State Sen. Kelda Roys is spending half a million dollars to convince Democratic primary voters that more government is the answer, launching her first TV ad in the race for governor.
The 30-second spot, titled “Roads,” opens with a substitute for substance as Roy rides a bicycle with two young children seated behind her. She narrates her record and agenda in straightforward terms. “I’m Kelda Roys, and for 25 years, I’ve worked to make Wisconsin better for my kids and yours,” she says. “As a state senator, attorney, and small business owner, I’ve delivered for Wisconsin, protecting abortion rights, winning health care for 80,000 people, and standing up for workers.”
Roys then unveils her gubernatorial wish list: fighting the Trump ‘regime,’ promising to lower costs by expanding government, pushing a public health care option, and pledging to shovel more taxpayer money into schools. Naturally, the teachers’ union stamp of approval flashes on screen, because nothing says reform like the endorsement of the state teachers’ union.
The buy, described by her campaign as a “half-million-dollar statewide ad buy,” focuses on streaming services and traditional television with an emphasis on the Milwaukee suburbs. Her campaign believes the investment will efficiently draw votes from Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez and former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes ahead of the Aug. 11 primary.
The ad’s central effort rests on Roys’ legislative record. Her claim of “winning health care for 80,000 people” refers to work as vice chair of an Assembly health committee where she supported regulatory changes and coverage expansions. The forward-looking pledge to “open the state health care plan so anyone can buy in” points to her proposed “KeldaCare” public option.
Kelda references a favorite line of the progressive left: protecting “democracy from Donald Trump’s regime” repeat familiar Democratic talking points that frame the sitting president’s administration as an existential threat rather than the result of a decisive 2024 election victory. The call to “fully fund our schools,” paired with the prominent WEAC endorsement, aligns Roys with public-sector unions that have long pushed for increased spending without corresponding gains in student performance or accountability measures.
Roys, a Madison-area progressive who has represented Senate District 26 since 2021, is banking on family-friendly imagery while pushing for an agenda centered on expanded government roles in health care and education. In a crowded Democratic primary, the spot positions her as an experienced legislator ready to rubber-stamp progressive priorities.
