It is the duty of government to keep the peace, make laws for the wellbeing of society, and to carry both out within a system of governance that is duly constituted of, for, and by the people - with the consent of whom sovereignty is lawfully exercised. This overarching and fundamental tenet of American society was well known to our founders, having been born in British common law centuries before a young revolutionary republic established itself along the east coast of North America. Thomas Jefferson, the brilliant yet flawed author of the Declaration of Independence, opined that “...government ought to be judged by how well it meets its legitimate objectives” (1). For Jefferson, good government was the bedrock principle that “...most effectively secures the rights of the people and the rewards of their labor, which promotes their happiness, and also does their will” (1).

I’ve said it before and I’ll keep saying until I meet my maker: I firmly believe that rural places are the soul of our state and the engine of our economy. But we need a new rural economy where small- and medium-scale family farms and rural Main Streets can stabilize and innovate, not the status quo that has given Wisconsin the highest farm bankruptcy rate in the nation and a hollowing out of small towns. Wisconsin’s legacy of family farm agriculture cannot survive if farm exits continue at this rate. In fact, Wisconsin has been losing nearly two dairy farms a day for several years.

Get ‘Er Done on Healthcare Reform

As a survivor of rheumatoid arthritis, I take great joy in the remission I have today. I am forever thankful that I had great health insurance to pay for the biologic responsible for my remission. Unfortunately however, my experience is not the same reality many Wisconsinites live through. Our healthcare system is irrational and fundamentally broken, and the sense of despair that comes from having an illness and being unable to afford it is an issue acutely felt at the kitchen tables of working families throughout Southwestern Wisconsin...

As an independent-minded Democrat, I am a rural progressive reformer who understands the importance of fiscal responsibility. Truth be told, practicing fiscal responsibility is completely compatible with a progressive political outlook. After all, working families make similar decisions for their household finances every day and expect the same from their government officials whether or not they have a “D” or an “R” after their name.

Fellow Wisconsinites,

I firmly believe that rural places are the soul of our state and the engine of our economy. There can be a bright future for Wisconsin’s small towns and rural Main Streets, but getting there will take grit, attention to detail, and a commitment to address the real struggles of everyday folks out here among the pastoral landscape of family farms, towering ridgelines, and beautiful river valleys. My campaign team and I have worked diligently over the past few months to put forward good ideas which not only improve the quality of life for rural Wisconsinites, but that also have the necessary appeal across the breadth of the political spectrum to become law. The fruit of their labor is my rural recovery plan. Solving the Root of the Problem: Rural Routes to Wisconsin’s Post-Pandemic Recovery is a sensible, multifaceted policy prescription plan for stabilizing Wisconsin’s struggling farms, bolstering the rural economy, and preserving our state’s rich natural heritage for generations to come.

Clean energy is good for the earth, good for the economy, and really good for rural Wisconsin. Wisconsin utilities already know this and as a result are on track to meet a 40% reduction in aggregate carbon emissions by 2026 (1). Nevertheless, energy costs in Wisconsin remain some of the highest in the nation, largely due to the more than $12 billion sent out of the state each year to import fossil fuels (2). That’s why I support creating and expanding cost-sharing incentives here in Wisconsin for solar, wind, and other
renewable energy technologies at every farm, small business, and home. Continue reading to see my “Moving Forward on Clean Energy Plan."

I’m a business owner, small farmer, parent, and grandma. I cherish misty Driftless sunrises, strong coffee and the lush Pecatonica River valley that curves through rural Blanchardville where I live.

I was born in dairy country outside Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, to a steel worker dad and a stay-at-home mom. I wanted to experience the big city, so I moved to the Midwest at age 17 to study journalism at Northwestern University in Chicago. On the first day of classes, I met my future husband, Shannon, and we stayed in the city for a while until my heart and body started craving the green spaces and open places of my youth. We moved to Blanchardville 16 years ago, sending our four kids through the Pecatonica Area School District while we repaired our barns, improved our soil and fell deeply in love with our strong, supportive agricultural community. We run wool sheep in a managed grazing system, and raise steers, goats, chickens, ducks and hogs on pasture. We grow vegetables and herbs for our award-winning bed and breakfast, which brings over 700 guests to our village of 825 every year. Shannon has restored our 135-year-old farmhouse, as well as three vintage campers we rent to guests. We enjoy fixing old things and dreaming up new projects. 

I am fiercely committed to the wellbeing of my family, my neighbors, and Southwest Wisconsin. I have years of experience tackling tough issues, tight budgets and political disagreements as a Lafayette County Supervisor. I have a deep knowledge of the issues facing our region because of my service as a Southwestern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commissioner, and a Board Member of Workforce Development, SWCAP, and the Community Leadership Alliance of Southwestern Wisconsin. In my village, I belong to the Blanchardville Woman's Club and Blanchardville Community Pride, Inc. I'm a member of the Trout Unlimited Harry and Laura Nohr Chapter, Wisconsin Farmers Union, Wisconsin Conservation Voters, Wisconsin LGBT Chamber of Commerce and the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation. I am a DNR Conservation Patron. 

