Yeah, all right, so give me a sense of how you're feeling what we do, you know
I'm feeling really good about the race. I'm feeling really good about what my team is doing
We are going all across the state all 72 counties
Talking to everybody because I firmly believe you can't lead if you don't listen
and you know what I'm hearing from people is what I think a lot of people are hearing is that
people are kind of feeling squeezed economically and they want somebody who's going to come not
just talk about those issues but have plans to make sure we can lower costs for Wisconsinites.
So the last round of polling, a lot of undecideds, a lot of people still paying attention,
how do you talk to people that are really clued in that don't understand those people who may be
worried like why aren't you out to a huge lead but saying it's still early but also like
winning over those people and letting them know who you are. Right, yeah you know it is really
early about 65% of people have not decided who they're going to vote for governor at this point
in terms of the Democratic primary and what I say to them is really look at who can win in
November who has the most experience, who's been able to win in difficult races. I live in Waukesha
County which isn't exactly a bastion of liberalism and I was able to flip a district there and I
think we are a purple state. We want somebody who's going to be leading this state who's going to be
able to reach out to the other side of the aisle and actually get things done. How do you see the
campaign kind of dovetailing right now with Chris Taylor's run for Supreme Court as
people are kind of waking up to that race. Yeah I do think that people are going to be paying
attention to that Supreme Court race and then I think right after that race they're going to be
paying attention to the next one which is going to be the governor's race and then in terms and so
yeah we're going to continue to make sure that we're talking to people this entire time we're
going to start gathering signatures in April and then to the primary in August and then to November.
I mean is there kind of like a piggy baking off that of like the grassroots can get activated for
that and then keep them engaged? Yeah I do think so. I think people are going to be starting to knock
on doors for that Supreme Court race and they're going to start reminding people that not only is
there a spring race coming up but then you're going to have another race in August that you're
going to have to be voting for. So reminding people that this is really important and that
who you will act for the Democratic primary is going to be important for the general.
And talk to me a little bit about the importance of being an event like this with labor.
Yeah so I come from a working class family my mom was a proud labor union member and so this
comes from my childhood and you know I know how important it is to be able to have collective
bargaining within the state and to make sure that everybody who is able to work has dignity
in their job but also are going to have the benefits and the security that labor and unions
provide. So we need for me now so we'll let you go mingle thank you. Thank you. Appreciate it.
That was over four. We both became the artist. Okay Ruth Bader Ginsburg. I raised it for a second.
Yeah I don't know I keep saying it. Yeah it's okay. It's okay. Yeah that's uh yeah. I think there's a ton of
excitement. I do so too so I'm hoping that the convention that we're going to have is amazing.
And then we're going to do we're going to try and do a fundraiser here. Good awesome I love it.
Well good. Anywhere I can help let me know. Well you know you guys want to come? Yeah.
If you guys want to come for the. Oh yeah. Yeah. So it's about twenty six. Okay.
Okay. I want to get chili cooked off. Okay. You know I have all the time for stuff. Yeah.
But it kind of changed me. Chili is either. Chili and soup. I love that.
Which everyone. That's awesome. Well good. Well I'm not allowed to say yes to anything. I can't
because they always have something cooking and they get mad if I do that. Oh that's okay.
But it's okay. I'm going to be kind of invited all the time and it's wonderful.
Okay. Because that's if you're you know we can do like a fundraiser when you do signature stuff.
Yeah. Yeah. I think that's great. Oh good. Awesome. Well good. Good seeing you. I'm going to wander around.
Yes good. There are every guest lieutenant governor. How are you?
Good. Good. Good. Good. Okay. How are you? I do look like that lady.
I know. I do. Sometimes. So they get a big lady. Oh that's a day. I remember those glamor shots.
And like that's what it always feels like. Okay. I know. So what's your hat looking for what you're
going to get? So I mean I think it's what people are telling me which is
these are costing way too much. And that it's more expensive incomes.
