It’s that time of the year again! Now is the time to recognize the people who helped make our state better. They are people who scored victories, who worked hard, who stood out, and who stepped up. They are Wisconsin Right Now’s “winners of the year.”
In no particular order:
Scarlett Johnson and the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty
Scarlett Johnson, the tireless Moms for Liberty activist from Ozaukee County, defeated a defamation case with the help of the conservative legal warriors at the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty (which remains an incredibly important force for change in this country and state.)
“The Wisconsin Court of Appeals ruled in favor of WILL’s client, Scarlett Johnson, a Wisconsin Moms for Liberty activist sued for defamation for criticizing her school district. The Court agreed with WILL’s argument that Scarlett’s posts were statements of opinion that are not provably false and therefore cannot be defamatory,” WILL wrote.
WILL Deputy Counsel, Luke Berg, stated, “Scarlett, like all of us, has the right to question and criticize her government. The defamation lawsuit against her was meritless and should have been promptly dismissed. We are pleased that the Court agreed and that Scarlett can put this distraction behind her.” Had this case gone the other way, it would have had a significant chilling effect on other parents and conservatives in Wisconsin. By fighting onto legal victory, Scarlett and WILL protected many others.
Johnson is affiliated with Moms for Liberty, which also deserves a shout-out. This group of concerned moms was stigmatized and terribly unfairly characterized by the media, which tried to falsely paint them as a hate group. Yet they persevered, and, this year, they’ve been expanding their impact and reach. “Amber Infusino, Misty Gilbert, Joann Koenecke , Scarlett Johnson and ALL Mom’s for Liberty chapters,” wrote one nominator.
Mark Belling, Podcaster
We hear that former WISN 1130 AM radio host Mark Belling’s podcast is doing extremely well. The numbers we heard are staggering. His voice is needed. Belling leaving live radio was a loss to radio listeners, of course, but it was a gain to anyone accessing his podcast. The podcast is likely expanding his reach. That makes him a winner.
We expect that we will be able to say the same about Jay Weber next year. For their many contributions to Milwaukee and the state, both Belling and Weber are winners.
The Dash Camera
A dash camera quickly exonerated a heroic Milwaukee police officer and firearm instructor who defended himself when another motorist attacked him on the side of the road. The officer’s quick instincts (did we mention he’s a firearms instructor…) also saved his life. Elijah Wilks’ family should also be commended for immediately telling the public that the shooting was justified and asking for the video – which exonerated the off-duty officer – to be released.
“Elijah pulls out a firearm with his right hand, and that, he’s essentially swinging it in the direction of the off-duty officer. One time. It’s almost like a punch is what actually transpired,” B’Ivory LaMarr, the attorney for the family, said.
“What this family has done is made the difficult decision, while they’re grieving, to put aside their privacy, put aside their grieving to allow again the opportunity for accountability to actually exist where the public can see what they saw. And just try to move past the situation and heal this city,” LaMarr said.
The Redheads: State. Reps. Amanda Nedweski & Barbara Dittrich and Judge Maria Lazar
Whether it was tackling waste in government or being way ahead of the curve on protecting girls’ spaces, state Reps. Amanda Nedweski and Barbara Dittrich were effective and hard-working voices for change.
Nedweski’s office even came up with the fact that Tony Evers was calling mothers inseminated persons. (That makes her staffer Eric Brooks a winner, too).
Amanda Nedweski “is blazing the trails as a newcomer. From bills protecting women’s health and mammogram screening reforms to holding Jill Underly accountable for the mishandling of education records… and let’s not forget I believe her and her staff were the ones that uncovered the inseminated persons fiasco,” a reader who nominated her said.
Throughout the years, Dittrich has championed quiet but deeply impactful causes like adoption and mental health. “She has been a staunch supporter of keeping men out of women’s sports. She entered public life when she had a thriving career in the public sector and has faced hatred from the left with strength and grace,” a reader who nominated Dittrich wrote.
Judge Maria Lazar is throwing her hat into the ring for state Supreme Court in a difficult climate. She’s been an extremely effective judge and voice of common sense on the bench. Yeah, we know she hasn’t won yet, but she’s a winner for taking this on.
These women are feisty warriors. State GOP: Get them front and center as much as possible!
The Wisconsin Young Republicans
These guys are workhorses. They knock on a LOT of doors. They doubled YR membership statewide, started nine new YR clubs, and hosted the single largest day of action in the spring elections.
