's not about disrespecting somebody's choice, whether that's yes or no.

It's saying, hey, I'm here as a resource if you need me.

I think this upcoming election is important.

Will you please consider voting if you haven't already?

And leave it at that.

That in and of itself works like a dental reminder for yourself or your kids.

They're super effective.

They work.

And I just want to note that even Heather Cox Richardson of all people noted that when she reached out to her contacts two weeks ago, some people in her circle did not have a plan to vote.

So these texts and everybody, everybody who cares right now needs to help do a little lifting.

So that's really my message.

Like I'm willing to put in an awful lot of time and resources.

to make this thing work for our state, for our country.

I do need to rely on other people who care about the same amount as I do, or similarly, that we need to get the vote.

And in a low turnout election, like the midterms, wow, and a trifecta within our reach, this is just an amazing opportunity for Wisconsin and the front line.

Attorney General, you know, Secretaries of State,

that we are the front line against Trumpism.

We are the front line against MAGA.

And we know these guys are going to grow more desperate, especially if they lose the Congress.

We need to be prepared.

And as a front to this madness, like we have got to just say no to the Trump administration and do the best we can to take care of the people of Wisconsin.

One of my favorite things about you as a human and a candidate is that so many candidates think it's about them.

Like I am the person whose name is on the sign.

I am the person

who is

leading this.

But really we as candidates are just like the organizers because it's about us and it's about every single one of us not just getting out to vote like you mentioned but having these conversations about the things that we care about and the things that we need to fix.

We can't just expect

better schools to appear in front of us.

We

can't just expect gas prices to go down or our environment to be saved.

We actually have to engage in some sort of a meaningful way.

And many of us don't have the time and energy or will to do what you're doing.

But every single one of us can and should vote.

That's our obligation to our democracy.

And I love

how you

said, even Heather Cox Richardson, because I've

been

talking to my own children who live with me.

So they have to live with this.

And they're like, I don't know, I'll probably get out and vote.

No, I need you to make a plan.

I need you to know where to go, when, who you're voting for.

It is so important to vote, not just for the people at the top of the ticket, but all the way down.

And

this is where so many of our assembly candidates are like, I don't know, people vote for Democrats or Republicans because they just don't know.

And in this,

Time it's pretty obvious like Republicans are for Republicans and billionaires and Democrats are really for the people.

It's it's very clear I'm curious to know as you are out talking with people Kiwani County's pretty right like we talked about door though has really been changing it is one of those Counties that used to be about the wild counties down by Milwaukee Now it's about the bow counties Brown out of gamey Winnebago, and I throw door in there as well

What are you seeing and feeling as you're out there working with people talking to people?

What's the vibe in door?

Oh Door is always just blows me away with their level of organization.

Um, it's

testament to how far we've come and that this work, the wow counties, they started that way after like act 10.

I was told that some of the, some teachers retired early and took over their local dem party and look, it's taken over a decade.

Door County has already started that and they've got great organizers, great grassroots groups, I mean, like unmatched per capita, I think.

It's a testament to the work that needs to be done.

And I see that happening, like that's been happening in Kiwani County.

We now have an office open all year round.

We have an immigration support group.

We have, I mean, a website.

We're taking all of these tiny steps and none of them happen fast enough for me.

I'm like, go, go, go, go.

But they are happening.

And as we have this great opportunity here,

in 2026, we're not going anywhere.

We are only hitting higher and higher and higher levels of organizing between grassroots groups and no kings, man to walk brown door out of gaming, keep wanting, you name it.

We are connected.

I think we're more determined than ever before with new ideas and new leaders coming to trickle in all of the time.

And now we're starting to get into the minutia of how

We're going to start doing it more locally.

Like, yep, we're doing it.

We got candidates, butts in seats.

We're running good campaigns.

Now what else can we do?

Yes.

How else can we add another layer that not just for this term and not just for a single candidate for the long game, for democracy, right?

It's not for any one of us.

It's because we want to do the good work that

that gets changed, right?

We want to be change makers, and you have to be selfless about it.

It's, again, it's not about you.

You know, yes, our names are on there, and I'm the vessel that's giving these messages to the best of my ability, but it's not about Renee Papallum.

You know, it's bigger than one assembly race or one state senate race.

This is about Wisconsin, and this is about how Wisconsin can help shape the nation, which we know is obviously shaping, you know, global world order.

So,

How do we fit into that piece?

How do we humbly stay there and push and do the work that our ancestors have done?

We're standing on some ginormous shoulders right now and I couldn't be any more proud to be on this team.

I am super excited just to think about all of the things that are coming our way because of the hard work that we all put in.

No pressure, Renee, when you think about like the world and

the United

States and then Wisconsin's role and then you and Doran Keewanee County.

No problem.

It's good to know your place.

It's good to know your place in the world and what you're doing.

Just stay focused because the day-to-day can trip you up, right?

