On Sunday in Glendale, the Democratic race for governor squeezed onto one high school stage, as seven candidates fielded fast-paced questions on health care, education and leadership at Nicolet High School. The tightly timed forum was the latest stop in a growing circuit of events where contenders are testing out messages in a crowded primary fight.
According to FOX6 Milwaukee, the format gave voters a chance to put their questions directly to the candidates on core pocketbook and quality of life issues, with each hopeful given only brief windows to respond. FOX6 video from the event shows the would-be governors trading crisp policy lines and repeatedly tying statewide decisions back to neighborhood-level impacts.
Who Took the Stage
Organizers said the seven participants were Mandela Barnes, Joel Brennan, David Crowley, Missy Hughes, Francesca Hong, Sara Rodriguez and Kelda Roys, with veteran broadcaster Kathleen Dunn moderating the evening. The lineup echoes the field that has surfaced at other recent forums as candidates work to boost name recognition from Milwaukee’s North Shore to Dane County and beyond.
According to Grassroots North Shore, the Glendale event was pitched as a chance for local voters to hear directly from top Democratic contenders in a relatively intimate setting, before the airwaves and mailboxes fill up later in the cycle.
Policy Splits and Local Concerns
On Sunday and at similar gatherings, the seven have increasingly trained their fire on home-state concerns, zeroing in on the rapid expansion of data centers and broader questions about climate accountability. Wisconsin Public Radio reported that the candidates voiced skepticism about data-center projects that move forward without clear state guardrails and called for stronger oversight of how those sites affect communities and the environment.
Mandela Barnes told WPR, "The fact is, these data centers feel as if they’re some sort of physical manifestation of everything we have ever been worried about." His comment captured the wary tone several candidates have taken as they try to balance economic development with fears of unchecked growth and rising energy demands.
A Wide-Open Primary
According to Marquette Law School, many Democratic voters surveyed last fall said they had not yet settled on a candidate for governor, leaving the August primary wide open. The same analysis notes that the Democratic primary is set for Aug. 11, 2026, with the general election on Nov. 3, 2026.
That large pool of undecided voters helps explain why contenders keep flocking to forums like the one in Glendale, trying to turn a few minutes of stage time into lasting impressions and, eventually, actual votes.
What’s Next
Issue-focused events are lining up across Wisconsin as campaigns ramp up. Faith in Place and partner groups are hosting a two-part online forum on the state’s environmental future, with one session already completed and a second scheduled for Tuesday. Organizers say the series is designed to give voters a closer look at how candidates would handle energy policy, water resources and community impacts tied to major development projects. For more details on the environmental forums, see WEAU.
With months still to go before ballots are cast, the seven Democrats who packed the stage at Nicolet High are expected to keep crisscrossing the state, shaking hands, refining talking points and chasing name recognition. For voters in Glendale, Milwaukee and nearby suburbs, the next stretch of forums will be an early stress test of which hopefuls can turn a solid night on stage into real traction at the polls.
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