People-powered campaign to find a people’s champion hosts event with top candidates ahead of final round of vote

CONTACT: Maria Langholz, (715) 209-6463

MADISON — This morning Wisconsin’s Choice — a joint campaign of Our Wisconsin Revolution and Wisconsin Working Families Party — announced their “Final Four” candidate forum for July 15th in Madison at the Goodman Center. The four candidates remaining in the running for the title of People’s Champion — Mike McCabe, Mahlon Mitchell, Kelda Roys, and Kathleen Vinehout — have confirmed their attendance at the forum. The event will be moderated by John Nichols, nationally-known correspondent for The Nation and associate editor for The Capital Times.

Candidates will be asked questions townhall-style, with questions coming from audience members. In addition there will be one “Peoples’ Choice” question which will be voted on by Wisconsin’s Choice participants, and candidates will also have the opportunity to ask a question of one of their opponents.

“We are incredibly excited to bring together the four candidates left standing in the Wisconsin’s Choice process for a final forum. It is our hope that this event will provide a deeper-dive look at the candidates and ask them the questions that we’ve all wanted answers to. Wisconsin’s Choice is built on the notion that the people should set the agenda for our state, and elected officials should respond to what we want and need. This forum maintains this commitment by inviting people directly impacted by the Walker agenda to be the ones asking questions of the candidates, “ said Marina Dimitrijevic, executive director at Wisconsin Working Families Party.

The Final Four candidates were reached through a series of two online votes, in which voters narrowed down the field from the original 11 participating candidates. Thousands of Wisconsinites participated in each round of voting, and have engaged directly with the candidates through participatory events like Healthcare Jeopardy and a “speed dating” style forum.

“The race for Wisconsin’s Democratic gubernatorial nomination is heating up with the Primary coming in less than two months. While political insiders know who the candidates are, the most recent Marquette University Law Poll showed that voters remain overwhelmingly uninformed about the candidates in the race. Our forum on July 15th will be an opportunity for attendees to engage directly with the four candidates remaining in the process, and get excited to help elect a People’s Champion as governor,” said Sarah Lloyd, Our Wisconsin Revolution co-chair.

Wisconsin’s Choice leaders will be hosting watch parties during the forum and the full event will be live-streamed. Upon the completion of the forum, the third and final round of voting will open and all participants will be encouraged to vote for their “People’s Champion.” The final round of voting is open from July 15-19, and the results will be announced on Monday, July 23. In order to be crowned People’s Champion, a candidate must receive an outright majority of the votes.

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