There's so much happening and it's nuts.

It's just so so extreme every single day.

Just stay focused on that bigger picture and we all kind of keep our heads down and working together.

So I try to focus on that.

I think a great example of that is the, of course, there's Door County Mutual Aid Group, but Northern Door Activism that also popped up after Dobs.

This is a group of mostly moms in the Northern part of Door County who were frustrated after the Dobs decision, wanted to do something.

They didn't create this like one focus thing to get Democrats elected.

They created this organization that does

pie sales and clothing swaps

and

rallies.

It is about being the fabric of the community, not just politics.

Yeah, absolutely.

I mean, it obviously intertwines, it intersects, but they have done phenomenal work in the community, building and growing coalition.

That's what this is about.

It's not always focused on like, oh, we got to get the vote, we got to buy the vote, we got to do all these things, send mailers.

It's about all of the little steps in between about taking care of your community with food, with clothing, socializing, gathering, some of those things we've kind of lost over the past decade.

That's really, I mean, that's the kind of thing that's going to outlast a candidate, right?

Or outlast a majority in Madison.

Those are things that are going to continue on.

So yeah, I'm so happy.

All of those women are, they have all of my respect.

They're tremendous.

They keep doing the good work.

So yeah, I love working with Northern directivism.

They're restoring trust and that's what we've lost.

We've lost that trust.

We've lost people are desperate for authenticity.

They're desperate to be able to have a conversation about something that they're worried about or something that they need and to be able to seek solutions.

And you mentioned something a little bit earlier that's happening in Kiwani County that I don't think gets nearly enough attention, which is immigrant relief.

immigrants, people who are undocumented farm workers, and that's what we're mostly what we're talking about in Kiwani County, are such a lightning rod for controversy because Donald Trump and the Republicans have used them as a political pawn, as illegals who are terrible in tearing this country apart.

But the truth in Kiwani County, which again is a Republican county, is that

We need these folks to work on the farms and help our agriculture system, but make their own lives better in the process.

This is where my family was six generations ago.

This is all

part of the American way.

So in this county where you are able to recognize how valuable these people are, how important it is to be humane to each other, can you talk a little bit about those services and how that fits into the work that you're doing?

Yeah, so you know, I think one of the things that I I wish you know, I'm not too critical I don't talk a lot of smack so to speak but I wish Republicans especially big farmers would speak out for immigrants at least for humane treatment and the fact that they do rely on them for their livelihoods and to address that part of it because of all of the nasty things that Donald Trump has done this one

this one is terrible.

Like this one on a big scale, we are going to look back a decade from now and be like, what were we doing?

So I would like to see more folks on the Republican ticket on the Republican side across the aisle speak up for immigrant rights because right now we know they're being violated citizens rights.

Like it is insane to think that we're here in 2026.

But through this work, it's formed another group where we are connecting immigrants to services.

Now, this is not an easy thing to

do this is kind of, you know, really low-key because people are afraid to leave their houses, right?

But we've got between Manitowoc, Kiwani, and Door.

We have services that can help people with housing.

We have services that can help people access rides and food and legal services.

We have connections to do a lot of those things.

Again, to serve a population right now that's just being terrorized.

And if that just doesn't cut to the core of humanity,

I don't know what does.

And it's not just QANI.

Obviously, Door County relies on it for their tourism economy.

It's not about the economy.

It's not about money.

This is something much, much deeper and supporting the most vulnerable.

most of my career was working with special needs folks, the vulnerable, being a voice for somebody who can't even talk, right?

Because that's the right thing to do.

Immigrants are scared.

They're keeping a low profile.

They don't want to be targeted.

And I understand that.

So I think it's our role to advocate even more loudly for basic humane treatment, which

Again, we shouldn't have to do, but here we are in 2026 advocating for our immigrant neighbors to just be treated with basic respect and not targeted by an administration.

So the work will continue.

I don't know where it's headed in this country, but I hope that more people come together to speak out for immigrants and release them from the detention centers.

My gosh, there are people suffering that have not been charged with a crime.

They're just being held indefinitely and tearing apart families and communities.

You know, honestly, this is some of the driver that gets people to our side.

Believe it or not, not everybody loves the Democratic Party.

And I understand that.

But when you treat a whole group of people so awfully, it naturally brings people over to our side to kind of, again, build coalition and build community.

And we're here to build it.

So

anyone that we can rally with, we're here to rally.

This is another differentiator for you though, Renee, because most politicians, especially at this stage in the game, like the show is going to air literally the week before the election.

And most people who are running for office, it is all about voters.

How can I get more turnout?

More doors, more money, more, more, more.

These are people who you have invested in who can't vote.

because they don't have the ability to vote, but still it's about community and it's about coming together and elevating a rising tide that lifts all boats.

It's one of the many examples of the work that you do and that make this race feel like it captures something that is so much

larger about this moment in history.