They're certainly paying their property taxes. Health care costs are just going up exponentially.
I mean child care comes up high. It's so expensive. Even if you don't can only find them.
Friends. You know because there's like childhood deserts all across the state.
I'm just glad my kids are old now. They're 16 and 19. So I got one down.
You're in college. I got one to go. So hopefully they both watch.
We just got a letter. Two weeks ago that our rent was going up.
Seven percent. It's 80 dollars. Wow. Wow. That took care of this.
Well that's good old ways. I mean that's something it's like and then it costs it.
Yeah it's going up now because it's the stuff around the lady and then you know everything.
Food prices are going up. I've seen my groceries.
You can just think the same as her. It's delicious. Yeah. Very hungry. I agree.
So we have to really have to talk with friends about how we're ready to address those things.
So we have to be important. But it's a great idea. This is one way to do that.
Right? Because we know that what we have in the neighborhood.
This is one way to do that. Right?
Because we know that what we have in the neighborhood.
Used to be our ones that still keep track of stuff.
And we put it on the place because all of those people are like rising beings.
Yeah.
The government's always wild.
Change of Mexican people. Yeah.
Wow.
That's what it's like. That's what it's like.
I don't know how you live. I don't know how you live.
You can't.
You can't.
Yeah.
So don't want to be here.
I'm really going to tell them to be here.
Yep.
I know they're going to have fun.
So yeah.
We were all kind of thinking 18 months ahead.
I know.
Yeah.
And it's been, what I hear from people too is, you know, you need to be able to plan and everything
within the term administration is so chaotic that you can't even plan for a year or two
or how do you budget as a business owner?
How do you budget as a farmer?
It's almost like he's going to make a decision to think that you're going to die to this thing.
Oh my goodness.
Well, I mean, that's, you know, what do you feel like?
I know.
It's not thinking.
It's not thinking.
I don't think he's really cool.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I mean, so it's really like he doesn't need to be put on the other hand.
Well, I'm a nurse by background and in my clinical opinion that she has slid off the cracker.
Yeah.
I like that way.
Of course he has.
I'm just saying.
But he's really concerning.
He's a lot of bright and short of the happy people.
That's his favorite, but it's kind of anyway.
Nice talking to you guys.
Thank you.
Yeah.
Should we do a little bit of jokes?
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I know.
I don't know.
I know.
Are things going on?
Yes.
Is there any idea?
No.
I don't.
I get them.
I don't blushed each other anymore because they just change the gradually.
Are they double or all or?
I'm going to be in a special stage for you.
I'm going to be in a special stage for you.
I'm going to be in a special stage for you.
I'm going to be in a special stage for you.
I'm going to be in a special stage for you.
I'm going to be in a special stage for you.
I'm going to be in a special stage for you.
I'm going to be in a special stage for you.
I'm going to be in a special stage for you.
I'm going to be in a special stage for you.
I'm going to be in a special stage for you.
I'm going to be in a special stage for you.
I'm going to be in a special stage for you.
I'm going to be in a special stage for you.
I'm going to be in a special stage for you.
I'm always in public sector.
I'm always in public sector.
I'm always in public sector.
I'm always in public sector.
I'm always in public sector.
I'm in public sector.
I'm always in public sector.
I'm always in publicnette.
I'll be in an other special stage for you.
You did it! It's all good. Don't worry.
This is the case though, I hope you can.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I regret it.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
It would be good.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
She has no idea what she's doing.
And so my whole goal, she's junior this year,
is to make her shadow every job she's ever thought about
or mentioned to me ever.
One of the things she talks about,
when we're taking her welding,
it's great.
I hope it'll be interesting.
Right.
And then she doesn't like it.
But she's kind of artistic, she's really good at math,
and I kind of like, she likes working with her.
So I thought, here you go.
I don't know.
Do you see me?
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
She's 16.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Oh.
Yeah.
