WMCA/WMCF Governor Candidate Forum elicits answers that matter to Wisconsin Muslims

Photos by Cherrie Hanson

Former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, Sen. Kelda Roys, Rep. Francesca Hong and Andrew Manske participated in the WMCA/WMCF Governor Candidate Forum last Wednesday at the Oak Creek Performing Arts Center.

 The Wisconsin Muslim Civic Alliance and the Wisconsin Muslim Civic Foundation hosted their first Governor Candidate Forum Wednesday, July 1, at the Oak Creek Performing Arts Center, 304 E. Puetz Rd., from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Four of the seven candidates for Wisconsin governor participated.

The two organizations “are the civic home for Wisconsin’s Muslim community,” said Fauzia Qureshi, who serves as executive director for both organizations. WMCA is “Wisconsin’s only Muslim-led civic advocacy group, an organization where we endorse candidates, advocate for our community and build political power for Wisconsin’s Muslim community,” she explained. WMCF “is our educational arm where we conduct research. We provide education and training to invest in our future leaders and our community together.”

The gubernatorial forum was billed as a “chance to hear directly from the candidates and ask the questions that matter to our community.” Moderators asked each candidate, “How would their administration be inclusive of Wisconsin’s 70,000 diverse Muslims? Combat Islamophobia? Respond to the genocide in Gaza and ‘Boycott, Sanction and Divest’ (BDS) legislation? They also asked questions about funding for education, cuts to SNAP and Medicaid for refugees and others, subsidies to data centers and more. 

Members of Greater Milwaukee’s Muslim community mingled with candidates at a reception before the forum.

Former Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, Rep. Francesca Hong, Mr. Andrew Manske and Sen. Kelda Roys attended the event and responded to all questions.

Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-Wis), the Trump-endorsed Republican candidate, never responded to the invitation. Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley and Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez had accepted the invitation but sent regrets the day of the event after they received the questions. An email from Crowley’s team said he “will be unable to attend … We are sorry for the late notice, and we would be happy to reschedule a time for the County Executive to speak with the organization.” 

Rodriguez’s team emailed to say, “Lt. Governor Rodriguez takes the issues on tonight’s agenda seriously and wants to engage them with the depth they deserve. The format finalized hours before the start of tonight’s forum doesn’t allow for that kind of discussion, and so she won’t be able to participate … she would welcome the chance to sit down with your organization and community members to listen and talk through these concerns directly.”

Candidate Manske took issue with their decisions, posting on Facebook, “Shame to Sara Rodriguez and David (Crowley) for skipping the forum. For once, we were given the questions ahead of time, and these two skip because of  ‘hard questions.’”

Gubernatorial candidate Sen. Kelda Roys (left) and members of her campaign team distributed literature and chatted with community members.

Asking the tough questions

Wisconsin’s Muslim community has good reasons to host this forum, Qureshi told the audience. 

“We are living in a moment where, from the highest offices in this land, our community is being named as a threat; where an anti-Sharia caucus exists in our own legislature, not to protect anyone, but to send a message that we do not belong, that our faith is something to be feared, that our presence is something to be policed. 

“We reject that message completely and unapologetically. We do not just reject (that message). We build, we organize, we show up because that is what this work has always required.” 

Becky Cooper (right), campaign manager for Rep. Francesca Hong’s gubernatorial race, met with the public in the lobby of the Oak Creek Arts Center.

The process of developing the questions extended well beyond the two organizations, Qureshi said. “They came from our allies and our community, the 70,000 Wisconsin Muslims across the state who pray here, raise their children here, vote here, pay taxes, and belong here. These are the questions of mothers and fathers who are sometimes afraid to send their children to school, from some of our small business owners, watching their neighbors disappear, from young people asking whether this state, whether this country, will ever truly see them.”

“Tonight, we ask the people who want to lead this state to stand in front of our community and answer on what they stand for.,” Qureshi said. “This is not a moment to shrink. This is a moment to grow in power, in clarity and in solidarity … In times like this, we do not step back. We lean in, we ask the hard questions.”

