
2026 Candidate Statement: Sarah Godlewski
Clip: Special | 4m 39sVideo has Closed Captions
Candidate Statements do not reflect the opinions or policies of PBS Wisconsin, ECB or UW.
PBS Wisconsin offers Sarah Godlewski, a 2026 Democratic candidate for Wisconsin lieutenant governor, up to five minutes of unedited remarks on the topic(s) of their choosing. Candidate Statements do not reflect the opinions or policies of PBS Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Educational Communications Board or the Board of Regents of the UW System.
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PBS Wisconsin Public Affairs is a local public television program presented by PBS Wisconsin

2026 Candidate Statement: Sarah Godlewski
Clip: Special | 4m 39sVideo has Closed Captions
PBS Wisconsin offers Sarah Godlewski, a 2026 Democratic candidate for Wisconsin lieutenant governor, up to five minutes of unedited remarks on the topic(s) of their choosing. Candidate Statements do not reflect the opinions or policies of PBS Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Educational Communications Board or the Board of Regents of the UW System.
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
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- Sarah Godlewski: Hello, Wisconsin.
My name is Sarah Godlewski, and I'm your secretary of state.
I'm a fifth-generation Wisconsinite, daughter of two public school teachers, wife, and a mom to a six-year-old, and I'm running to be your next lieutenant governor alongside of David Crowley.
I grew up in Eau Claire in a union family that believed in a simple promise-- not a guarantee, but a promise that if you worked hard, if you played by the rules, if you took responsibility, you could build a good life here in Wisconsin.
You could buy a home, you could raise a family, and you could retire with dignity.
My grandparents worked on the assembly line, my parents were public school teachers, and the union made a middle class life possible for my family.
I attended public schools, which together gave me the foundation I have today.
That's the Wisconsin that I grew up in, and that's the Wisconsin that I'm fighting for.
Because right now, that promise is slipping away.
Wherever I go across our state, from the Chippewa Valley to Milwaukee, from Door County to the Driftless, I hear the same thing from families.
Grocery, housing, child care, gas-- all of it is costing more.
And families now are working harder than ever before, and they're getting less in return.
And that is not our Wisconsin.
And it didn't happen by accident.
This is a man-made affordability crisis.
Wisconsin Republicans handed out $2 billion in tax breaks to some of the wealthiest corporations in the world, while saying no to expanding Medicaid that would cover more than 90,000 Wisconsinites, and while also refusing affordable child care while turning their backs on working families who were counting on them.
And in Washington, Congressman Tom Tiffany has voted 100% of the time with Donald Trump-- 100%.
He has supported this extreme spending bill that cut $1 trillion from healthcare while delivering massive tax breaks to billionaires.
He's helped drive up gas prices and grocery costs by voting to support the senseless war with Iran and reckless tariffs with Canada that Wisconsin farmers and families are paying for every single day.
Wisconsinites can't afford this.
And that's why I got into public service, because I believe we can do better.
When I ran for state treasurer in 2018, I was a political nobody from Eau Claire.
Yet I crisscrossed this state, I showed up in every community, and I talked to everyone, and I flipped nine counties, outperforming the top of the ticket, because regardless of party, elected officials should be showing up, listening, and working for you.
And then when Republicans tried to sideline me in my office, turning off my Wi-Fi and handing me a pay-as-you-go flip phone, I still delivered.
I invested in Wisconsin and delivered record-breaking distributions to Wisconsin's public schools year after year.
I created a foreclosure prevention fund to keep families in their homes, and I overturned a Republican gag order on climate change and invested in renewable energy.
And I didn't fight for these things because they were easy.
I fought for them because Wisconsinites are worth fighting for, and that's what I'll do as your next lieutenant governor.
And let me tell you what David Crowley and I will fight for together.
We're gonna fight to make sure corporations pay their fair share.
We're gonna fight to make housing affordable.
We're gonna fight to fully fund our public schools.
We're gonna fight to make sure healthcare is accessible and affordable for every Wisconsinite.
And we're gonna fight to bring down the cost of childcare, and we're going to make sure we protect our environment.
And we're ready to get to work.
David has spent six years balancing budgets, lowering property taxes, and bringing people together in Milwaukee County to solve real problems.
And I've spent my career proving that statewide elected officials can deliver for Wisconsin by refusing to back down.
This election is a choice about what kind of Wisconsin we want to be.
Do we want a Wisconsin where hard work is rewarded?
Do we want a Wisconsin where every family can afford to live, work, and raise a family?
And do we want leaders who show up everywhere and fight for everyone?
I know which Wisconsin I believe in, and that's the Wisconsin David and I are going to fight for.
If that's the Wisconsin you believe in too, I humbly ask for your vote on November 3.
Thank you, Wisconsin, and let's get to work.
[percussive music]
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