Ryan Clancy

Ryan Clancy is a Democratic representative serving Wisconsin's 19th Assembly District. The 48-year-old Bay View resident is Wisconsin's most prominent elected Socialist and represents a significant political presence in the state legislature.

Clancy is a lifelong activist and organizer with a long history of civil rights and social justice advocacy. His activism has taken him internationally to the Philippines as a Peace Corps volunteer, Indonesia for unarmed protective accompaniment training, and Iraq, where he protested the occupation in 2003. Domestically, he has protested at Standing Rock and been arrested or risked arrest advocating for immigrant rights in Milwaukee and Racine.

Since 2014, Clancy and his wife Becky have operated a bar, restaurant, community center, and entertainment complex in Milwaukee. Based on this experience, he founded the Progressive Restaurant and Activists of Wisconsin Network, which advocates for higher wages, abolition of the sub-minimum wage, paid time-off, and improved working conditions for service industry employees.

Clancy has five children: Desmond, James, Alex, Sebastian, and Fiona.

Education

Clancy holds a bachelor's degree in English and secondary education from Beloit College. He earned a master's degree in negotiation, conflict resolution, and peacebuilding from California State University, Dominguez Hills, which included coursework conducted on the ground in Israel and Palestine.

Political Experience

County Supervisor : Clancy was elected in 2020 to represent Milwaukee County's 4th District as a County Supervisor, becoming the first socialist elected to public office in Milwaukee since 1956. He was re-elected in spring 2022. During his tenure, he authored or sponsored over 100 pieces of legislation, including paid parental leave, carceral harm reduction, and the Right to Shelter and Right to Counsel—making Milwaukee County the first county to provide free legal representation for residents facing eviction.

State Assembly : Clancy was elected to the Wisconsin Assembly's 19th District in November 2022 and was sworn in on January 3, 2023. He serves on the Assembly Committee on Corrections, Assembly Committee on Government Accountability and Oversight, the Assembly Committee on Housing and Real Estate, and the Joint Legislative Audit Committee. He caucuses with Democrats in the legislature.

Notable Achievements: Clancy has won four general elections since 2020. In his 2024 Assembly re-election, he defeated a Democratic primary challenger backed by establishment Democrats, winning 55% to 45%, then won the general election without Republican opposition. He has been instrumental in establishing and growing the Assembly's Socialist Caucus, the first since 1931, which has doubled in size in recent years. He is also known for opposing Act 12, Republican-led legislation signed into law in 2023 that enabled Milwaukee to levy sales taxes, which he viewed as regressive.