Dina Nina Martinez-Rutherford

Dina Nina Martinez-Rutherford
Member of the Madison Common Council from the 15th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
April 18, 2023
Preceded byGrant Foster
Personal details
BornMay 1970 (age 56)
PartyDemocratic
WebsiteOfficial website
Campaign website

Dina Nina Martinez-Rutherford (born 1970) is an American politician and comedian. A member of the Democratic Party, she has served as an alder on the Common Council of Madison, Wisconsin, since 2023, representing the fifteenth district. She is the first openly transgender woman and second openly transgender person to be elected to public office in Wisconsin.

Early life and comedy career

Born in May 1970, Martinez-Rutherford grew up in Texas. In her early adulthood, she was a small group pastor for non-denominational evangelical churches. She moved to California in the early 2000s, where she began her career as a stand-up comic, and began her gender transition in 2007.

Martinez-Rutherford moved to Madison, Wisconsin in 2012. In 2015, she founded Lady Laughs Comedy, a production company that runs an annual comedy festival in Madison and offers classes in stand-up comedy.

Early political career

In 2023, after seeing multiple anti-LGBTQ hate crimes including the Pulse nightclub shooting and the Club Q shooting in Colorado, Martinez-Rutherford decided to run for office. She announced her candidacy for alder on the Common Council, in district 15 in the Willy Street, Marquette, and Eastmorland neighborhoods. On April 4, 2023, she was elected to the council by a narrow 54-vote margin, becoming the first openly transgender woman elected to public office in Wisconsin. Since 2023, the city has raised the transgender pride flag over City Hall on Transgender Day of Visibility each year, an initiative started by Martinez-Rutherford.

Martinez-Rutherford launched a re-election campaign in the 2025 spring election. Prior to Election Day, she withdrew from the race to recover from a surgery, but her name remained on the ballot due to state statute. Following her withdrawal, she endorsed her opponent, Ryan Koglin. Despite her withdrawal, she won 51% of the vote on April 1, 2025, then decided to accept her re-election, remaining in office.

State legislature

In 2025, state representative Francesca Hong—who then represented the east side of the city of Madison in the Wisconsin State Assembly—announced she would forego re-election to run instead for governor of Wisconsin in 2026. This created an open seat in one of the 76th Assembly district. Martinez-Rutherford announced her campaign for Assembly on September 18, 2025, the day after Hong's gubernatorial campaign launch. Four other candidates ultimately jumped into the Democratic primary contest for the overwhelmingly Democratic district, in what became one of the most hotly-contested legislative primaries in the state that year.

Martinez-Rutherford's opponents included former alder and former legislative staffer Juliana Bennett, current legislative staffer Isaia Ben-Ami, local organizer Tony Castañeda, and freelance journalist Zoe Sullivan. All five candidates shared similar policy platforms. Three of the candidates—Bennett, Ben-Ami, and Sullivan—identified as democratic socialists; the Madison chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America endorsed Bennett. At the August 11 primary, Martinez-Rutherford prevailed with 29% of the vote, finishing 502 votes ahead of Bennett. Martinez-Rutherford faces Republican Nina Chat in the 2026 general election; if she prevails, she will become Wisconsin's first transgender state legislator.

Positions

Martinez-Rutherford supports increased funding for the University of Wisconsin System, a moratorium on data centers, and legislation for affordable housing. She opposes school vouchers and has advocated for rolling back Wisconsin's school choice system.