I don't think her school district has that,
but, yeah.
Thank you.
I appreciate it.
How are you?
I'm pleased to meet you.
Very nice.
Thank you guys for being here.
Absolutely.
Thank you for your speech.
Okay.
I am speech-of-kind.
You're speech-of-kind.
I am speech-of-kind.
This is cool.
Okay.
I wouldn't blame you if it was anything else.
Hi, this is Wisconsin.
So, put a little bit of whiskey in that.
Not me.
Not you.
Not you.
No, no, no.
Tea total.
You would have to wake me up tomorrow morning.
I'd have to be the one who's like,
Lynne!
I always say, we're always going to try to give me a drink before I speak.
I'm like, oh, I don't drink ever before.
I speak God knows what I would say.
Listen, you're going to be our next governor.
It's me.
Okay.
Thank you.
Are you flexing this guy?
Yeah.
He's a spouse.
I know.
He is.
Well, there were just so many things that he didn't like go through that the vast majority of Republicans and Democrats wanted.
Is there any chance?
Is there any chance to know?
Yeah.
Because the maps are now supposedly fair.
Yes.
That we could...
Could it try back to?
Yes.
Yes.
It is possible though.
We have a 5% swing towards Democrats and we have a trifecta.
So we have to flip two seats in the sun and they look like the maps look great.
We'll tell them the rest of the graph is like 5% or the more than a percentage point when Trump is on valid.
So if we have to pull in like a swing, we have a trifecta.
It'll be tight.
I don't care if it's tight just so we can do all the things that we wanted to do.
And that's what I was talking about is that we'll only have two years.
You know, we get a democratic trifecta to show people who are like the Democrats over.
And if we do not have our stuff, I was going to say something else.
We're stuck together.
Yeah.
I'll say it for you.
Thank you.
And then, you know, we're.
They're going to flip it right.
It's your problem.
It's your problem.
It's your problem.
Right?
Yeah.
You told us you were going to do all these things.
You didn't do them.
So that's the way they are.
And we're such a big old little stick.
So we have got to make sure that we have the right person at the top of the ticket.
We flip those chambers.
And then we.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So we need to be at home.
So, all right.
That's my goal.
Okay.
I'm right there.
Yeah.
Thank you.
I appreciate it.
I appreciate it.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I was up there earlier.
I think it's been up there a little bit.
But they had decent stillness.
It wasn't as bad as it had been in the last course.
But it was no longer trailing.
Yeah.
It was just like, it's too big.
It's too big.
It's too big.
It's too big.
It's too big.
It's too big.
It's too big.
It's too big.
It's too big.
It's too big.
It's too big.
It's too big.
It's too big.
It's too big.
It's too big.
It's too big.
It's too big.
It's too big.
It's too big.
It's too big.
It's too big.
It's too big.
It's too big.
It's too big.
It's too big.
It's too big.
It's too big.
It's too big.
It's too big.
It's too big.
It's too big.
It's too big.
It's too big.
It's too big.
It's too big.
It's too big.
It's too big.
It's too big.
It's too big.
It's too big.
It's too big.
It's too big.
It's too big.
It's too big.
It's too big.
It's too big.
It's too big.
It's too big.
It's too big.
It's too big.
It's too big.
It's too big.
It's too big.
It's too big.
It's too much.
You're incredibly hot right now.
You're
extremely hot right now.
You're incredibly pan system.
You're very hot right now.
Not mad, not really.
I can find video from your camera.
Most people are probably listening to a computer.
People have their experience doing that our goal.
They're at the switch and those people are always
He was saying he was going to go to all the state parks because he's playing big events.
I heard that would be amazing.
So, yeah, I think and I imagine we flipped the self-doubt education problems.
That was such a great job.
It's just not so hard.
Super guys, I think.
He's done a really amazing job, particularly with the hostile legislature.
I think that that's important.
Where are you guys?
I know.
I know.
