Melissa Kristen Agard (born March 28, 1969) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

small business Small businesses are types of corporations, partnerships, or sole proprietorships which have fewer employees and/or less annual revenue than a regular-sized business or corporation. Businesses are defined as "small" in terms of being able to ap ...

owner and Democratic politician from

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the county seat of Dane County and the capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census the population was 269,840, making it the second-largest city in Wisconsin by population, after Milwaukee, and the 80th-lar ...

. She is a member of the Wisconsin Senate, representing the 16th Senate district since 2021. She also served as minority leader in the Senate for most of 2023. She previously served four terms in the

Wisconsin State Assembly The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Representatives are elected for two-year terms, ...

, when she was primarily known as Melissa Sargent.

Early life and career

Agard was born in

, and graduated from

Madison East High School Madison East High School is one of four comprehensive four-year high schools in Madison, Wisconsin. It was established in 1922, making it the oldest public high school still operating in Madison. The school mascot is "Peppy Purgolder", an animal ...

. She earned her

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

in Psychology from University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1991. She went to work as a business manager for Hyperion Studio in Madison, then co-founded Opacolor LLC with her father, Steven. Opacolor is a digital photography and print studio which Agard continues to own and operate. They specialize in original giclée prints. In 2010, Agard's neighbors on the north side of Madison urged her to seek a newly-vacant seat on the Dane County Board of Supervisors. Agard later described her situation: "At that point, I owned my own business, I had three kids, and I just found out I was pregnant with my fourth. And I was 40 years old and feeling like one more thing on my plate would cause me to topple over." She then explained that her children came home from school that day complaining about having to do a community service project. She told them to tough it out, then decided she should do the same. Agard won election to the county board and was part of the liberal majority on that body for four years, chairing the Health and Human Needs Committee.

2011 Wisconsin protests

For fifty consecutive days during the

2011 Wisconsin protests Eleven or 11 may refer to: *11 (number), the natural number following 10 and preceding 12 * one of the years 11 BC, AD 11, 1911, 2011, or any year ending in 11 Literature * ''Eleven'' (novel), a 2006 novel by British author David Llewellyn *''El ...

against Governor Scott Walker's controversial "Budget Repair" legislation (

2011 Wisconsin Act 10 The 2011 Wisconsin Act 10, also known as the Wisconsin Budget Repair Bill, is legislation proposed by Republican Governor Scott Walker and passed by the Wisconsin Legislature to address a projected $3.6 billion budget deficit. The legislation prima ...

) which abolished

collective bargaining Collective bargaining is a process of negotiation between employers and a group of employees aimed at agreements to regulate working salaries, working conditions, benefits, and other aspects of workers' compensation and rights for workers. The i ...

for most Wisconsin public employees, Agard says that she, often accompanied by one or more of her four children, joined in the mass demonstrations, whether in the

Wisconsin State Capitol The Wisconsin State Capitol, located in Madison, Wisconsin, houses both chambers of the Wisconsin legislature along with the Wisconsin Supreme Court and the Office of the Governor. Completed in 1917, the building is the fifth to serve as the Wi ...

or (after officials locked the Capitol), outside in the Wisconsin cold. On March 27, 2011, when the State Capitol Police ordered her three older boys to take down their protest sign proclaiming " Solidarity Forever" which was being displayed outside the "Designated Demonstration Area" they refused, and Agard was issued a ticket (later dismissed).

Political career

Following the drastic Republican

redistricting Redistribution (re-districting in the United States and in the Philippines) is the process by which electoral districts are added, removed, or otherwise changed. Redistribution is a form of boundary delimitation that changes electoral dist ...

in 2011, which scrambled the Madison-area assembly districts, Agard was able to run for

in the newly drawn 48th assembly district without an opponent from either major political party. She defeated independent

Libertarian Libertarianism (from french: libertaire, "libertarian"; from la, libertas, "freedom") is a political philosophy that upholds liberty as a core value. Libertarians seek to maximize autonomy and political freedom, and minimize the state's e ...

candidate Terry Gray with 83% of the general election vote. She was reelected without any opposition in 2014, 2016, and 2018. In 2020, longtime state senator

Mark F. Miller Mark F. Miller (born February 1, 1943) is a retired American politician. A Democrat, he served 16 years in the Wisconsin Senate (2005–2021) and was majority leader in 2012. He also served 6 years in the Wisconsin State Assembly. Early li ...

announced he would not seek reelection to a fifth term. The Madison-based senate seat attracted many interested potential candidates, but ultimately Agard had only one opponent in the Democratic

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—Monona Grove School Board president Andrew McKinney. During the primary, she renewed her commitment to pursue full decriminalization of marijuana in the state, as well as increasing the

minimum wage A minimum wage is the lowest remuneration that employers can legally pay their employees—the price floor below which employees may not sell their labor. Most countries had introduced minimum wage legislation by the end of the 20th century. Bec ...

, protecting

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, and providing more affordable housing. Agard prevailed in the primary, taking more than 76% of the vote. She went on to win a similarly substantial 73% majority over Republican Scott Barker in the

2020 general election The following elections were scheduled to occur in 2020. The International Foundation for Electoral Systems maintains a comprehensive list of upcoming elections on its E-Guide Platform. The National Democratic Institute also maintains a calend ...

. On November 16, 2022, she was voted the Minority Leader of the Wisconsin Senate, succeeding Senator Janet Bewley who chose not to run for reelection. In November 2023, Agard announced that she would run for Dane County executive in a special election to be held in

2024 Predicted and scheduled events * January 1 ** In the United States, books, films, and other works published in 1928 will enter the public domain, assuming there are no changes made to copyright law. ***''Steamboat Willie'', Walt Disney's fi ...

, following the early resignation of

Joe Parisi Joseph T. Parisi is an American politician, from Madison, Wisconsin. Parisi currently serves as Dane County Executive, having taken office on April 18, 2011, and being re-elected in 2013 after running unopposed. A Democrat, Parisi served as a mem ...

Personal life

Agard married Justin S. Sargent in 1997. Justin Sargent was then a legislative aide to Democratic state senator

Charles Chvala Charles Joseph "Chuck" Chvala (born December 5, 1954) is an American real estate dealer, lawyer, and former politician. He served 20 years in the Wisconsin State Senate, representing Dane County, and was the Democratic leader from 1995 through ...

and now works as chief of staff to state senator Chris Larson. They had four sons before divorcing in 2019.

Electoral history

Wisconsin Assembly (2012–2018)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 6, 2012

Wisconsin Senate (2020)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", Democratic Primary, August 11, 2020 , colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 3, 2020

References

LinkedIn LinkedIn () is an American business and employment-oriented online service that operates via websites and mobile apps. Launched on May 5, 2003, the platform is primarily used for professional networking and career development, and allows job se ...

, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Agard, Melissa 1969 births 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians Businesspeople from Wisconsin County supervisors in Wisconsin Democratic Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly Democratic Party Wisconsin state senators Living people Madison East High School alumni University of Wisconsin–Madison College of Letters and Science alumni Women state legislators in Wisconsin