Joel Rivlin
Running for a Legislative seat in Wisconsin’s current political environment requires a special kind of backbone.
Jimmy Anderson, who announced his run for the District 47 Assembly Seat April 18, quite literally has a spine of steel, a result of surgery following a devastating car crash.
“I want to spend the time I have left helping others,” says Anderson, 29. “I want the people in my district to have true progressive representation.”
Anderson is running for the seat held by Democrat Robb Kahl, the former Monona mayor who admitted to voting for Gov. Scott Walker in 2010. (He’s since criticized Walker’s actions as governor.)
Kahl has yet to announce whether he'll run for reelection. "Jimmy's been talking about running for a couple of months now, so this isn't a surprise," Kahl says. "Jimmy has a compelling life story, but he's never held elected office, and the people in my district know me, they know that I run to serve, and I will have their support if seeking the nomination is what I decide to do."
Born and raised in California, Anderson and his high school sweetheart moved to Madison for college. During a visit home in 2010, a drunk driver took his parents and his brother, leaving him quadriplegic when the force of the impact snapped his neck.
After finishing law school, Anderson launched in 2014 Drive Clear, a nonprofit that helps victims of drunk drivers with expenses and provides free breathylzers.
“It’s going to be a hard fight,” he says, “but I’m going to do it.”
Editor's note: This article was updated to include comments from Robb Kahl