I think you know what it's like.
It's interesting.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I think it's a good job.
I think it's a good job.
Yeah.
It's a good job.
That's where we need the right Canada.
In the top of the ticket.
We do.
Because we're a purple state.
The other province is north of 29 years old.
Yeah.
Ooh, he's still in there.
Yeah, I don't understand why.
I know that he didn't.
He thought you would do something unusual.
Me, too.
But he is under water.
So I have gotten through this nightmare.
I have...
Did you do that?
I thought you would not.
It's uh...
No.
Dude, she's done.
I think she's still struggling.
I was, I think.
Did you see...?
No.
I went to court and I lost, but the point is, one opportunity to deploy to work with them,
you add it on them to put one week of waiting, and then they made it so that the department
workforce development can go back into months to any employer you worked for.
And I had a little part-time job with, with third role, I mean, that equipped me like a liquid,
and then they made an old termination thing with their attorneys.
I know you worked this as well, because we didn't work that much.
And then they decided, because there's no other person on that,
and they decided to deploy like this.
Oh, we love you!
We love you!
We'll see.
We'll see.
We'll see.
Thank you, guys.
I support it.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I support it.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thanks.
Thank you.
Nice to meet you.
Yeah.
Great.
Great.
Yeah.
Nice to meet you.
Nice to meet you.
Hello.
How are you?
Are you also union?
Are you just supporting dad?
Just supporting dad.
Okay.
Okay.
So, good.
How are you?
Are you like?
Okay.
You have a real person.
Okay.
Yeah.
I can tell him.
How old are you?
How old are you?
20 April.
90 last year.
So, everybody looks like an baby.
So, I was asking, her job system is 60.
She doesn't know what she has to do.
So, I'm making it harder.
I don't think it's going to happen in South parsed.
I think it's time for the program.
We need to go through all the building tools.
Is it not?
Uh, yeah, so yeah, we're gonna see if she likes any of that stuff.
Yeah.
Very cool.
I don't know.
She has no idea where she wants to do it, really.
I don't know, but it's not really in the same kind of area.
Like, she's like, police officer, peer dresser, veteran area, and welder.
Like, if we still try to use it, you know, like, we're wet now.
So we'll see.
She might be better to work.
She might be better to work.
And then figure out, like, what should we have?
We'll listen.
So we're wet.
Guys?
We're wet.
We're wet.
We're wet.
We're wet.
We're wet.
We're wet.
We're wet.
We're wet.
We're wet.
We're wet.
We're wet.
We're wet.
Yeah.
We're wet.
We're wet.
How do you think that people are taking attention to the Supreme Court race or we still kind of know.
We don't know what to say.
It's coming up fast.
It's right across the table.
Yeah.
And that's true.
That's also the thing here, because behind the screen, it's all, no local elections are really contested.
Oh, okay.
Like, no county board.
No school board.
No, no city, Queens.
Yeah.
So, please.
Exactly, the only race is that one, and then a friend of mine.
Yeah, well, and I think it's a little warmer when people think of it.
Yeah, exactly.
Wait, what are the signs?
What are the signs?
Yeah, what are you going to get signs out of them?
Signs of where the brown's not frozen, so you can stick them home.
Yeah, we're in a drill.
Do you really?
I love that.
It's awesome.
It's awesome.
It's awesome.
It's exciting to you.
I know.
We've got the SS drill.
Yeah, I'll put that right here.
And it just gets through the...
You're trying to fit me with this bit.
Oh, a bit.
No, I don't.
So, there you go.
Once you bring it, put yourself in.
See it.
There you go.
It's true.
It's my primary in August.
So, it's good.
I don't know.
It's good.
Well, awesome.
Thank you guys for the work you do.
Honestly, it's not easy.
It's not easy.
Thank you.
People, my daughter has no idea what she wants to do.
Her life, she's a teacher.
She's 16.
So, I'm making her go to...
The building trades has this summer program.
