Madison state senator Kelda Roys announces run for governor

MADISON, Wis. (CIVIC MEDIA) – Democratic State Sen. Kelda Roys (Madison) has entered the 2026 race for Governor of Wisconsin. 

Roys first entered Wisconsin politics more than 15 years ago. She served two terms in the Assembly and was elected to the state Senate in 2021. 

In office, she’s championed women’s healthcare rights, criminal justice reform, and fixing income inequality. 

Roys focused on those issues in a campaign video released Monday morning. 

“In the Assembly, I helped 80,000 Wisconsinites finally get affordable healthcare. In the Senate, I worked with nurses to pass a bipartisan law repealing outdated regulations and expanding healthcare options for rural communities,” she said in the ad. 

Roys was initially hesitant to run for governor. 

“My whole goal is to think about what we can do to best serve Wisconsin. To me that means making sure that we elect Democrats up and down the ticket, because the stakes are just incredibly high,” Roys told Civic Media news director Chali Pittman after Governor Tony Evers announced his retirement. “We have to protect our people from what the Republican regime is doing in Washington. And we have to help build a state where there’s opportunity and fairness for everyone, no matter who you are, or where you’re from.”

She first ran for governor in 2018. 

So far, Roys is up against Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, and Milwaukee businessman Ryan Strnad. That’s on the Democratic side. 

Two Republicans have declared their candidacy: Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann and businessman Bill Berrien. 

The primary will be in August 2026. The election is over a year away on November 3, 2026.