Tara Johnson
State representative
Democrat
Town of Shelby
Elected Experience
Wisconsin State Assembly (2025-present); La Crosse County Board (2000-2020), chair (2011-2020)
Q&A with the Candidate
Why should voters elect you?
In local government, there are no D’s or R’s, just problems that need to be solved. I spent two decades fighting for my constituents and problem-solving on the county board without a letter after my name. This is the attitude I take to Madison. The people of the 96th deserve an experienced representative with the know-how to deliver on critical issues like healthcare and transmission lines. This term didn’t go exactly how I imagined. Despite Republican leadership’s roadblocks, we managed to get some huge wins: Gail's Law and postpartum Medicaid expansion. These laws will deliver healthcare coverage for tens of thousands of Wisconsin women. This is just the start of me getting work done for the 96th.
What is the top issue in your district? How would you address it?
From the gas pump to the grocery store, people are struggling to afford their lives. In my first term, I co-authored countless bills to make life more affordable by reducing childcare and healthcare costs, lowering property taxes, and protecting workers and their wages. As the Assembly lead author of BadgerCare public option, I am fighting to expand coverage and create a state marketplace for individuals and small businesses. Not only will this bill make healthcare more affordable, it is a critical step towards ensuring every Wisconsinite has access to quality healthcare which is a deeply personal issue for me and one of my top priorities.
How should Wisconsin government operate differently than in the past?
It begins with setting aside partisan gamesmanship. The state Legislature is becoming famous for what they don’t get done. Common sense bills designed to address challenges such as data centers, education funding, and affordability are ignored, so the GOP majority can focus on political fights and culture wars. Democrats introduced 500 pieces of legislation this session. Of those 500, only 19 were given a committee public hearing and zero had a floor vote. We should be working for the people of Wisconsin passing good bills no matter whose idea it is.
What is your favorite fun Wisconsin history fact?
Wisconsin has long valued education for young people. In 1856, German immigrants in Watertown, Wisconsin, offered the first kindergarten classes in the United States. MS taught those students in keeping with German culture. I learned about the importance of early childhood education to Germans in my undergraduate studies as a German language major at Carroll University in the early 1980s. I continue to honor this legacy by fighting for comprehensive K-12 public education funding in Wisconsin.