Nurse and former CDC officer says public health leadership must be grounded in science, not politics

MADISON, WI—Democratic candidate for Wisconsin governor Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez today called for the resignation of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as United States Secretary of Health and Human Services, citing his long record of promoting conspiracy theories and undermining science.

“As a nurse and former Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer at the CDC, I’ve worked in emergency rooms, on the frontlines of epidemics, and in leadership roles making life-or-death decisions. I know real public health leadership must be grounded in science, not conspiracy and ideology. 

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. lacks the judgment and commitment to meet that standard. The resulting chaos at the CDC is his responsibility, and every day he remains in charge, more families are put at risk. People will get sick and some will die unnecessarily because of his failures.

He must resign – or be fired – before more trust is destroyed and more lives are lost. Families in Wisconsin deserve better than to be caught in the crossfire of conspiracy and chaos coming out of Washington.”

A registered nurse with master’s degrees in public health and nursing from Johns Hopkins University, Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez previously served as an Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer at the CDC and as an executive in both public and private healthcare systems. She founded her own small business, was a vice president at a Fortune 100 company, and led population health strategy at one of the largest healthcare systems in the Midwest. Rodriguez was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly in 2020, flipping a suburban Milwaukee seat. She now serves as Wisconsin’s 46th Lieutenant Governor, elected in 2022 alongside Governor Tony Evers.

Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez was the first Democratic candidate to launch a campaign for governor to succeed Governor Tony Evers, releasing an announcement video that highlighted her roots in Wisconsin and experience as a statewide official, public health leader, nurse, and former small business owner. Learn more at www.saraforwi.com. Download the campaign’s candidate media kit here. 

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