Today on A Public Affair, Madeline Topf from the Francesca Hong campaign gives an overview on how Hong voters are approaching the election next week. Topf was a political organizer and lead volunteer for the Hong campaign, and continues to organize several political movements on campus. Although the primary results were close between Hong and Crowley, Topf was surprised at the results of the election and credited Governor Evers endorsing Crowley along with increasing dialogue insisting that Hong’s ideas were too extreme for Wisconsin. Hong was the only candidate who fully supported moratoriums on data centers, and one of the biggest criticisms Crowley has received is his lack of support on moratoriums. Both Crowley and Tiffany supported building data centers until very recently, after a poll from Marquette University showed that 70% of Wisconsinites were against them. Topf also discussed the ongoing struggles of Madison housing, the impact of Act 10 on academic workers and graduate students, and the importance of organizing campaigns on campus.

Madeline is a data scientist for the public health laboratory of Wisconsin. She builds processes to quickly identify drug resistant tuberculosis in our state and beyond. Madeline served as a volunteer lead for the Hong campaign, organizing canvasses, phone banks, and other events. She also helped coordinate a Gubernatorial panel (with a viral moment) as part of a Madison labor consortium. Madeline is a member of AFT local #223, and an experienced organizer. In graduate school, she organized her academic program to win a historic wage increase. After becoming president of her union, she helped lead a successful campaign for paid parental leave and signed on to the lawsuit challenging Act 10. She continues to organize within the public sector and looks forward to the next political chapter in Wisconsin.

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