AFT-Wisconsin is proud to announce its endorsement of Mahlon Mitchell for Lieutenant Governor. Mitchell is running in the Lieutenant Governor recall election against current Republican Lieutenant Governor Rebecca Kleefisch. There will be a primary election on May 8th and a general election on June 5th. Mitchell received the endorsement after completing a candidate questionnaire and participating in a candidate interview conducted by AFT-W’s Committee on Political Education (COPE) with members from across the state. The members of COPE voted unanimously to endorse Mitchell.

Mahlon Mitchell is the president of the Professional Fire Fighters of Wisconsin. He is a Lieutenant in the Madison Fire Department and has served as a fire fighter for 15 years. Although fire fighters did not lose their collective bargaining rights under Scott Walker’s Act 10, Mitchell has been an outspoken critic of Walker’s policies and has appeared at many rallies and protests, often with bagpipers in tow, to speak out against the unfair and unjust tactics of the Walker administration.

“When Scott Walker exempted police and fire fighters from his attack on collective bargaining, Mahlon could have easily sat on the sidelines. But he chose not to. He chose to stand in solidarity with the people of Wisconsin,” said AFT-Wisconsin President Bryan Kennedy. “Mahlon has served the public for 15 years as a fire fighter, so he knows first-hand how hard public employees, like the members of AFT-W, work to provide vital services to our state. It’s that kind of experience, as well as his commitment to fairness and justice for all people, that makes him an ideal candidate for Lieutenant Governor. AFT-W is proud to support him.”