- Podcasts
Podcasts - Videos
Videos - Policy Issues
Policy Issues - About
About
Professor Launches Campaign Against Senator Hesselbein
The latest candidate for the State Senate in Wisconsin is clear about two things. He knows he may not win, and he doesn’t care.
UW-Madison professor Nathan Kalmoe this month launched a write-in campaign against Sen. Diane Hesselbein, who is the top Democrat in the Wisconsin Senate.
"We didn't get a choice in the primary. No one stepped up, because the Democratic establishment punishes challengers. Sen. Hesselbein's last real primary was in 2012, when she ran for Assembly the first time. That means our district hasn't had a choice over who represents us. Now we have a choice!," Kalmoe said on his campaign website.
Hesselbein was first elected to the State Assembly in 2012, she then ran for one of Madison's State Senate seats when then-Sen Melissa Agard left to become Dane County executive.
Kalmoe said he is a "real progressive," and contrasts himself with what he calls Hesselbein's "corporate establishment" record.
He bashed Hesselbein for taking PAC money, including donations from for-profit health insurance companies. He also slammed her for now working on a Medicare For All plan, and not fully supporting Wisconsin's largest teachers union to "fully fund" Wisconsin public schools.
"All of us deserve more freedom in our lives, not be controlled by the whims of our bosses, healthcare CEOs, supremacists of all kinds, & governing leaders who don’t represent us in any way. We deserve a choice" Kalmoe added on his campaign website. "We stand up for the rights & well-being of all our neighbors. Working families. LGBTQ+ people. Immigrants, whether documented or not. Black & brown Wisconsinites. Asian & Native Wisconsinites. Women. Muslims, Jews, & other religious minorities. People with disabilities. Rural, suburban, & city residents."
Kalmoe, however, is realistic about his campaign. He told The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that his bid is a "longshot."
Hesselbein won her State Senate seat in 2022 with nearly 70% of the vote.
Interested in the content of this Article?
Reach out to the MacIver Institute to aquire more information