In 2017, I founded the Pecatonica Pride Watershed Association, a farmer-led water protection group that works to improve the Pecatonica River and it's tributaries. In 2015, I started Blanchardville's Main Street Farmers Market. I was also one of three "Soil Sisters" who led the charge in 2016 to overturn the state's unconstitutional ban on selling home baked goods. Now our neighborhoods and farmers markets are filled with baking start-ups, adding money to the economy and making life extra sweet. Rural Main Streets need more traffic, activity, color, open doors and opportunities - and I'm ready to get busy making it happen. 

My top priorities have long been protecting natural resources, promoting historic Main Streets, building regional economies, supporting family farms, and attracting new families and businesses to the region. I am immensely proud of rural Southwest Wisconsin, and I will fight in the legislature to secure the resources our towns, schools, farms, and businesses need to survive and thrive post-COVID and into the future. I'm focused on getting high-speed broadband to every rural resident, creating incentives and support for medium-scale regional meat and milk processing plants, helping farmers build profitable local markets and in general pressing in now to fix those pain points for rural people that the pandemic has made more painful.

Our life here in the country is wonderful and important - we're growing the nation's food, fuel and fiber and we're holding the carbon and green space that support a world of breathing creatures. Our opportunities are vast. Our future is bright. Let's work hard and have fun getting there, together. 

It’s not just political opponents facing off  in 2020 - it’s core values. 

I’m no politician, and I’m not afraid to say there’s never an easy answer to any persistent problem. No one party has a monopoly on the truth. But today in America and in Wisconsin, fundamental rights and human dignity are on the ballot. Democracy itself is at risk. I’m running against an incumbent Republican that voted 100% with hyper-partisan party bosses in the last session, standing by while the power of the governor to lead on COVID was challenged, litigated and cancelled. Those same party bosses have refused to call the legislature into session to work with the Governor to address the needs of hurting Wisconsinites since it was snowing in Madison. Time to bust up the logjam at the Capitol because we simply have to get Wisconsin back to work. That starts with controlling COVID, but we need a bold plan to stimulate the economy as we recover. Team Kriss has developed a "Rural Routes to Wisconsin's Post-Pandemic Recovery" plan that prioritizes rural opportunities and local control, but starts with broad-based state tax reform that's long overdue. To begin, we should close big box store loopholes and end give-aways to corporate giants like the failed Foxconn project. Make big players pay their fair share, instead of small businesses and homeowners shouldering the entire burden for providing public services through property taxes. We've got to build a long-term growth-oriented funding platform that moves Wisconsin out of the austerity era and into prosperity. 

We’ve got a lot to tackle. Here’s where I’ll start:

Healthcare:  Accept the federal Medicaid expansion so rural hospitals and nursing homes, struggling as a result of COVID, can be reimbursed adequately for services provided to the poor and elderly. Wisconsin refuses over $1 billion per year that could help provide quality care for everyone. Entrenched legislative leadership, including my opponent, has blocked expansion for almost a decade and refused to address skyrocketing prescription prices. I've pledged to never take a dime of campaign contributions from pharmaceutical companies or private health insurance lobbies, because I think it's imperative to put constituents before corporations. Learn more about how I will work for you and your family on this most important of kitchen table issues.

Clean Water:  Make sure that rural places can provide the clean water and quality of life that will attract and retain workers, farmers, families and businesses. With the valuable data coming from the SWIGG (Southwest Wisconsin Geology and Groundwater) study and the recommendations of researchers, I'll insist we make evidence-based decisions to protect the valuable waters of the Driftless Region.

Education:  Fully fund education infrastructure at every level, including our essential technical colleges. Now more than ever, we understand the important role public education plays in the lives of every American. Education is the institution that binds our rural communities together, and you can count on me to advocate for our rural schools, technical colleges, and UW campuses in Madison.

Small Towns:  Invest in universal internet, roads, senior housing, mental health, and Main Streets. Rural places are the soul of our state and the engine of our economy, and they are my particular passion. I will simply not rest until our exceptional small towns are thriving again. 

Family Agriculture:  Support diversification so farmers and local economies can bounce back after COVID. Develop short supply chains and local processing. Incentivize a "Solar Field for Every Farm."  Increase profits by expanding direct farm sales. Give consumers and schools access to more farm-to-table goods.

Fair Maps:  Pass a non-partisan redistricting solution in 2021. If you hate the partisanship and dysfunction in government, ending gerrymandering is the single most powerful way to encourage representatives to work together on solutions.

Tax Reform: Enact comprehensive tax reform to stem the flood of giveaways to special interest groups like the Dark Store loophole and Foxconn disaster. Wisconsin wastes billions every year on tax breaks for billionaires, and the result is an irrationally complex tax code that stifles small businesses, pushes out family farms, and underfunds services we all need: roads, schools, universal internet, affordable healthcare, and local government. Wisconsin needs tax reform to stimulate the post-pandemic economic recovery and get our great state back on sound financial footing. As a fiscally responsible Democrat, I'll work across party lines to get this necessary reform enacted into law.