Thanks to that.
And so, I'm going to make her go to that.
Just to see if she likes it.
You know?
Because she's a good a man.
She likes working with her hands.
She has to sit in the classroom.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And she speaks to me.
She's a very valuable in the trades.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And she speaks to me.
She's a very valuable in the trades.
I love to play.
Is that she plays the play like the language.
Okay?
So, it's like, so she goes to like,
please talk to the real dresser with a fetchman there
and a welder.
And then she came up with her studio.
And I was like, okay.
Can we just like try and find some parents?
And we'll see.
Hey, over here.
Yeah.
And the end of the event.
Oh.
Yeah.
Oh.
Very good.
Oh.
Very good.
Thank you.
I appreciate it.
I know.
I'm hiding him.
Yeah.
He's right here.
I know.
He's right here.
I know.
He's right here.
Yeah.
He's right here.
I know.
So, I passioned my ship's very cute.
It's when I bring you on.
Yeah.
So, you know, in a marriage.
I like it.
We've got to like, passion.
You really care.
I like it.
I haven't been here long.
I don't know.
I know.
So, over time it's every second.
I'll reach with that tree.
You know.
He has to travel.
We'd rather go out with the guys.
Yeah.
Thank you.
Yeah.
I am really happy.
Yeah.
I know.
All of them, I was talking about the vast areas.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Oh.
Thank you.
Yeah.
She did a little shoot.
Thank you.
Yeah.
Let's see again.
I will probably see me many, many more.
Yeah.
I am running all over the state doing all the things that I...
Great.
Yeah.
Thank you.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I know.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Okay.
Okay.
Okay.
Okay.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So, and I had a moment here where I continually walk on thatHeyFresh trip.
No.
No.
No.
No.
No it was it was a lot.
Yeah.
I'mting a bit safer.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I'm wondering.
Yeah.
Urban gets to everybody, that's the best you've ever.
You guys got any questions at all? More than happy?
I do have a car, but more importantly, I haven't just talked to people.
I've been waiting many of you remember for 17 years, so it's not exactly out of my door.
I've been waiting many of you.
I've been waiting many of you.
You're a designated person?
No, I've got to see an order and all these pumps.
I don't quite know. I'm one of the candidates running from high school to high school.
That's why we're all here when it was started.
But also, I would have probably come here anyway, since I've been on a 17-year-old arrival.
It's not just because I have dinners, I wouldn't do anyway.
I just have to dress like a little, I would have worn a t-shirt.
If I had to wear a t-shirt, I would have worn a t-shirt.
I bet you would. It was real quick, real quick.
Welcome, everyone.
The 57th annual monolack labor council recognition there.
Everybody please take their seats.
Everybody that has their ticket, this year we kind of changed it up a little bit.
We've got a ticket stub.
If you put your stub in the rattle, right against the wall over there,
you can get your stub in there.
It'll be great, so you can get the end of the door prizes.
Another thing is, this is about a week and a half ago, there was a wedding ring,
a male wedding ring found in the parking lot of the five of the heck.
Council parking lot there, if anybody's missing a men's wedding ring,
please let me know.
I can have a visit.
Just a public announcement.
Thanks.
At this time, I'd like to introduce everybody to Newport,
the final act of the county labor council,
my vice president, Mr. Paul Bares.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Congratulations.
Paul wins.
As we gather tonight to celebrate labor and honor some of our own,
we're going to start with a little prayer, so let us pray.
We pray that all workers have compensated justly so that families and communities can flourish.
We pray political leaders will find the courage and wisdom to stop the tax on workers' rights and protections.
We pray for everyone involved in the union movement and thank them for their sacrifice.
We pray for oppressed people everywhere that freedom and dignity will be swift in coming.
We pray for the safety of our servicemen and women.
We give thanks for this meal and for the bounty we are about to enjoy.
Amen.
Thank you.
Thank you, Bonnie.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
All right.
