Sara Rodriguez

Why should voters elect you the next governor of Wisconsin?

I'm a nurse. I worked night shifts in the ER, served as an epidemic intelligence officer for the CDC, and spent years as a working mom raising two kids while caring for my dad through Alzheimer's. I know what it's like to be stretched in every direction.

As lieutenant governor, I've traveled to all 72 Wisconsin counties four times, listening to what's actually keeping people up at night. I’ve spent my career solving problems. And I know how to win. I flipped a Republican-held Assembly seat in Waukesha County – a seat the GOP had held for years – then won statewide alongside Gov. Evers. Wisconsin has a real chance to deliver relief for Wisconsinites this November, and I know how to get it done.

What is the top issue facing Wisconsinites and how would you address it?

The cost of living. People are working harder than ever and still falling behind. We’re sick and tired of it. Donald Trump's tariffs raised costs on everything from groceries to gas. His budget handed tax breaks to billionaires and corporations while cutting health care and increasing premiums. And Congressman Tom Tiffany voted for every bit of it.

As governor, I will create a public health care option that brings down the cost of premiums, prescriptions, and hospital care. I will freeze utility rate increases so families get breathing room. I will tackle housing costs head-on. I will make childcare affordable so parents can afford to work. And I will fully fund our schools the way we're supposed to, so property taxes stop climbing every year.

What is the top policy goal you would like to accomplish in your first 100 days in office?

Lowering health care premiums. Health care costs are rising faster than wages, and families are stuck choosing between a prescription and groceries. That shouldn't be a choice anyone has to make, and families can’t wait four years for relief.

In my first 100 days, I will begin building a Wisconsin-run public health care option that uses the state's power to bring down what people pay for premiums, prescriptions, and care. If you like your current plan, nothing changes. If you don't, you'll have another choice, whether you're a farmer, a young person, a small business owner, or someone between jobs.

Lowering premiums and lowering the cost of health care overall means more money back in people's pockets for rent, groceries, and the things that matter.

What kind of relationship should Wisconsin’s governor have with the federal government?

A governor's job is to work with Washington when it helps Wisconsin and stand up to Washington when it doesn't. After Trump’s ICE agents escalated earlier this year, I called for accountability – judicial warrants for arrests, and protections for schools, hospitals, and courthouses.

Donald Trump and Congressman Tom Tiffany are ignoring the real struggles of Wisconsinites. Their policies are raising the costs of everything from groceries to gas, causing health care premiums to double, and putting thousands at risk of losing their coverage altogether.

As governor, I won't wait for Washington to fix what it broke. I'll act quickly to lower health care premiums, make housing and childcare more affordable, fully fund our public schools, stop utility rate increases, and deliver much-needed relief for Wisconsinites.

How would you approach working with the Legislature if there are Republicans in power in one or both chambers?

I've spent three years as lieutenant governor watching a Republican Legislature say no to fully funded schools, lower health care costs, affordable childcare, and property tax relief while Wisconsinites fall further behind. I'll keep showing up anyway.

I'll be honest about where we disagree, but I'll look for the places where we can actually get things done, the way Gov. Evers has throughout his time in office. And I'll use the bully pulpit of the governor's office to make clear to Wisconsinites exactly who is blocking progress and why, because people deserve to know who's fighting for them and who isn't.

How would you approach working with the Legislature if there are Democrats in power in one or both chambers?

For 15 years, every good idea Democrats have fought for has run into the same wall in Madison. We've had the plans. We've had the support from Wisconsinites. What we haven't had is the power to make them real.

When Wisconsin elects Democratic majorities, that wall comes down and I intend to move fast. Fully funding our schools, lowering health care premiums, stopping utility rate increases, and tackling housing costs would all become real, achievable priorities in a first budget, not just proposals that get stripped out. I'd work closely with legislative leaders to get this done, because Wisconsin families have waited long enough for these things to actually happen. Democratic majorities won’t be a blank check. They’ll be an opportunity to finally deliver results.

What is your favorite fun Wisconsin history fact?

I’m the granddaughter of dairy farmers, so I’m obligated to defend Wisconsin’s cheese supremacy. Wisconsin is the only state in the country with a master cheesemaker program. This certification is so rigorous that the journey from becoming a licensed cheesemaker to earning the master title typically takes more than 13 years. I think that says something bigger about Wisconsin. We're a state that takes the time to do things right, whether that's cheese, our schools, or how we take care of each other. That's the standard I want to bring to the governor's office, too.