It's authenticity.

It's community.

It's a district that has been shifting.

What does this say about what voters are looking for right now in this environment?

Gosh.

You know, I don't know because it's such a stark contrast between the two sides.

you know a lot of the things a lot of the topics are the same a lot of the topics and our concerns are the same but the idea is about how we solve them and honestly people's lack of knowledge about how government works i think some of the best things about running for office is that opportunity to educate and yes i may be doing it in a biased view from a democratic perspective but there's also lots of learning nuggets in there like

you will find that people are arguing with you about the budget and they're talking about governor evers and the budget well guess what governor evers has nothing to do with the purse that's the legislature so we're figuring out just basically what people know what they need and how can we bridge that gap to again come to areas of agreement on how we want to proceed we need to get more people involved and knowledgeable about the system because it's it's not like

It's not just a politician's job to solve the problem.

They need buy-in from experts.

They need people and public school experts coming to the table, which they are.

They just haven't been listened to.

But it's that opportunity to bring people together and listen to their solutions.

We don't have to have all of the answers.

We have to listen and we have to figure out the best path forward.

So just getting folks engaged.

Give them something to believe in that something different can come your way.

Somebody can invest in child care that might make it more affordable.

You know, the kind of the saying or the thought process is, you know, you're giving everybody everything for free.

That's what Republicans say.

No, these are our tax dollars that we want invested in the working class.

And yeah, maybe I don't have a child in child care, but fixing the child care.

Issue helps the economy, right?

So it's getting people to all understand it's this kind of me mentality right now, and it's not about me It's about us and the state and a different direction on how we support those who need it right now because everything is on fire christen every municipality Doesn't have enough money.

Misha.

God's gonna have to do a referendum to keep an ambulance service like why why has our state dropped the ball?

I mean, I know why but again, it's

connecting with voters, um, for that education piece and to understand what their problems are.

Well, and we've also disinvested in even police.

Like you'll hear Republicans talk about, you know, how amazing police are and police support Republicans, but Republicans have been through cuts and shared revenue, dismantling police departments all over the state, defunding police departments and police just kind of put up with it.

It's that frog boiling in the water.

And unless we actually call them on it and.

Push away all of these talking points about the anti-trans people, the litter boxes in schools, all of these ridiculous things that get our attention

and

distract us.

Push all of that away and focus on the things that are really troubling you, like the high price of gases, like our schools needing to go to referendum all over the state constantly, including operational referendums just so they can keep the lights on.

This

is

insane.

I feel like we have finally, finally hit the bottom.

I think we're going to find out.

I think we're going to

find out.

Well, the culture work topics make it so hard because it really hits people emotionally.

The story is, they are like, the Republican Party in Wisconsin has been like your super cheap uncle.

Nothing is worth an investment.

Nothing is worth, and to point out that they have slowly choked out everything, means there is no local control.

Without money, you can't control diddly squat.

So now they leave in a position where Democrats can come in and win majorities.

They've left us in a pretty rotten spot, not to mention, I mean, and it took 16 years to get there, not to mention what Donald Trump's Medicaid cuts

and snap cuts, we're likely going to have to backfill some of that as well.

So again, just getting people to understand that it doesn't have to be this way.

There are other ways to balance budgets and actually invest in the things that people need.

Prison reform is another thing.

Are we comfortable spending double what all of our neighbors spend?

I don't think so.

All right, well, how can we move forward in this way?

Because there are solutions and there are policy solutions.

We just need majorities to start moving our state in a different direction.

And

as a mediator and a community builder

and

an incredible human being, you know exactly how to do that.

For

our friends who are listening, who feel inspired by everything that they've heard today like I do, how can people find out more about you?

Well, I have a Facebook page, Puppalum for Assembly.

I also have a website, puppalumforassembly.com.

You can find me on TikTok.

You can find me on Instagram.

I'm not great at keeping up on my social medias as much as I should be, but I try to.

You actually are, and you're really

fun to watch on

social media.

All of those sites and addresses will be in our show notes as well.

Renee, thank you for taking the time out of your busy day as a mom and somebody who works and is running for office in one of the spiciest, most interesting parts of the country right now.

I am so on your team and so grateful to you for stepping up.

Thank you.

And thank you so much for having me today.

And honestly, Kristen Linerly is the reason I became a candidate to begin with and the structure, the base structure of organizing in North Sea.

Excuse me, Northeast Wisconsin.

So thank you, Kristen.

I mean, the work is invaluable and we keep building on that scaffolding you set.

So thank you.

We keep building on it and our future will be bright.

Here we go.

Wait,

can't wait.

Can't

wait.

All right, friends, if you liked this episode and if you do feel inspired, please share it.

Please comment.

Please tell your neighbors and please make your plan to vote and talk to other people about their plans to vote because that ultimately is the most important thing.

Thanks for joining us today.