Former State Rep. Roys Running for Risser’s Senate Seat

Kelda Roys has run for governor and Congress, joins race for State Senate

Kelda Roys, a former state representative and gubernatorial candidate, announced on social media Friday morning that she will be running for retiring Sen. Fred Risser’s seat.

“Some news … I’m running for the State Senate, to succeed Sen. Fred Risser, our nation’s longest serving state legislator, and my state senator,” wrote Roys on Facebook and Twitter.

“To preserve Wisconsin’s future, we need effective, progressive leadership in this critical State Senate seat,” said Roys in her announcement.

With her announcement, Roys becomes the fourth candidate vying for the seat. William Henry Davis III, a 2018 write-in candidate for lieutenant governor; Nada Elmikashfi, a community organizer; and Aisha Moe, a Capitol staffer, have all filed paperwork to run for the seat.

Scot Ross, former executive director of One Wisconsin Now, and Rep. Shelia Stubbs, D-Madison, have expressed interest in running for the seat as well.

“In the midst of this global pandemic, the moral and economic necessity of healthcare for all, paid family and sick leave, student debt relief, and fair wages and taxation is even more urgent,” Roys said. “We face a rapidly warming planet, right-wing assaults on our freedom, attacks on public education, and persistent and systemic racial injustice.”

Roys said each of those problems are made worse because of the “corruption in our political system, corruption that allows billionaires and big corporations to bend our government to their will, at our literal expense.”

“Yet despite our significant challenges, I am filled with hope about what we can do together, because our future depends on it,” she said, adding, “as your next state senator, I pledge to do all I can to advance progressive Democratic values, build a strong Democratic majority, and solve our challenges together.”