They now have YR clubs in all eight congressional districts. In the spring election, 70-plus YRs from 17 different states knocked on over 11,000 doors in one single day. Two of their members were elected to National Leadership at the summer convention – Vice Chair Nik Rettinger and Midwest Regional Chair Kyle Schroeder. They also secured the bid to hold the 2027 YR National Convention in Milwaukee.
State Rep. Sylvia Ortiz-Velez
Rep. Ortiz-Velez is a rare public official in divided America. She has a true independent streak. A Democrat, she crosses over to vote sometimes with Republicans. She is a voice of common sense in a party that has plunged off the extremist cliff. For this, she has been rewarded with an unprecedented attack from her fellow Democratic legislators.
The office of Speaker Robin Vos says that a gun threat accusation lodged by state Rep. Greta Neubauer against Ortiz-Velez (D-Milwaukee) was found NOT credible by the Capitol Police as internal Democratic tensions boil over. For standing strong for her beliefs and community, she has to be a winner of the year.
The Professors: Trevor Tomesh, Shale Horowitz, Robert Feidler, Rossell Gonnering, Brian Volkman, and Benjamin Whitcomb
Think the phrase “conservative professors” is an oxymoron? Think again. It’s just that many of them stay silent out of fear. Not the group above, and it goes without saying that this comes with great courage. Tomesh, a UW-River Falls professor, went viral after calling on the Universities of Wisconsin to condemn the assassination of Charlie Kirk. He has continued to be a classy, thoughtful voice on campus supporting conservative students and urging ideological diversity and debate.
Professor Shale Horowitz, of UW-Milwaukee, has spoken courageously against the mistreatment of Jewish students on campus and the outrageous encampment that popped up on UWM’s campus.
The Wisconsin Association of Scholars released a statement condemning Kirk’s murder and calling on the state’s institutions of higher learning to do the same. The other signatories are Robert Feidler, Rossell Gonnering, Brian Volkman, and Benjamin Whitcomb (and this author). The instructors’ opinions are their own and don’t represent the institutions where they work.
It’s not easy to be a conservative at the UW. It’s even harder to be a vocal one.
Young Female Conservatives: Catie Smiley, Jocelyn Jordan, Jenna Piwowarczyk, and Elizabeth Wolnik
There are other young people we could list here, too, but this powerful quartet made a difference in the State of Wisconsin. Catie and Jocelyn worked to start Turning Point chapters at their high school and college. They faced major pushback and handled it with great decorum.
Jenna held a series of powerful events through the Young America’s Foundation chapter she started at Concordia. Elizabeth continues to do great work through Americans for Prosperity, as her recent viral video on property taxes proves.
Got sticker shock 😳 from your most recent property tax bill?
Let’s break down Gov. Evers’ 400-year tax hike and why Wisconsinites deserve more accountability for what we’re funding👇 pic.twitter.com/Ly1doGHtT9
— Elizabeth Wolnik (@ElizabethWolnik) December 18, 2025
Check out Wolnik’s video here. “Got sticker shock from your most recent property tax bill? Let’s break down Gov. Evers’ 400-year tax hike and why Wisconsinites deserve more accountability for what we’re funding,” she said.
These young people give us hope for the future. They are all engaged in making a positive difference in their communities.
NorthShore Classical Academy & Cheryle Rebholz
It’s not an easy thing to create a school from scratch. But that’s exactly what shooting range/salon owner Cheryle Rebholz and other supporters are doing in Saukville, Wisconsin, and it all stemmed from concerns about testing scores in the public school system. The idea for NorthShore Classical Academy was first sketched on a napkin.
Now, there’s a building, there’s a waiting list, the classrooms are under construction, and a fundraiser the other day drew so much support that $50,000 was raised in about a minute (and then some). Read more here.
The Kenosha County GOP
This remains one of the most effective county GOP parties in the State of Wisconsin. They helped flip the County Board (briefly, but they’re working on flipping it back), the County Executive’s Office (kudos also to Sam Kerkman), the Sheriff’s position AND the DA. Plus, Kenosha County went for Donald Trump in 2024. This wasn’t always the case.
It’s not just the riots. It’s the fact that these folks step up. They run for office. They show up. They’re organized. They’re Sandy Wiedmeyer, Amy Nordloh, Barb Griffin, Ken Wolfe, Patty Dickow, Zach Stock, Brian Gonzales, Pam Mundling, Matt Augustine, Douglas Haney, Sheri Jesiel, Kari O’Keefe, Karen Bichanich, and Erica Millar, among others.
