Peng Her announces bid for Wisconsin Lt. governor — seeking to become first Hmong statewide official

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Peng Her, CEO of the Hmong Institute in Madison, announced Friday that he is running for lieutenant governor as a Democrat.

Her joins a crowded field seeking to replace Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, who is running for U.S. Senate rather than a second term. The winner of the Aug. 9 primary will be paired with Gov. Tony Evers.

Peng Her’s campaign website can be found here.

Her is seeking to become the first Hmong statewide official. The Hmong Institute, where he is CEO, works to provide education, training and outreach to improve health care for communities of color around Wisconsin.

Her and his family came to America when he was 5 years old, first settling in Iowa in 1976. He became a U.S. citizen in 1986. Her said he previously ran a restaurant for five years and worked at the University of Wisconsin Institute for Research on Poverty.

According to his site, “After graduation from Oskaloosa High School, Peng put himself through Central College, working at a Pella Windows factory. He graduated with a BS in Physics. He earned his Master’s Degree in Applied Physics from DePaul University. After working at the Argonne National Laboratory in Chicago, the first Hmong Physicist to do so, Peng moved to Madison with his wife Mai Zong Vue.

“One of his first milestones in Madison was as a small business owner, opening and running a successful restaurant for five years before selling the business. He has worked with the nationally renowned UW Madison Institute for Research on Poverty where he was part of the DreamUP Wisconsin initiative, a community-University collaboration to expand economic opportunity. Most recently, he has served as the founder and CEO of the Hmong Institute, a non-profit focused on providing education, training, and outreach to improve health care and educational achievement for communities of color around Wisconsin.

“Peng has also served as the Associate Director for the Center for Resilient Cities, as Vice President of Promise Zones and Partnerships at the Urban League of Greater Madison, and as the Executive Director of the East Isthmus Neighborhood Planning Council where he facilitated community-driven planning and action and helped inspire residents.”

Other Democratic candidates include state Rep. David Bowen, of Milwaukee, state Rep. Sara Rodriguez, of Brookfield, and state Sen. Len Taylor, of Milwaukee.

There is also a large field of Republican candidates, including state Sen. Patrick Testin of Stevens Point, Lancaster Mayor David Varnam and Ben Voelkel, former communications director for U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson