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Melisa Arndt
Melisa Arndt (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Wisconsin State Assembly to represent District 42. She lost in the general election on November 3, 2020.
Arndt completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Melisa Arndt was born in Madison, Wisconsin. She served in the U.S. Army and earned a Licensed Practical Nursing certificate from Moraine Park Technical College.[1]
Elections
2020
See also: Wisconsin State Assembly elections, 2020
General election
General election for Wisconsin State Assembly District 42
Incumbent Jon Plumer defeated Melisa Arndt in the general election for Wisconsin State Assembly District 42 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Jon Plumer (R) | 59.2 | 19,404 | |
 | Melisa Arndt (D)  | 40.8 | 13,381 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 17 | ||
| Total votes: 32,802 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Wisconsin State Assembly District 42
Melisa Arndt advanced from the Democratic primary for Wisconsin State Assembly District 42 on August 11, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Melisa Arndt | 99.7 | 3,638 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.3 | 10 | ||
| Total votes: 3,648 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Wisconsin State Assembly District 42
Incumbent Jon Plumer advanced from the Republican primary for Wisconsin State Assembly District 42 on August 11, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Jon Plumer | 99.5 | 3,929 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.5 | 18 | ||
| Total votes: 3,947 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Campaign finance
Campaign themes
2020
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Melisa Arndt completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Arndt's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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With my husband Joe, I raised two daughters in the Rio School District. We were active parents supporting school sports and music programming. I remain active in our church, Living Gospel Church. Though my personal faith is important to me individually, I respect and value each person's own perspective.
I am currently employed as the practice manager for a family medicine practice serving a variety of people in need. Previously, I acted as a Licensed Practical Nurse at UW Health Department of Family Medicine and Community Health. I was a non-traditional, returning nursing student after serving as an EMT with Rio EMS for ten years. Beforehand, I served in the U.S. Army Reserves (ret.) with sharpshooter training.
Friends, family members, and community leaders convinced me that running for Wisconsin Assembly was the way I could most effectively advocate for my neighbors. I would like to use my communication skills, my ingenuity and my ability to get things done to represent the 42nd Assembly District.- In the age of COVID-19, never before has it been so important to have medical professionals in the State legislature. While the Wisconsin GOP debated whether COVID-19 was a real threat to our state and thwarted the governor's every effort to keep us safe, I focused on patients' health and health care. I will advocate for the science over politics, especially as our communities contain and recover from this virus.
- As a nurse, I have the experience and medical background the State needs when making decisions about health care. Throughout my career, I have focused on better supporting populations who are underserved in our health care industry, such as LGBTQ+ communities and those experiencing addiction. I understand how different communities often require additional or more nuanced care in the health industry, and I am prepared to better serve those populations in the state legislature.
- I am a community advocate, not a lifelong politician. I pledge to prioritize the needs of my constituency over partisan or political interests.
The COVID-19 public health crisis had made apparent that, now more than ever, every family and individual must have access to affordable, comprehensive health insurance. I agree with the 70% of Wisconsinites who support Medicaid (BadgerCare) expansion, 1 because no one should fear getting sick because they cannot afford to see a doctor.
Threats to our environment and drinking water are a danger to our health. Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) discharge large amounts of pollutants into our groundwater and citizens' private wells, from which 40% of Wisconsinites get their drinking water. In our district, the percentage of private wells contaminated with bacteria can range as high as 21-25%. We must act now to conserve our natural resources and protect the health of our communities.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
See also
2020 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on August 14, 2020
