Dane County Executive Joe Parisi has endorsed state Sen. Melissa Agard’s bid to be his successor, an early win as the Madison Democrat looks to an election still 10 months away.
The key endorsement from the person Agard hopes to replace as the county’s top official comes as Agard, the former Democratic minority leader in the State Senate, continues to consolidate support from other elected officials. That list includes former County Executive Kathleen Falk, whom Parisi succeeded in 2011.
“Melissa has the background needed for this position,” Parisi said on Monday. “She gets what it takes to navigate challenging environments with a steady hand.”
Agard is opposed in the county executive race by Madison Ald. Regina Vidaver, 5th District.
Vidaver, for her part, has received endorsements from former Fitchburg City Council member Gabriella Gerhardt and former state Assembly candidate Jessica Katzenmeyer, Vidaver said on Monday.
The race would have an Aug. 13 primary if another candidate files. The top two vote-getters then face off in the general election on Nov. 5.
Parisi will retire in May. An interim county executive will be appointed by the Dane County Board chair at that time.
Today in history: Jan. 22
1939: Thornton Wilder
In 1938, Thornton Wilder’s play “Our Town” was performed publicly for the first time in Princeton, New Jersey.
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1944: Anzio, Italy
In 1944, during World War II, Allied forces began landing at Anzio, Italy.
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1973: Roe V. Wade
In 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court, in its Roe v. Wade decision, declared a nationwide constitutional right to abortion.
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1997: Madeleine Albright
In 1997, the Senate confirmed Madeleine Albright as the nation’s first female secretary of state.
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1998: Theodore Kaczynski
In 1998, Theodore Kaczynski pleaded guilty in Sacramento, California, to being the Unabomber responsible for three deaths and 29 injuries in return for a sentence of life in prison without parole.
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2006: Kobe Bryant
In 2006, Kobe Bryant scored 81 points, the second-highest in NBA history, in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 122-104 victory over the Toronto Raptors.
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2008: Heath Ledger
In 2008, actor Heath Ledger, 28, was found dead of an accidental prescription overdose in a New York City apartment.
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2009: Barack Obama
In 2009, President Barack Obama signed an executive order to close the Guantanamo Bay prison camp within a year. (The facility remained in operation as lawmakers blocked efforts to transfer terror suspects to the United States; President Donald Trump later issued an order to keep the jail open and allow the Pentagon to bring new prisoners there.)
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2012: Joe Paterno
In 2012, longtime Penn State coach Joe Paterno, who’d won more games than anyone in major college football but was fired amid a child sex abuse scandal that scarred his reputation, died at age 85.
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2020: Wuhan
In 2020, Chinese health authorities urged people in the city of Wuhan to avoid crowds and public gatherings after warning that a new viral illness that had infected hundreds of people and caused at least nine deaths could spread further. Health officials in Washington state said they were actively monitoring 16 people who’d come in close contact with a traveler to China, the first U.S. resident known to be infected with the virus.
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2021: Hank Aaron
In 2021, former Atlanta Braves slugger Hank Aaron, who endured racist threats with stoic dignity during his successful pursuit of Babe Ruth’s home run record, died at 86.
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2023: Lunar New Year shooting
In 2023, a 72-year-old gunman killed 10 people at a Southern California ballroom dance studio amid Lunar New Year celebrations then tried but failed to target a second dance hall before killing himself as police approached him.
Ashley Landis
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