1. Kelda Helen Roys was born on June 24,1979 and is an American tech entrepreneur, business owner, attorney, and Democratic politician from Madison, Wisconsin.
18 Facts About Kelda Roys
1. 2.
Kelda Roys is a member of the Wisconsin Senate, representing the 26th Senate district since 2021.
3.
Kelda Roys previously served two terms in the Wisconsin State Assembly, from 2009 to 2013.
4.
Kelda Roys was an unsuccessful candidate for the US House of Representatives in 2012, and for governor of Wisconsin in 2018.
5.
Kelda Roys's mother was a social worker, her stepfather was an environmental lawyer, and her father was a retired prosecutor and law enforcement officer.
6.
Kelda Roys has been on the boards of Clean Lakes Alliance, TEMPO Madison, Citizen Action of Wisconsin, Wisconsin Women's Council, ACLU of Wisconsin, Madison Repertory Theater, Dane County Democratic Party, Sherman Neighborhood Association, Wisconsin Public Interest Law Foundation, Citizen Action of Wisconsin, and the State Bar of Wisconsin's Legal Services Committee.
7.
In 2008, Kelda Roys won election to the Wisconsin State Assembly representing the 81st Assembly district, filling the seat left vacant by the retirement of David Travis, who had held the seat since 1983.
8.
In 2012, when Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin ran for the US Senate seat being vacated by Herb Kohl, Kelda Roys left her Assembly seat to run for office in the open 2nd Congressional district.
9.
Kelda Roys lost to Mark Pocan in a four-candidate Democratic primary.
10.
On December 11,2017, Kelda Roys formed an exploratory committee to run for governor of Wisconsin.
11.
Kelda Roys gained national attention when a campaign ad in which she breastfeeds her infant daughter went viral.
12.
The ad drew attention to legislation Kelda Roys had supported during her time in the state assembly to ban the use of Bisphenol A in baby bottles, which is used in various plastic products and can linings.
13.
Kelda Roys won first place by 12 points in the Democratic Party of Wisconsin State Convention straw poll.
14.
In July 2018, the Kelda Roys campaign announced that she had raised over $800,000.
15.
In 2013, Kelda Roys founded a venture-backed real estate tech company, OpenHomes, a virtual real estate agency that helps people buy and sell homes more efficiently and affordably.
16.
Kelda Roys immediately announced her candidacy to run for the vacated seat.
17.
Kelda Roys was unopposed in the November general election, and assumed office in January 2021.
18.
Kelda Roys has a husband and three daughters and two step daughters.