Kalan Haywood
State representative
Democrat
Milwaukee
Elected Experience
Wisconsin State Assembly (2019-present)
Q&A with the Candidate
Why should voters elect you?
I was first elected to the Assembly at 19, and now in my fourth term I have learned how to show up for this community and deliver real results. I helped pass the shared revenue deal that brought property tax relief to Milwaukee families, protected thousands of local jobs, and expanded affordable housing across our city. As Assistant Minority Leader, I work across the aisle when it serves my constituents and stand firm when it counts. I do not just talk about change. I have a record of getting it done. I am running again because the work is not finished, and I want to keep fighting for the families, students, and workers who call the 16th District home.
What is the top issue in your district? How would you address it?
Housing. Too many families in the 16th District are priced out of safe, stable homes, and rising costs are pushing longtime neighbors out of the neighborhoods they helped build. I have already fought to expand affordable housing, and there is more to do. We need to invest in new and rehabilitated units, support first-time homebuyers and renters, hold negligent landlords accountable, and protect families from displacement. Stable housing is the foundation for everything else, including good schools, safe streets, and strong local businesses. I will keep pushing for state investment that meets the scale of the need so that working families can afford to live, raise their kids, and build a future right here in Milwaukee.
How should Wisconsin government operate differently than in the past?
For too long, Madison has put partisan games ahead of people. That has to change. With fair maps finally in place, voters have a real voice again, and government should reflect that by actually listening to the communities it serves. We proved progress is possible when the shared revenue deal passed with both parties at the table and delivered for cities like Milwaukee. I want more of that. Government should invest in people rather than score points, measure success by results in our neighborhoods, and be transparent about how it spends taxpayer dollars. When we focus on schools, jobs, housing, and safety instead of ideology, we get a Wisconsin that works for everyone, not just the well connected.
What is your favorite fun Wisconsin history fact?
In 1854, right here in Milwaukee, a community stood up for what was right. Joshua Glover, a man who had escaped slavery and built a life near Racine, was captured under the Fugitive Slave Act and locked in the Milwaukee jail. Word spread fast, and thousands of people marched downtown, broke down the jailhouse door, and freed him. He reached freedom in Canada along the Underground Railroad. The outrage ran so deep that Wisconsin became the only state in the nation whose Supreme Court declared that federal slave-catching law unconstitutional. I love this story because it shows who we have always been: a community that refuses to look away from injustice and keeps pushing things Forward.