Rep. Angela Stroud “bases her legislative decisions on facts, and concern for the needs of her constituents, rather than political ideology.”

“There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest.” Elie Wiesel (1928-2016), a political activist, author and survivor of Nazi concentration camps.

This statement is one of the quotes on the Clayton Jackson McGee memorial in Duluth. I have visited the memorial to the three innocent Black men lynched in Duluth in 1920 but only recently read the messages on the walls of the memorial.

I was struck by how appropriate this quote is for our current political situation.

This article discusses some political happenings in Wisconsin. After 15 years of Republican-imposed decline, there is hope for a return to a people-centered, progressive Wisconsin.

One bit of good news is that Tom Tiffany will no longer represent Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional district in northwest Wisconsin. He is running for governor and cannot be on the ballot for two offices at once. Tiffany is a small town, small minded, small businessman and an ideological extremist. As a state legislator and Congressman, he consistently voted against the best interests of the people of northwestern Wisconsin. He was especially bad on environmental issues but also strongly supported the full range of MAGA foolishness.

His decision to run for governor is ironically an example of his lack of good sense. The 7th CD is highly gerrymandered and has been, since David Obey stepped down in 2011, a Republican safe seat in Congress. All Democratic candidates have lost by the same percentage of about 40 to 60. Had he chosen to run again it is likely Tiffany would have been reelected in 2026.

Given the recent history of Democrats winning statewide elections, and the increasing anti-Trump backlash, Tiffany’s chances of winning election for governor don’t look good. His hubris and ambition is our good fortune.

At least we can hope that will be the case. We definitely don’t need Tom Tiffany as governor.
Currently there are three declared Republicans and two Democrats running to replace Tiffany. All three Republicans are self-declared, unequivocal supporters of Donald Trump. Hopefully the recent “blue wave” inspired by Trump’s outrageous authoritarian behavior will catch on in Wisconsin and none of these extremists will get elected.

More good news is that one of the two Democratic candidates, Fred Clark, may be able to win the election. He is a moderate Democrat, former state legislator and small business owner with 35 years of experience in conservation and forestry management. His background in forestry, and support for the forest products industry, may be able to reach enough disaffected Republicans to flip the seat. He has good positions on health care, education, environmental protection and other issues, so he should be acceptable to liberal Democrats.

Let’s hope Democrats don’t self-destruct because he is not a perfect candidate.

We do have a perfect candidate – a rare occurrence – in Rep. Angela Stroud. She was elected to the Wisconsin Assembly in 2024 and has been doing an excellent job representing the 73rd District (Douglas, Bayfield and Ashland counties). She is up for reelection in 2026. She is smart, well educated, articulate and well informed on issues. She bases her legislative decisions on facts, and concern for the needs of her constituents, rather than political ideology.

America might actually become “great” – and certainly much better than we currently are – if we had more politicians like Angela Stroud.

The list of legislation Rep. Stroud is supporting, and the frequency with which she travels the district speaking with constituents, proves my praise is not hyperbole.

A few examples include; AB48 to provide free school meals to all K-12 students, AB 579 to provide “last-dollar” scholarships to low income UW students, AB 435 to reauthorize the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Fund, AB 552 to fund research on Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), AB 470 to eliminate the existing “right-to-work” law and strong support for public schools and opposition to voucher school funding.

One interesting bill is AB 213 to ban hedge funds from buying single family homes in Wisconsin. Hedge funds are limited partnerships that engage in high risk investing, often with borrowed money, to avoid regulation and obtain large returns for very wealthy speculators. Since the real estate crash in 2008, hedge funds have been buying up single family homes, condos and a trailer courts to make money off increasing rents and flipping houses.

This predatory activity drives up the cost of housing for everyone and is making home ownership unaffordable for many working people. Home ownership is a primary source of economic well being for many people and a major part of the American Dream. But this dream is now one more victim of vulture, casino capitalism.

Another legislative proposal would create some rules and accountability for data centers. Currently there are no specific state regulations for this industry.

Senator Habush Sinykin (D-Whitefish Bay) has introduced legislation to “hold data centers, large energy users, and tech companies accountable to Wisconsin’s workers, environment, and taxpayers.” She and Rep. Stroud are seeking support from other legislators to regulate this rapidly growing, but highly problematic, industry (see “The environmental cost of computers,” Reader, May. 1, 2025).

The proposal requires companies receiving state or local subsidies to pay prevailing wages during construction, pay for the cost of construction and not pass it on to utility ratepayers, be honest about future water and energy usage and to eventually use renewable energy for 70% of their power requirements. (see “Data center ‘statewide guardrails’ proposed under Wisconsin bill,” WPR, Joe Schulz, November 10, 2025).

Of course, none of these sensible actions will happen because of Republican control of the Assembly and Senate. As Rep. Shroud recently said, “Republicans have been the majority party in the legislature for 15 consecutive years and 28 out of the last 30. That means that any major reform that addresses rising costs or that holds corporations to account – from fixing school funding, to keeping PFAS out of our drinking water, to raising the minimum wage – has not been able to get a hearing in committee, much less make it to the floor for a vote... But the one silver lining of this cruel and scary moment is that people are fed up and are looking for change.”

Let’s hope she is correct and let’s all get to work to make good change happen.