The gubernatorial hopeful talks faith, food, and family, and why Donald Trump’s comments on affordability miss the mark for Wisconsinites this holiday season.
For Wisconsin state Sen. Kelda Roys, the holiday season has already begun.
Roys, a candidate for the 2026 Democratic gubernatorial nomination, celebrates both Christmas and Hanukkah, which started on the eve of Dec. 14.
“My mom was raised Lutheran and I grew up celebrating Jewish holidays with my dad, who is a very active member of a Reformed Jewish congregation in Milwaukee,” she told UpNorthNews.
“Then, I married into a big Catholic family and I go to a Unitarian Universalist congregation.”
Roys said she and her family have their own “rich religious and cultural” traditions. “We light the menorah and we make latkes on Hanukkah.”
“At Passover and Rosh Hashanah, I’ve got the brisket and I’ll make challah with my daughter and then get criticized for it when it doesn’t turn out as well as she thinks it should,” Roys said, laughing.
When it comes to Christmas, Roys said her family goes to a community “carol sing” with “a wonderful organist.”
The senator and her husband, Dan, have five children—her stepdaughters in their 20s, who have been an important part of Roys’ life since they were 4 and 7, and the couple’s “little ones,” who are 12, 8, and 4.
Wisconsin values and a real Christmas tree
An important tradition for Roys is a real Christmas tree. “I’m from rural Taylor County, so I have to have a real tree. If I can’t smell it the minute I walk in the door, then we’re not in the holiday season,” she said.
The whole family takes part in decorating the tree. “My husband and I put all the lights on and then the kids put on the ornaments. Our 4-year-old is still a little wild and unpredictable, so we put the soft ornaments on the bottom of the tree,” she said.
“The really delicate ones go on top, and then all the kids take turns as to who gets to put the ornament on the top of the tree. So every year they say, ‘Whose turn is it? Who did it last year?’ Sometimes, there’s a little conflict,” she admitted, describing a scene that’s likely familiar to many Wisconsinites with families of their own.
Santa comes, Roys said, and presents are opened on Christmas morning.
“Santa fills the stockings, which is really, really great, although he is a little practical,” she said. “There’s hand lotion, lip balm, and socks in the stockings. Not fancy stuff at my house.”
The family goes to Catholic Mass on Christmas, and Roys said she always makes a huge batch of eggnog for her extended family and “regular” cinnamon rolls every year—as well as a vegan batch, since “a couple of my sisters are vegan.”
The Wisconsin state senator emphasized that “part of the beauty and richness of this country is that we can come from so many different traditions and yet still find ways to connect and find the values that we all share.”
Trump, on his golden toilet, says kids should get fewer toys
But the candidate for governor is clear about who doesn’t share Wisconsin values: the current president.
Roys had strong words for Donald Trump, who mocked the term “affordability” at his Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania, rally on Dec. 9.
During his remarks, Trump told American parents worried about rising costs that they should “give up certain products” if they couldn’t afford to buy gifts for their children this year.
“You don’t need 37 dolls for your daughter. Two or three is nice, but you don’t need 37 dolls,” he told Americans struggling to make ends meet, especially during the holiday season, echoing previous statements he’s made about pinching pennies.
Roys was appalled by how out of touch Trump—a billionaire whose family business has reportedly made at least $802 million in the first half of 2025 from cryptocurrency holdings and gold tokens—appears to be.
“That man is so out of touch with what families are facing,” she told UpNorthNews. “I mean, someone who has a golden toilet telling families in Wisconsin that they should just get their kids fewer toys for Christmas is so offensive.”
“This guy has no idea and he doesn’t care. He has so much contempt for everyday working Wisconsinites. That’s why we need somebody who’s gonna stand up and fight for us as governor.”
