As a nurse, epidemiologist with the CDC, and healthcare administrator, the arrival of COVID in America horrified me.
I knew immediate action was needed to stop a national outbreak. But I watched in anger as Republican elected officials in Wisconsin did nothing; the GOP-led legislature didn’t meet for 8 months.
So I decided to run against my State Assemblyman, and raise the alarm myself.
Political insiders said it was a noble, but lost, cause.
But I hit the pavement and talked to as many voters as possible. I flipped the seat blue by just 735 votes.
When I took office, Republicans had let it get so bad that on average a Wisconsinite was being diagnosed with COVID every minute.
We had to work fast to combat misinformation and introduce an economic recovery package that could get Wisconsin back on its feet.
Then, I was asked to run for Lieutenant Governor.
I’ll admit I was nervous. This would be the toughest race of my life — Trump had won Wisconsin just a few years previously.
But I knew what was at stake - everything from reproductive rights, to the foundations of our democracy.
So I ran. And this time, I won with 51.15% of the vote.
