[upbeat music]
- My name is Dr. Kristin Lyerly
and I'm running to represent the people
of Wisconsin's 8th Congressional District,
the district where I was born and raised
and the region where my family has been
for six generations.
My dad's whole side of the family,
they worked at the paper mill in Kaukauna.
And my mom's side,
dairy farmers east of Lake Winnebago.
I'm also a mom.
My oldest is a public school teacher in Racine,
all the way down to my youngest,
who is a sophomore at De Pere High School.
My partner is a 25-year veteran
of the Green Bay Police Department.
We're a proud, community-loving family.
I'm an OB/GYN doctor, first-generation college student
who has had the good luck and support and drive
to not only become a doctor,
but to become a nationally-known leader
in obstetrics and gynecology.
Someone who has advocated for more than two decades
for health care reform
to ensure that people have access to the care they need
and, of course, for reproductive rights.
And in fact, it's my name that's on the judgment
that brought abortion care back to Wisconsin
after the Dobbs decision.
Because of that effort, anti-abortion groups
have come after my Wisconsin medical license,
making it dangerous for me to practice in the state.
So here I am,
currently practicing in Northern Minnesota,
serving patients in a rural community,
delivering babies, providing contraception,
taking care of women who have issues with menopause,
just being a general doctor.
But hearing their stories and understanding
how rural communities are suffering
and how we can do better.
I first entered politics in 2020
when I realized that advocacy was not enough,
when misinformation was literally killing my patients.
And I thought that there was a place
for a physician who knew how to talk
about information and informed consent
might be able to make a difference and save some lives.
I knew I wasn't gonna win
because of Wisconsin's gross gerrymandering.
But in the efforts that followed that campaign,
when we were able to get Governor Evers reelected
and able to figure out our Supreme Court,
and able to fix our maps,
things have changed entirely in our state.
And now I am thrilled
to be running a spicy, exciting campaign
on behalf of my friends and neighbors and family,
the people who raised me, talking about issues
so much bigger than reproductive rights,
so much bigger than health care in rural areas,
but also economic issues.
Everyone is concerned
about the cost of goods and services,
about how expensive it is every single time
we go to the grocery store or put gas in our cars.
There's a way to fix this.
There's a way to fix our immigration crisis.
We've seen it.
We've seen steps in the right direction.
But we fail to provide the political courage
to solve the problem.
There are so many problems that need to be solved,
and our Congress and our state legislature here in Wisconsin
have been the least effective in decades.
The way we fix it is by electing leaders
who will elevate the voices of the people,
who will work together across the aisle
to find common ground,
who will be independent thinkers,
and who will be moderate
in their approach to problem-solving.
That's who we always elect in Northeast Wisconsin.
Democrats, Republicans, it doesn't matter.
It's about the person
and who the people of Northeast Wisconsin believe
will best represent them.
That's me, this kid from Kaukauna.
Thank you so much for listening.
Thank you for considering me.
And I sure would appreciate your vote on November 5.