Kelda Roys

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In 2012, incumbent U.S. Representative Tammy Baldwin ran for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Herb Kohl. [20] Roys announced she would not seek re-election to the state assembly and instead would campaign to succeed Baldwin. [11] She faced fellow state legislator Mark Pocan, and candidates Matt Silverman and Dennis Hall, in a race where the two major candidates, Pocan and Roys, both touted their progressive credentials, with Roys attempting to portray Pocan as more moderate than herself. [21] During the campaign, Roys touted her endorsements, including from EMILY's List, and accused Pocan of making backroom political deals and accepting corporate donations. [22] Roys' attacks against Pocan, though, drew criticism from other Democrats, including state legislator Fred Clark, who rescinded his endorsement of Roys, and state legislator Janis Ringhand, who decided to endorse Pocan over the attacks. [23] [22]

On election day, Roys was defeated in the primary by a larger-than-expected 51 point margin. [23]

2018 gubernatorial election

On December 11, 2017, Roys formed an exploratory committee to run for governor of Wisconsin. [24]

During the campaign, Roys ran once again as a progressive, focusing on issues such as a $15 minimum wage, student loan debt forgiveness and engaging with progressive voters. [25] She gained national attention when a campaign ad in which she breastfeeds her infant daughter went viral. [26] The ad drew attention to legislation Roys had supported during her time in the state assembly to ban the use of Bisphenol A in baby bottles, which is used in various plastic products and can linings. [27]

Roys won first place by 12 points in the Democratic Party of Wisconsin State Convention straw poll. [28] In July 2018, the Roys campaign announced that she had raised over $800,000. [29] [30] In the primary election, Roys came in third out of the eight candidates, with Tony Evers winning the nomination and going on to defeat Scott Walker. [31]

Wisconsin Senate

In March 2020, Fred Risser, the longest-serving legislator in American history, announced he would retire from his seat in the Wisconsin State Senate at the end of the current term. [32] Roys announced her candidacy to run for the open seat. [33] The race, in the heavily Democratic region of Dane County, Wisconsin, attracted six other candidates in a crowded Democratic primary, which was also defined by the COVID-19 pandemic in Wisconsin and the protests against institutional racism prompted by the murder of George Floyd. In the August primary, Roys prevailed over her six competitors, winning 40% of the vote. She was unopposed in the November general election, and assumed office in January 2021. [34] [35]

In 2023, after Melissa Agard stepped down as Senate Democratic Caucus leader, Roys announced a bid to succeed her, but was defeated by Dianne Hesselbein. [36] [37]

In 2024, Roys was re-elected unopposed.

In December 2024, Roys was selected to join the 2025-2026 Prenatal-to-Three Innovation Fellowship cohort hosted by the Future Caucus. [38] [39]

In February 2025, Roys, alongside state representative Brienne Brown, proposed legislation to prevent landlords from engaging in price collusion. [40] [41]

In April 2025, Roys, alongside state representative Lisa Subeck, proposed the "Abortion Rights Restoration Act," which would establish a right to abortion in Wisconsin Law. [42]

Roys is a member of the Joint Committee on Finance, which is in charge of the state budget. [43] She co-leads the legislature's Reproductive Freedom Workgroup [44] and is a member of the LGBTQ+ caucus. [45]

2026 gubernatorial election

Throughout 2024 and into 2025, pundits in Wisconsin began speculating about whether governor Tony Evers, who would be 79 at the end of a potential third term, would run again. [46] Evers formally announced on July 24, 2025, that he would not run for re-election in 2026, with Roys expressing interest in running a month later. [47] [48] Roys' decision, however, was delayed due to a fear of violence and personal attacks against herself and her family. [49] On September 15, 2025, Roys officially began a campaign for governor of Wisconsin, claiming that "extremists" like president Donald Trump and business owner Elon Musk were a threat to democracy in her campaign launch and calling to fund public education, make healthcare more affordable, and create new jobs in the state. [50]

Personal life

Roys has a husband, three children, and two stepdaughters. [51]

Her mother was a social worker, her stepfather was an environmental lawyer, and her father was a prosecutor and law enforcement officer. [52]

She is a secular humanist and a Unitarian Universalist [53]

Electoral history

Wisconsin Assembly (2008, 2010)

Kelda Roys
Kelda Roys Official Portrait.jpg
Official portrait, 2025
Member of the Wisconsin Senate
from the 26th district
Assumed office
January 4, 2021
YearElectionDateElectedDefeatedTotalPlurality
2008 Primary [54] Sep. 9Kelda Helen Roys Democratic 1,96031.10%Justin Sargent Dem. 1,68326.71%6,302277
John W. Laubmeier Dem. 1,00115.88%
Eric Englund Dem. 90414.34%
Tim Kiefer Dem. 4106.51%
Peng Her Dem. 3375.35%
General [55] Nov. 4Kelda Helen Roys Democratic 23,98498.89%--Unopposed--24,25323,715
2010 General [56] Nov. 2Kelda Helen Roys (inc) Democratic 18,69898.90%18,90618,490

U.S. House (2012)

YearElectionDateElectedDefeatedTotalPlurality
2012 Primary [57] Aug. 14 Mark Pocan Democratic 43,17172.16%Kelda Helen Roys Dem. 13,08121.87%59,82630,090
Matt Silverman Dem. 2,3653.95%
Dennis Hall Dem. 1,1631.94%

Wisconsin Governor (2018)

YearElectionDateElectedDefeatedTotalPlurality
2018 Primary [58] Aug. 14 Tony Evers Democratic 225,08241.77% Mahlon Mitchell Dem. 87,92616.32%538,857137,156
Kelda Helen Roys Dem. 69,08612.82%
Kathleen Vinehout Dem. 44,1688.20%
Mike McCabe Dem. 39,8857.40%
Matt Flynn Dem. 31,5805.86%
Paul Soglin Dem. 28,1585.23%
Andy Gronik (withdrawn) Dem. 6,6271.23%
Dana Wachs (withdrawn) Dem. 4,2160.78%
Josh Pade Dem. 1,9080.35%
Paul Boucher (write-in) Dem. 100.00%

Wisconsin Senate (2020–present)

YearElectionDateElectedDefeatedTotalPlurality
2020 Primary [59] Aug. 11Kelda Helen Roys Democratic 19,80140.21%Nada Elmikashfi Dem. 13,22026.84%49,2486,581
Brian Benford Dem. 4,6999.54%
Amani Latimer Burris Dem. 4,3708.87%
Aisha Moe Dem. 3,6327.37%
John Imes Dem. 3,0746.24%
William Henry Davis III Dem. 4080.83%
General [60] Nov. 3Kelda Helen Roys Democratic 102,56998.16%--Unopposed--104,488100,650
2024 General [61] Nov. 5Kelda Helen Roys (inc) Democratic 94,49598.41%96,02192,969

References

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