CONTACT: press@wisenatedems.org
RIDGEWAY, WI – This morning, outside of the closed Ridgeway Elementary School, State Representative Jenna Jacobson officially announced her candidacy for the 17th District’s State Senate seat. Establishing a clear contrast between her long record of standing up for the family farmer, fighting for public education, and working tirelessly for Wisconsin families, and Senator Howard Marklein, a creature of Madison politics who has become shamelessly engrossed in the Republican Party’s culture of power and money..
The fairer maps Governor Evers signed into law in 2024 mean that the 17th Senate District has become one of the most competitive in all of Wisconsin. The 2026 election serves as Democrats’ best opportunity to win a majority in the State Senate in over a decade, and electing Jenna Jacobson could very well be the victory that delivers the majority.
Rep. Jacobson was joined by Senate Democratic Leader Dianne Hesselbein, Senators Kelda Roys, Mark Spreitzer, Dora Drake, and Brad Pfaff as she launched her campaign, demonstrating the strong support behind her as we look towards next year’s election cycle.
Rep. Jacobson has the full support of Senate Democratic Leader Dianne Hesselbein and the rest of Senate leadership. In her remarks introducing Rep. Jenna Jacobson, Senator Hesselbein said:
“In her time in the State Assembly, Jenna has been leading the charge on some of the biggest challenges facing Wisconsin residents. While Howard Marklein has sat back and watched schools close, has tried to limit Wisconsinites’ access to healthcare, and attacked our reproductive freedom, Jenna Jacobson has never stopped fighting for you.
She worked to preserve and protect family farms across the state, she has fought to fully fund our public schools, she has always stood up for Wisconsin women, co-sponsoring a bill to extend postpartum healthcare, sponsoring a bill to increase access to contraceptives, and always supporting a woman’s right to choose.
In the Senate, she will dedicate herself to lowering costs for your families, to creating a bright future for your children, and making our state stronger every day. We are excited and proud to be standing behind her in this campaign and we look forward to her joining us and helping us win a democratic majority.”
Rep. Jacobson’s full prepared remarks announcing her candidacy for the State Senate in the 17th district are below:
Thank you Senator Hesselbein, thank you Jess, and thank you
all for joining us today.
I am State Representative Jenna Jacobson, and I am announcing my candidacy for State Senate to represent District 17. I want to talk about why we are here in Ridgeway today. We are standing in front of what was once Ridgeway Elementary School. A place that, for years, was at the heart of this community. A place that was once filled with the kind of hope and energy that is only found in a classroom. A place filled with children learning about our state and our world. A place filled with teachers and staff dedicated to the success of our kiddos.
Now we are standing in front of a building that sits empty. A building that stands as a reminder of the state of public education in Wisconsin. A reminder that what we are doing for education in Wisconsin is not working.
There are far too many people in Madison who are willing to
sacrifice schools like this.
Communities like this.
Howard Marklein is one of these people. Howard Marklein is the classic politician. He was elected to serve but all too quickly became addicted to the power and the money of politics. Howard Marklein forgot to vote on behalf of his district. Instead of having a representative to fight for them, the people of Ridgeway and the residents of towns across this district have had to take it upon themselves to fight.
This 17th Senate District, our district, has time and again been forced into referenda to fund our schools because Howard Marklein has chosen power over people. He has chosen ideology over voting for the needs of the district. That is irresponsible governing. There have been more school referenda in this district than any other district in the state. It is not only unfair to our district, but it is completely unacceptable.
I am running for the State Senate because it is time that the people of the 17th district have a Senator who will fight for them. It is time that the people of the 17th have a senator who will invest in our schools and the future of our children, who will fight to get healthcare for the residents of our district, who will cap the cost of prescription drugs, and who will stop the constant increases in property taxes. Howard Marklein has failed this district. He has sat on his hands and watched schools like Ridgeway and Arena Elementary schools close their doors, and he has made our state more expensive for Wisconsinites everywhere. Enough is enough.
I have been attending events across the district, talking with folks. I heard about how they value their public schools;
their clean air, water, and soil;
and how they value affordable childcare and healthcare.
I also heard stories of how people have contacted their current state senator with pleas for more school funding, childcare funding, and healthcare coverage. They have consistently and deliberately been ignored or dismissed. People in our state and our district are hungry for someone who will not only listen, but follow through with action.
Our state and our district deserve better.
During this campaign I will be working every day to show up, to listen, and to act in the best interests of my constituents. I will work to earn your vote, to build a campaign to win, and to show each and every resident of this district that I share your values, and I will fight for you and your families. We can and we must do better for our district.
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About Jenna Jacobson
Jenna Jacobson is a former elected member of her local village board and a second-term member of the Wisconsin Assembly. She’s earned a reputation as a common-sense leader, known for her efforts to help family farms make it in tough times and tackle affordability challenges faced by Wisconsin families. She worked her way through college with a job at the local credit union before earning a degree in financial planning and has gone on to help families afford their homes, save for school, and plan for retirement. She lives in the Village of Oregon with her husband Kyle and their three children.