As the WOW erodes, the Kenosha-Racine region becomes even more important.
The Journalists: Cap Times Reporter Danielle DuClos & Independent Journalist Nick Shirley
We never thought we’d be naming a reporter from the liberal Cap Times one of our winners of the year, but DuClos deserves the honor for her dogged investigative reporting on the DPI’s handling of sexual misconduct cases. Although we don’t think the reporting was perfect, it was gutsy, and we would like to see more of this kind of thing. She used traditional journalistic techniques. Great job.
“Danielle DuClos’ series about educator misconduct has had significant and positive rippling effects. The DPI actually has a public database of revoked and surrendered licenses now,” a reader who nominated DuClos wrote.
But it’s the year of the independent journalists as the so-called mainstream media declines in resources and credibility. Thus, it’s important to honor that with a nominee.
For taking a camera to Minnesota and knocking on the doors of Somali daycare centers, independent journalist Nick Shirley is helping redefine the nation’s debate and he’s showing what the new influencer class can accomplish when they get off the Internet and do original reporting. Gutsy stuff.
Kudos to both.
Erika Kirk
For her incredible composure, class, and grit in the wake of unimaginable pain, tragedy and horror, and for continuing her husband’s legacy, we must remember to honor Erika Kirk. It’s hard to name her a winner of the year when she has lost so much in 2025. However, to us, a winner of the year is a person who made a difference in a positive and laudable way, and she has done so under incredible pressure and while facing extremely aggressive and despicable attacks.
Wingman Gifts & Supply
This wonderful small business in Delafield champions men. It’s not really the products – the unique gifts for men – that connote the bygone, although some do (like the stainless steel silvertip shave brushes). It’s the ethos. You will be greeted promptly by Steve Nelson, the owner, or Duaine Jackson, a retired firefighter from California who stopped in as a customer and loved it so much he decided to work there. They will tell you about the carefully curated products and actually show you how to use them, and if you have a son, they will do the same for him. We need more people championing men these days and being positive role models for young men, and these two fit the bill. Read more here.
Judges David Maas & Zach Wittchow
Conservatives Maas and Wittchow won judicial elections in Waukesha County against two Evers appointees.
Nicholas Jacobs and Ekaterina Diestler
Congrats to Nicholas Jacobs Chairman of the Wisconsin College Republicans on randomly being selected to win $1,000,000 from Elon Musk. It just goes to show that it can happen to anyone. pic.twitter.com/YVLdzcRkz1
— Rep. Jack Kimble (@RepJackKimble) April 2, 2025
Remember these two? Elon Musk came to Wisconsin, and they walked away millionaires after he handed them each $1 million checks. Jacobs was chairman of the Wisconsin College Republicans. They were probably the only two people in Wisconsin who won as a result of the state Supreme Court election (the rest of us got Susan Crawford.)
Preserve MKE
This group of local citizens is fighting tirelessly to preserve the iconic and beloved Milwaukee Public Museum and its exhibits, like the Streets of Old Milwaukee, the European Village, and the historic murals and dioramas. They even created a non-profit to do so.
“We are a group of regular citizens and people who started a non-profit organization because we care about the museum built and paid for by the people of Milwaukee. As time goes by, we are learning Milwaukee Public Museum, Inc (hereafter MPM, Inc) and several politicians have not listened to the people about how much we love and want to preserve our museum and exhibits. We want it all saved,” they wrote. “Preserve MKE is comprised of thousands of everyday citizens, alumni of the Museum, as well as their families. We know getting the truth out about OUR Museum and fighting to preserve it is crucial for Milwaukee.”
Lightning & Thunder
The iconic Milwaukee singing duo and Neil Diamond “interpreters” are finally getting their due through the new movie, Song Sung Blue. Beloved by audiences, it is bringing them the national fame that cruel twists of fate snatched away, even though Mike Sardina is no longer around to see it (but Claire is.) They are Milwaukee legends, and it’s a great movie that focuses on family, connection, and determination in the face of hardship. Thank you for making Milwaukee proud.
Wisconsin Sports Teams
One of our readers wrote: “Brewers made it to the NLCS. I’d consider them winners. Green Bay did a great job hosting the NFL draft.”
Hannah Dugan Jurors
ice (wikimedia commons)
For following the law against a backdrop of intense political pressure, and finding Judge Hannah Dugan guilty of a felony, we honor the Dugan jurors. Unlike the judge, they understand the importance of the rule of law.
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