All right, we're going to get started a little bit here.
Come back in.
Look tonight, tonight's got a celebration of labor.
Now I welcome a celebration.
Thank you, Bonnie.
Welcome.
I want to welcome to this dinner our local lodges and our groups that are here tonight to see the communication workers.
Are you here?
The IBEW, are you here?
Labor is 330, are you here?
The NAC.
Branch 125, there they are.
The Fox Valley Labor Council here tonight.
IBEW, which is at the lodge, they're listed as the last on the list.
I am local 1947, who normally dominates the conversation.
Northeast Wisconsin, building and construction, are you here?
I know we have some local politicians here tonight.
I'm looking at you, Robert.
I'm also looking at some people that are here running, especially in the six districts.
We have some poor labor candidates here.
I'm really glad to have them here.
We'll join you here.
Michael, we're here.
John?
Am I missing anybody?
Am I missing anybody?
All right.
Tonight, tonight this is a celebrational labor, but we've had a rough year.
Last year was kind of a downer year and I was ready to prepare a speech of a lot of gloom and doom.
Some of the things that I said last year have absolutely been true.
We have a completely neutered department of labor, but I've got to tell you that
a legend sexual problems and funs missing or a lot of other legends was not on my bingo card.
It's not on my bingo card.
We can do better.
I was brought a lot of gloom and doom things about what was going on today and yesterday.
Then the sink broke at the lodge.
We were in, so Steve ain't going to be happy.
I ended up tearing up a lot of my stuff.
Then today, Reverend Jesse Jackson was laid to rest and Obama gave a speech.
The speech about having hope.
Something I know I've been lacking in the last year.
We can have hope because we have really great candidates we do and we have a lot of them.
We have a lot of them.
People that are stepping up to change the world we live in.
You can be part of that change, but you have to be involved.
We have to get our young people involved.
It's no longer a question of going, well, they don't want to.
It's not a thing anymore.
They have to be involved.
They don't have a choice if they're going to keep the country going
for working folks.
To that end, I've been thinking about candidates that we're looking at.
We're in the state of Wisconsin.
We're holding the line.
We're just barely holding the line.
We're going to need people that can work the levers of government.
One of those people, I believe, is Sarah Rodriguez.
Sarah Rodriguez is a nurse, public health expert.
A problem solver who has spent her life helping people and getting results.
As Wisconsin's 46 lieutenant governor, she brings more than two decades of experience in healthcare,
public service, and executive leadership through the fight for working families across the badges.
Look, we've got a lot of people in our unions now
and have family members that have lost a lot of their coverage for insurance.
It's painful, and it's devastating to those families in our union.
Sarah is the daughter of a union mom and a Vietnam veteran.
Sarah was born in Milwaukee.
She's a Brookfield.
She's right next to my hometown.
I love Fond du Lac.
I've lived here for almost 30 plus years.
How long have we been here?
33 years.
I spent my life here in Fond du Lac.
I grew up in West Dallas, where every four corners had either a union hall or a bar.
Sounds about right.
30 years.
Sarah's family story was shaped by hard work, public service.
Her grandparents ran a dairy farm in Richfield County.
Their parents lived in a trailer before starting their family.
It was early values, dignity, and work, pride in community,
and the belief that everyone deserves a fair shot.
Continue to guide Sarah's leadership today.
Sarah built her career from the ground up.
She earned a dual master degree in nursing and public health from John Hopkins University.
She served as an epidemic intelligence service officer in the CDC.
I don't know if a lot of you people know, but we're suffering from a great pandemic right now in many states.
We could use an epidemic intelligence service right now.
She left the national and international disease outbreak responses.
She's held leadership roles in both the public and the private sectors,
including as vice president of population health at one of the largest health care systems in the Midwest,
and as the VP at a Fortune 500 company.
She also founded her own small business.
