Hintz, Hesselbein, and Spreitzer back newcomer Shelton over incumbent Gruszynski.

MADISON - Today, Assembly Democratic leaders Gordon Hintz, Dianne Hesselbein, and Mark Spreitzer announced their endorsement of Kristina Shelton for the 90th Assembly District. Shelton currently serves as Vice President of the Green Bay Area School Board. She is running in the Democratic Primary on August 11. Hintz serves as Leader, Hesselbein as Assistant Leader, and Spreitzer as Caucus Chair for the Assembly Democrats.

“Kristina Shelton will be a strong advocate for public schools in the State Assembly,” the leaders said. “Kristina’s experience on the school board and passion for kids will be a great asset. We also know that Kristina is committed to making healthcare affordable and accessible, protecting our environment, and developing an economy with living wage jobs for everyone who wants to work. We need Kristina’s leadership on these issues in the State Assembly.”

Shelton is challenging Rep. Staush Gruszynski in the Democratic Primary. In December 2019, it was substantiated that Gruszynski had sexually harassed an Assembly employee, leading Democratic leadership to call for his resignation, strip him of his committee assignments, and remove him from the Democratic Caucus. In a WisconsinEye interview, Gruszynski recently suggested that if he is re-elected, he will be welcomed back to the Democratic caucus and given committee assignments. Leaders Hintz, Hesselbein, and Spreitzer pushed back on that idea.

“As leaders of the Assembly Democratic Caucus we take sexual harassment seriously,” they said. “When it was substantiated that Representative Gruszynski sexually harassed an employee, we called on him to resign. We stand by that call. Since then, Rep. Gruszynski has not been welcome to attend Democratic caucus and has not had any committee assignments in the legislature. As leaders, we see no place for Representative Staush Gruszynski in the Assembly Democratic Caucus now or in the future.”

“We endorse Kristina Shelton because of her qualifications and record of community leadership in the 90th Assembly District,” the leaders added. “We look forward to welcoming Kristina into the Democratic Caucus and working with her to advance Green Bay’s priorities in Madison.”

Kristina Shelton lives in Green Bay with her husband and two children. She has an extensive career in teaching, public health, and nonprofit management. Her candidacy has been endorsed by many progressive organizations including Citizen Action of Wisconsin, AFT-WI, SEIU, and Wisconsin Conservation Voters.