State Sen. Kelda Roys from Madison has joined the growing Democratic primary field as the 2026 race for Wisconsin governor heats up.
Roys launched her campaign Sept. 15, making her the fourth Democrat to enter the contest after Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley and baseball beer vendor Ryan Strnad announced bids.
On the Republican side, Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann and Whitefish Bay businessman Bill Berrien are in the race, and U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany is expected to announce whether he’ll run by the end of the month.
In an interview with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Roys said she’s spent her career “standing up to bullies and billionaires, doing what’s right even when it wasn’t popular,” and said the state needs someone with “a spine of steel to protect us from what’s happening in Washington.”
Here’s what to know about Roys, the latest Democrat to launch a campaign for governor:
What is Kelda Roys’ political experience?
Roys was first elected to the state Assembly in 2008 and served four years before running for Congress in 2012. She lost to U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, who won the seat vacated by now-U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin. She helped lead opposition to former Republican Gov. Scott Walker’s Act 10 in 2011.
Roys ran for governor in 2018, finishing third in the Democratic primary — which Gov. Tony Evers won — with 14% of the vote. She gained national attention after breastfeeding her daughter in a campaign video about her efforts to ban BPA in baby bottles and sippy cups.
She returned to the state Capitol in 2020, winning a seven-candidate Democratic primary for an open state Senate seat, and was reelected in 2024. She serves on the powerful Joint Finance Committee, which crafts the state budget.
What did Kelda Roys do before politics?
Outside of politics, Roys is the founder and CEO of real estate tech company OpenHomes. She got her real estate license at age 19 to help pay for college, according to the company.
Roys also served as executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Wisconsin, an abortion access advocacy group, and worked as an attorney for a Madison law firm.
What is Kelda Roys’ platform?
Roys’ policy priorities include public education — increasing state funding, removing cell phones from classrooms and giving teachers professional development resources — and health care.
She also listed child care accessibility and the high costs of living. Roys said the tax code should be changed to make “billionaires and big corporations pay their fair share” and workers should be allowed to publicly bargain.
Roys is a longtime advocate for abortion access and told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel there is “no role for a politician to tell you what’s right for you, for your health, for your family.”
How old is Kelda Roys?
Roys is 46.
Who is in Kelda Roys’ family?
Roys lives in Madison with her husband, Dan, and three daughters. She has two stepdaughters.
Where did Kelda Roys go to college?
Roys graduated magna cum laude from New York University with a bachelor’s degree in drama, politics and cultural studies, according to her LinkedIn profile. She received her law degree at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she worked for the Wisconsin Innocence Project.
Where is Kelda Roys from?
Roys was born in Marshfield, Wisconsin. Her family later moved to Madison and she attended Madison East High School.
What has Kelda Roys said about Trump?
In her campaign launch video, Roys referred to President Donald Trump and Elon Musk — the president’s ally before a public falling out — as “extremists (attacking) our freedoms as families struggle to get by.”
“We never contemplated having such a lawless person at the helm of our country,” Roys says in the video.
What are Republicans saying about Kelda Roys?
Bill Berrien, one of Roys’ Republican opponents, said, “Wisconsin families rejected Kelda Roys’ extreme, far-left policies and Medicare for All Agenda once and they’re not about to elect a career politician who views the governor’s mansion as another stepping stone in her career.”
“As governor, I’ll create prosperity for all through work because it doesn’t matter who the Democrats nominate, I will beat them,” Berrien said in a statement.
When are Wisconsin’s next elections?
Mark your calendars for Feb. 17, April 7, Aug. 11 and Nov. 3, 2026 — elections are scheduled for each of those Tuesdays across Wisconsin. You can view a list of important dates on the Wisconsin Election Commission’s website.
Spring elections are for nonpartisan offices, and fall elections are for partisan ones. The August primary will include the Republican and Democratic fields for governor, and the final candidates will move onto the general election.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Who is Kelda Roys, the latest Democrat jumping into Wisconsin governor’s race?
Reporting by Hope Karnopp, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