In 2020, Sarah flipped a suburban Milwaukee seat to win election in the Wisconsin State Assembly
where she championed health care access, which is very important right now.
Reproductive rights and policy to make life more affordable for Wisconsin families.
Two years later, she was elected lieutenant governor alongside Governor Tony Evers,
becoming one of the few public health professionals in the nation to hold station statewide office.
I can't tell you how important this is right now.
That we have people working families, children, dying in this country.
From diseases that are preventable.
Now, as the first Democrat to launch a campaign for governor following Governor Evers' retirement,
Sarah is stepping up once again.
It's time to leave Wisconsin forward.
Her campaign is focused on expanding access to affordable health care,
something we all sort of need.
Fixing the health care workforce crisis, protecting reproductive freedom,
investing in public education, and building an economy that works for everyone.
That includes us in this room.
From rural farmers, to union workers, to small business owners.
Sarah lives in Waukesha County with her husband and their two children.
She is also a proud Girl Scout troop leader.
Returned Peace Corps volunteer and the kind of leader who's not afraid to lace up her sneakers,
hit the road, and listen to the people she serves.
We need pro-union candidates.
Sarah is one of those candidates in a state right now that is suffering from a lot of
a lot of candidates.
I would ask you and I would call upon all of you to get out there and look and participate
and find out what is going on in these elections.
But at this time, I want to introduce to you Lieutenant Governor of the State of Wisconsin,
my friend Sarah Rodriguez.
Thank you.
Thank you to everyone who is here tonight.
Labor leaders, organizers, union members, all of you.
It is so important that we recognize the hard work that you do every day.
I want to start by recognizing Stephanie Clemente again.
I want to recognize all the union members in this room, the IBEW, the laborers, the farmers and
the defenders.
Smart.
I think for she last.
I am the steelworker.
I-A-T-S-E, letter carrier.
O-P-E-I-U.
We have CW, I-A-A-F-F, C-W-A, and our building craze.
You are the workers who build Wisconsin, power Wisconsin, and keep Wisconsin running every
single day.
For me, it's a special honor to be in this room.
Because I didn't come to this movement, to this fight from the outside.
I grew up in it.
My mom is a teaching assistant and a proud rehab member.
My dad served in the Navy during Vietnam.
We grew up in a working class union household.
We didn't have a lot.
But I never once doubted that my parents had dignity in their work.
And I knew exactly why, because they had a union.
They taught me that you work hard, you look out for your neighbors, and you never back
down from a fight.
Those values affect every decision that I make.
And they remind me every day that when we talk about Wisconsin's economy, we are really
talking about you.
The electricians violate our homes.
The laborers building our roads and bridges.
The firefighters keeping our community safe.
The steelworkers powering our industries, the nurses, and health care workers carrying
for our families.
Wisconsin works because union workers show up every day and get the job done.
Thank you.
And I want to be clear tonight, as lieutenant governor and as someone who is running to
be the governor of Wisconsin, I will always stand with labor.
Not just in speeches, not just during campaign season, but when decisions are made that determine
whether working families get ahead or fall behind, I will stand with you.
I come to this perspective shaped by my own career.
Before I was lieutenant governor, I worked night shifts as an ER nurse.
And if you want to understand the dignity of work, spend a night in the emergency department.
You see construction workers coming in after long days on the job.
Factory workers who have spent decades doing physically demanding work.
Parents who are working two jobs just to try to keep their families afloat.
I still think about one patient, a single dad who came in with cardiac issues.
He needed a full workup.
He needed to be admitted.
But he checked himself out against medical advice.
Not because he didn't care about his health, because he couldn't afford to miss work and he didn't
have anyone to watch his kids.
That moment stayed with me.
Because you learn very quickly that work is about more than a paycheck.
It's about stability, dignity.
It's about knowing that if you work hard in Wisconsin, you should be able to build a good life here.
That's what the labor movement has fought for generation after generation.
The eight hour work day, workplace safety, health care, retirement security.