Asking the questions was a team of co-moderators that included two award-winning journalists and a respected Milwaukee attorney. University of Wisconsin-Madison global health and cell biology student Eiman Mir writes for the Daily Cardinal and serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Undergraduate Science and Technology. She was named a 2024 Wisconsin Journalist of the Year and received an award in 2024 from the South Asians Journalist Association.

Milwaukee attorney Munjed Ahmad is a partner and founding member of Emmett and Gerard, LLP. He specializes in immigration, criminal and business law.

Attorney Munjed Ahmad asked the candidates what they did when his client, Islamic Society President Salah Sarsour, a legal permanent resident, was held in a jail in Indiana by Immigration and Customs Enforcement for 80 days.

Gubernatorial candidates answer

The forum proceeded with three rounds of questions: introductions, longform questions and the lightning round. 

In their first round, each candidate had one minute to explain why they were running for governor. 

Mandela Barnes: “I’m running simply because things need to be better … Many folks in this audience, in this community, have felt directly attacked, have felt left behind, have felt forgotten. Running for governor means representing everybody, especially the communities that have been left behind.”

Kelda Roys: “I’m running for governor to raise wages, lower costs, fully fund our public schools, and to protect our rights and freedoms from this dangerous authoritarian regime … Our next governor’s most important job is to do everything in her power to protect us from the harms of the Trump regime, including holding them legally accountable.”

Francesca Hong: “I’m running for governor because this moment demands a movement, a leader who believes in transformative change and understands the power of building a coalition so that we can finally work to have a Wisconsin that belongs to everyone … We have to have somebody willing to stand up for all communities in our state. That’s why I’m running.”

Andrew Manske: “I want to represent every single person in the state. I don’t bow to special interests. I have values. I want to bring those values to the governor’s mansion. I give out my phone number and email. I’ll give it to anybody who wants to talk. I think it’s disgusting that people’s freedom of speech is suppressed. I will advocate for all communities.”

Three candidates held up the green side of their paddles to show they would veto anti-Sharia legislation, while one, Andrew Manske would hold up the red side, to show he would not. The moderators explained that Sharia law is similar to the Catholic canon, prescribing a way of life for followers of the religion.

Long-form questions

Candidates were given 90 seconds to answer each long-form question. Here are the highlights.

Q: The Muslim community is facing a significant rise in anti-Muslim rhetoric and hate crimes … As governor. What specific steps would you take to protect Wisconsin’s Muslim community? 

Mandela Barnes: “We should all be very deeply concerned, regardless of what your faith is, regardless of where you were born, regardless of any identifying factor, at the rise in anti-Islamic rhetoric. It has led to our communities being less safe …

“We need laws on the books. We need to build more cultural competency. So many young people are learning the absolute wrong things when it comes to people who are not like them.”

Kelda Roys: “My first week of law school was the week of Sept. 11. I knew that was going to lead to an incredible infringement on our civil rights and liberties, and a huge rise in Islamophobia. So, I stood up and founded an ACLU chapter. Again and again, when I hear hatred, bigoted speech, anti-Muslim rhetoric, anti-Semitic rhetoric, racist rhetoric, I speak out.”

Francesca Hong: “At the bare minimum, an executive is to show not just solidarity, but use the power of the executive and the platform to ensure that all communities across the state know when we must condemn Islamophobia and anti-Muslim hate. The executive has the responsibility to ensure the platform is being used to prioritize communities who are at risk and vulnerable to continuous, hateful attacks. We must also strengthen hate crimes reporting and education, ensuring the religion of Islam and the history of Muslims, specifically here in Wisconsin, is included in our curriculum.”

Andrew Manske: “There are Muslims who are working-class people just like me. We’re all Wisconsin citizens. I don’t think anybody should be treated differently.”

Q: The president of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee, which is Wisconsin’s largest mosque, was abducted by ICE and detained 80 days before a federal judge released him. He’s a lawful permanent resident of the United States, lived here more than 30 years, does not have any criminal record in the U.S., and was clearly targeted because of his Palestinian human rights advocacy … What actions did you take to help Mr. Sarsour while he was unjustly detained? How will you protect Wisconsin residents from unjust federal detention in the future?

