WEAC endorses Kelda Roys for governor

 

Sen. Kelda Roys has earned the recommendation of the Wisconsin Education Association Council (WEAC), the state’s largest union of educators, for her candidacy for governor. 

WEAC’s recommendation is a game-changer in a crowded primary, Sen. Roys said, providing a clear signal that Roys is the best choice to advance through the August primary, win the November General Election and implement long-term solutions that will benefit students, families and educators. 

WEAC is the state’s largest public-sector union, representing tens of thousands of teachers, nurses, counselors, instructors and education support professionals in public schools and technical colleges.

“Sen. Roys demonstrates strong leadership on public education,” said Peggy Wirtz-Olsen, a Wisconsin teacher serving as WEAC President. “Sen. Roys has a proven track record as a champion for students on the Joint Finance Committee. Wisconsin public school educators have seen her fighting for our students every step of the way, refusing to be pushed to the sidelines when speaking up for school funding, childcare, paid family leave, mental health access and healthy school meals for all. She will continue to advocate for public schools in rural, suburban and urban areas with educators as partners in the work. She’ll make a great governor.”

The recommendation, brought forward by educators representing every corner of Wisconsin, shows the broad support that Sen. Roys has earned.

“For more than 20 years, I have been fighting for Wisconsinites to have the freedom to build a better life,” Roys said. “I am humbled to earn this recommendation. As an elected leader and a mom, I take seriously our responsibility to build a future where every kid can thrive.”

“As governor, I will use my power to put our kids first. We will make sure every community in the state continues to have great public schools while easing the divisive referendums and property tax hikes. We will work to bring the failed, unaccountable voucher scheme to a responsible end. Every kid deserves a great public education – and it will be my job to keep that promise to our kids.”

WEAC endorsed Kathleen Falk early in the 2012 recall race against Scott Walker, which was seen as a major move at the time. But it was also controversial for potentially narrowing the field prematurely.

The backlash was fierce, even from within WEAC’s own ranks. Members said there had been no communication with the membership on the decision and no polling of rank-and-file . WEAC’s Facebook page was drowning in negative feedback. Progressive pundits accused WEAC leadership of a top-down power play that contradicted the grassroots spirit of the recall movement.

Critically, despite WEAC and AFSCME (American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees) spending more than $4 million on ads for Falk, she lost the primary to Tom Barrett by a wide margin. Barrett himself then lost to Walker in the recall general.

This is the first open-seat governor’s race since 2010, with Tony Evers not seeking reelection in a state Trump carried by less than a point in 2024 . The Democratic primary has roughly 10 candidates and no clear frontrunner; a WEAC endorsement could have an outsized consolidating effect.

Then there’s the Act 10 backdrop. A Dane County judge ruled in December 2024 that the 2011 law, regulating whether tens of thousands of teachers, nurses, prison guards and other state government employees can bargain over their workplace conditions and salary, is unconstitutional. The Wisconsin Supreme Court declined to take it up directly and sent it through the appeals court first.

The next governor will likely have enormous influence over whether collective bargaining rights are fully restored — making WEAC’s stake in this race existential in a way it wasn’t even in 2012.