These rights weren't handed down by politicians.
They were one, because workers stood together and demanded them.
Because of that fight, Wisconsin built one of the strongest middle classes in America.
We all know the truth about the last decade.
Working people in Wisconsin were forced to fight battles you shouldn't have to fight.
We saw attacks on collective bargaining.
We saw politicians try to divide working families.
And we saw policies designed to weaken unions and tilt the playing field towards corporate power.
But here's what those politicians never understood about Wisconsin workers.
You don't back down.
We recognize you stand together and you keep building.
And right now, across this country, something important is happening again.
Workers are standing up.
Union drives are growing.
Apprenticeships are expanding.
Young workers are rediscovering something the labor movement has always known.
When workers stand together, workers win.
And there's real good news for labor right here in Wisconsin.
We are investing in infrastructure levels we have not seen in generations.
Roads, bridges, water systems, broadband.
These projects are creating thousands of jobs across our state.
But here's what matters.
Those jobs should go to Wisconsin workers.
They should support registered apprenticeships.
And they should build union careers, not temporary jobs.
Under a Rodriguez administration that is exactly what we will fight for.
Because when taxpayer dollars are invested in our economy,
they should create family supporting union jobs.
For decades, unions have understood something policymakers sometimes forget.
The best workforce development plan already exists.
It's called a union apprenticeship.
You train the workers the right way.
You pass down skills from one generation to the next.
And you build the workforce that powers our economy.
That model works.
And in Wisconsin, we should be expanding it, not undermining it.
Another reason I'm optimistic right now is what we are seeing from younger workers.
Across the country, they are discovering the power of collective action.
They're organizing.
They're demanding fair pay.
They're insisting on dignity of work.
And they're learning the lesson that labor movement has always known.
And that solidarity isn't just a word.
It's how working people change the future.
This brings me to the states in 2026.
This election will decide where we are going as Wisconsin for the next decade.
Will we continue to build an economy where workers have a seat at the table?
Or will we go backwards to policies that weaken unions and silence workers' voices?
We already know where Tom Tiffany stands.
He supports so-called right-to-work laws that weaken unions.
He opposes prevailing wage protections.
He votes against the public schools and training programs working families count on.
He talks about working families when he's running for office,
but governs for corporate interests once he's in there.
That's not the Wisconsin that I believe in.
And it's not the Wisconsin that working people deserve.
I believe in a Wisconsin where if you work full-time, you can support your family,
where the skilled trades are respected, where workers are given the freedom to organize,
where infrastructure projects support union labor and apprenticeships,
and where the next generation sees a future in building things, fixing things,
and caring for people.
And that's the Wisconsin we're fighting for.
And I want to say something directly to the members in this room.
Your voice matters more than ever.
Union members are organizers.
You talk to coworkers.
You talk to your neighbors.
You talk to your families.
And when labor organizes, labor wins.
And when labor votes all of Wisconsin wins, this has been true for generations.
It will be true again in 2026.
I still think about that dad who walked out of my ER.
I don't know what happened to him, but I know this.
He deserved better.
He deserved a Wisconsin where a full day's work meant real wages,
real benefits, and real care for his family.
And that kind of Wisconsin doesn't build itself.
It gets built by working people, by union workers,
by the men and women who stand together and demand that work in America comes with dignity.
That's what the labor movement has always been about.
It's about solidarity.
It's about community.
It's about when we stand together, we can build something better.
The belief that we built the American middle class.
And together we are going to build the next chapter in Wisconsin,
one where working people are not left behind.
Where good union jobs exist in every corner of this state
and where workers are treated with the dignity and respect that they deserve.
Thank you for doing the work that you do.
Thank you for organizing.
Thank you for carrying forward the proud tradition of the labor movement.
Together we're going to continue to build a Wisconsin that works for working people.
And together we're going to win the future Wisconsin workers deserve.
Thank you for having me.
Thank you so much.