Andrew Manske: “Freedom of speech should be protected no matter what … What happened there is immoral and wrong … All he did was speak.”

Francesca Hong: “What happened to Salah Sarsour should be a warning call for all Wisconsinites and folks across the country that the justice system works for some and not for others. I was one of the first candidates and elected officials to put out a statement condemning what happened to Mr. Sarsour. I did everything I could, including submitting a character reference for Mr. Sarsour. 

“To protect the civils rights of all people here in Wisconsin, I would introduce legislation, as well as executive orders, to ensure everyone’s civil rights are protected.”

Kelda Roys: I spoke out immediately and posted to raise awareness about yet another lawless kidnapping by ICE. I also helped to organize my legislative colleagues and reached out to community leaders … Trump’s ICE is incompatible with a free society. It must be abolished. We can have secure borders without dehumanizing people and undermining our right … As governor, I will work to hold every single ICE agent who breaks our state laws legally accountable.”

Mandela Barnes: “There are people … who use different issues to frame the Muslim community as anti-American. These folks say they love America … but nothing could be further from the truth. You can’t love a country if you don’t love the people in it. 

“When Mr. Sarsour was detained, it showed just how deep the disregard for certain people that don’t believe what they believe and don’t see things they way they see it is. 

“We put out a statement but now I’m not in office. I wish I was; there would be more I would have been able to do … I want to continue to have conversations with people who might not even be aware of what this situation meant so they can learn.”

In the “Lightning Round,” the candidates were given paddles to hold up, with a green side for yes and a red side for no. Here are the results:

Q: Across the country state lawmakers are introducing legislation to band Sharia law. “Sharia” means path in Arabic and is a set principles to guide Muslims as they practice their faith. It’s very similar to Catholic Canon Law. The legislation unfairly targets Muslim religious practice and violates the First Amendment. Would you veto any anti-Sharia legislation that comes across your desk as governor? 

Yes – Barnes, Hong and Roys

No – Manske 

Q: The IHRA definition of antisemitism is now Wisconsin Law. Unfortunately, that definition conflates criticism of the Israeli government and its policies with antisemitism and results in the chilling of political speech protected by the First Amendment, various human rights organizations such as Amnesty International Human Rights March, and the ACLU, as well as Jewish organizations such as Jewish Voice for Peace and Bt’salem oppose the adoption of the IRA definition. Would you repeal Act 1 43? 

A unanimous yes

Q: Our community overwhelmingly understands that the Israeli government’s actions in Gaza constitutes a genocide. This is a conclusion revealing a candidate’s moral courage and clarity, and whether you see Palestinians and Muslim as equally deserving of human life and dignity. Do you agree with the overwhelming consensus amongst genocide experts, including Israeli scholar, Ross Segal and Brown University Holocaust historian Omar Bartow, that the Israeli government’s actions of Gaza constitute a genocide? Wisconsin’s anti-BDS law creates government forced consequences for companies boycotting, divesting and sanctioning Israel. Would you repeal Wisconsin’s anti BDS law?

A unanimous yes, met with applause

Q: Sheriff Departments of Wisconsin have signed 2 87 G agreements and cooperate with federal immigration authorities two 80 C. 2 87 G programs have historically targeted individuals with little or no criminal history. Would you limit Wisconsin’s law enforcement’s cooperation with ICE.

Yes – Barnes, Hong and Roys

No – Manske

Local candidates join in

Before the forum, candidates for governor and members of their campaign teams mingled with the audience at a reception. 

In addition to the gubernatorial candidates, a few other local candidates or campaign staff members chatted with attendees. U.S. Army veteran and Democrat Ben Brist said he was there to let people who live in the Wisconsin State Assembly’s 61st District (Greenfield) know he is running to win incumbent Bob Donovan’s seat. 

A member of Wisconsin’s 1st Congressional District candidate Mitchell Berman’s campaign staff handed out flyers that said, “Mitchell is running for Congress because it’s time for a new generation of leaders who will fight back against the higher costs that Trump’s corruption is enabling in D.C.”