Pete Karas
Retired small business owner
Muskego
Elected Experience
Racine City Council (2003-2009)
Q&A with the Candidate
Why should voters elect you as Secretary of State?
My background spans practical experience, including elected public service, small business ownership, and grassroots organizing. As a Racine city alderman, I navigated the real-world of government bureaucracy, constituent needs, and public accountability. As a small business owner, I understand compliance, recordkeeping, and what it means when government processes fail working people.
What expertise would you bring to the Secretary of State’s office and how would it help Wisconsinites?
I've also spent this campaign fighting for ballot access rights — researching Wisconsin election law, engaging the Elections Commission, and defending democratic participation against partisan suppression. That firsthand experience with the mechanics of electoral access is exactly what a reform-minded secretary of state needs. I'll bring transparency, accessibility, and accountability to an office that too often operates in the background.
Should the Secretary of State be given more or fewer responsibilities? Explain.
Significantly more. Wisconsin's secretary of state is among the most hollowed-out such offices in the nation. That changes under my administration. The Capitol belongs to all three branches of government. Placing operational control under the governor creates an inherent conflict: one branch controlling the shared home of all three. The secretary of state, as an independent constitutional officer, is better positioned to manage the Capitol neutrally, covering facilities, public access, historic preservation, event permitting, and space allocation, without favoring any branch or party. I also support converting the office to a nonpartisan institution, removing the structural conflict between party loyalty and neutral administration.
What is your favorite fun Wisconsin history fact?
Milwaukee was actually one of the original cities in the American League when it formed in 1900. The Milwaukee Brewers lasted just one season before relocating to St. Louis and becoming the Browns (later the Baltimore Orioles). Making it even cooler, Connie Mack was their manager!