State Sen. Kelda Roys joins race for governor as Dems' field keeps widening
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- The race to become Wisconsin's next governor got more crowded on the Democratic side Monday when State Sen. Kelda Roys (D-Madison) launched her campaign.
Before doing so, she came to Milwaukee on Saturday for a sit-down interview with CBS 58. In the interview, Roys sought to position herself as a candidate capable of making life more affordable across the state.
Roys, 46, was first elected to the Legislature in 2008, serving in the Assembly for more than a decade until she was elected to the Senate in 2000.
Roys ran for governor in 2018, and she finished third in the Democratic primary. With nearly 13% of the vote, Roys finished behind Gov. Tony Evers and firefighters union leader, Mahlon Mitchell.
Roys said she'd push to find ways the state could offset rising costs across the board.
"We need someone who can actually deliver meaningful progress for Wisconsinites on the issues that matter most to people," she said. "The high cost of living and the lack of opportunities that are available, healthcare, housing, and of course, our public schools."
When asked what she considered to be her most significant legislative accomplishments, Roys pointed to a measure Gov. Tony Evers signed into law last month that allowed Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) to practice independently without an agreement with a physician.
Evers had previously vetoed versions of the bill in 2022 and 2024, and Roys said her persistence helped finally get the bill across the finish line in this legislative session.
"Ultimately, I was able to build enough Democratic support and working many stakeholders, including the nurses, we were able to convince [Evers] this was the right thing for Wisconsin," she said.
As for what Roys would want to specifically enact in an effort to bring down costs, she first mentioned support for free school breakfast and lunch for all students. That proposal was part of a series of education-related bills Democrats introduced last week at the Capitol.
Roys also said she'd want the state to come down harder on businesses taking advantage of inflation.
"Healthy school meals, lowering your cost at the grocery store by making sure your kids can eat free breakfast and lunch at schools," Roys said. "Taking action against monopolies that are jacking up prices and really taking advantage of the tariffs and economic turmoil of the Trump regime."
Roys currently serves on the Joint Finance Committee, which writes the state budget every two years. This year, Roys voted against the budget deal Evers reached with Republican legislative leaders.
Over the summer, Roys said she couldn't support the budget because it did not provide a large enough increase for K-12 education. There was no increase in general state aid for schools; instead it relies on the 400-year partial veto Evers issued in 2023 allowing school districts to raise property taxes by $325 per student every year.
The budget deal included an increase in special education reimbursement rates, with the state moving from covering 33% of a district's special education costs to 45%.
During Saturday's interview, Roys added she believed the budget failed to give child care providers enough support. She referred to an extension of the pandemic-era Child Care Counts program, which gives direct statement payments to care center operators.
The budget includes $110 million to extend the program, but it expires next June.
"The fact that the deal was made for only one year, I think, is a very difficult thing to swallow," Roys said.
Addressing education
Roys said she believes one of the most important changes the state can make is making school districts less reliant on local property taxes. Democrats last week proposed a bill that would increase general school aids by about $1.2 billion over the next two school years.
Under the bill, the limit on districts' property tax levies would increase at the rate of inflation. Currently, those limits increase by $325 each year through 2425 because of a line-item veto Evers enacted in 2023.
"The most important factor in student success is the teacher in the front of that classroom, and we have made it very difficult for teachers who love kids and love nothing more than helping our students succeed," Roys said. "We made it hard for them to stay in the classroom, and it takes money to train and retain great teachers."
Roys acknowledged money alone does not determine outcomes in the classroom, although she was adamant the state's schools are currently underfunded.
She called for high standards from school to school and questioned the rollout of a Department of Public Instruction's move last year to lower cut scores on the Forward Exam.
"I think that it sends a troubling message if the takeaway is that the standards were lowered," Roys said. "Obviously, DPI had a rationale for doing that, but we want to have consistency. We want to be able to compare from year to year."
On abortion and gun laws
During her time as a legislator, Roys has developed a reputation as being one of staunchest pro-choice lawmakers, and she's also introduced a vast series of gun reform proposals.
On abortion, Roys said she'd sign into law any measure that eliminated the current 20-week abortion ban, which became the law of the land this summer when the state Supreme Court struck down an 1849 that banned all abortions with the only exception of cases where the mother's life was at risk.
"I just don't ever think there's a circumstance where I, as a politician, know better than you and your family what's best for you," she said.
Roys has been among the Democrats who've tried and failed to pass new gun laws under a GOP-controlled Legislature for the past 15 years. She pointed to a recent bill introduced, which would create a registry where people could voluntarily prohibit themselves from buying guns.
Roys said the bill was drafted in an attempt to prevent suicide deaths, and she maintained it's an example of trying to meet other lawmakers in the middle. Roys said she's talked to some Republican legislators who support the idea.
"I actually offered to give this bill to them. They were not quite ready to take the lead on it," she said. "But I do think as people hear from their constituents how important this is, they will come around. I mean, it's hard nowadays to meet someone who hasn't been touched by the issue of losing someone they loved to suicide."
When asked about the assassination of conservative political activist Charlie Kirk, Roys said it's a reflection of a much larger gun problem in the U.S.
"It's a horrific tragedy. It's totally unacceptable that anyone would be killed," Roys said. "Any kind of gun violence. Not just his assassination, but the school shooting that happened the same day in Colorado. We cannot settle our differences using guns."
Roys joins Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez and Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley as the high-profile Democrats running to replace Evers, who announced in July he won't seek a third term.
On the Republican side, Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann and New Berlin business owner Bill Berrien are currently campaigning. Congressman Tom Tiffany has also hinted at a run and previously said he'll announce his plans by the end of September.