Electoral history

Madison Common Council (2023, 2025)

Year Election Date Elected Defeated Total Plurality
2023 General Apr. 3 Dina Nina Martinez-Rutherford Nonpartisan 3,609 50.08% Brad Hinkfuss Non. 3,555 49.33% 7,207 54
2025 General Apr. 1 Dina Nina Martinez-Rutherford (inc) (withdrawn) Nonpartisan 3,833 51.16% Ryan Koglin Non. 3,614 48.24% 7,492 219

Wisconsin Assembly (2026)

Year Election Date Elected Defeated Total Plurality
2026 Primary Aug. 11 Dina Nina Martinez-Rutherford Democratic 6,170 29.42% Juliana Bennett Dem. 5,668 27.03% 20,970 501
Isaia Ben-Ami Dem. 4,573 21.81%
Tony Castañeda Dem. 3,213 15.32%
Zoe Sullivan Dem. 1,313 6.26%

References

  1. ↑ Wegehaupt, Nate (December 20, 2022). "District 15 Alder Grant Foster Not Seeking Reelection". WORT. Retrieved April 19, 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Ginsberg, Maddie (January 15, 2025). "What's so funny?". Madison Magazine. Retrieved April 19, 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 Moore, Andy (June 11, 2023). "'You Care About Us, and That Makes Me Proud'". The Progressive. Retrieved April 19, 2026.
  4. ↑ Wall, Nathan (April 29, 2022). "Local Government Feature: Vered Meltzer '04". The Lawrentian.
  5. ↑ Martinez-Rutherford, Dina Nina [@dinaninaxo]; (April 14, 2026). "So excited to celebrate my birthday with you all" – via Instagram.
  6. ↑ Mills, Emily (June 6, 2023). "Dina Nina Martinez-Rutherford: Life Transformed". Brava Magazine. Retrieved April 19, 2026.
  7. ↑ Geyer, Allison (November 8, 2018). "From stage to screen: Lady Laughs Comedy Festival to film special". Isthmus. Retrieved April 19, 2026.
  8. 1 2 McGroarty, Erin (October 21, 2025). "Madison alder could be first transgender member of Legislature". The Capital Times. Retrieved April 19, 2026.
  9. ↑ Trussoni, Isaac (January 24, 2023). ""I'm reading the room." Dina Nina Martinez-Rutherford says the time is right to run for Common Council". Madison 365. Retrieved April 19, 2026.
  10. ↑ Bandstra, Andrew (April 5, 2023). "Dina Nina Martinez-Rutherford wins Madison council race, becoming city's first trans elected official". Channel 3000+ News. Retrieved April 19, 2026.
  11. ↑ Beran, Liam (April 1, 2025). "Madison 'always will be home to trans people'". Isthmus. Retrieved April 19, 2026.
  12. ↑ Castellano, Katie (April 8, 2025). "Elected Madison alder accepts position after initially dropping out of race". WMTV. Retrieved April 19, 2026.
  13. ↑ Nururdin, Enjoyiana (February 24, 2025). "Owner of dog day care set for City Council after incumbent drops out". The Cap Times. Retrieved April 21, 2026.
  14. ↑ Nururdin, Enjoyiana (April 2, 2025). "She dropped out of a Madison City Council race. Voters elected her anyway". The Cap Times. Retrieved April 19, 2026.
  15. ↑ Calderon, Samantha (April 8, 2025). "Incumbent Madison District 15 alder accepts re-election despite suspending campaign". Fox 47 News. Retrieved April 19, 2026.
  16. ↑ "Dina Nina Martinez-Rutherford announces campaign for Wisconsin State Assembly District 76". Dina Nina Martinez-Rutherford for Assembly (Press release). September 18, 2025. Retrieved September 12, 2026 – via Wispolitics.com.
  17. 1 2 Beran, Liam (May 7, 2026). "Who's going to replace Francesca Hong in the state Assembly?". Isthmus. Retrieved September 12, 2026.
  18. 1 2 "Canvass Results for 2026 Partisan Primary - 8/11/2026" (PDF). Wisconsin Elections Commission. August 27, 2026. pp. 65–66. Retrieved September 12, 2026.
  19. ↑ Lopez-Stane, Audrey (September 3, 2026). "Dina Nina Martinez-Rutherford talks education, plans for Legislature". The Daily Cardinal. Retrieved September 10, 2026.
  20. ↑ 2023 Spring Election - Madison Alderperson District 15 - Votes by Precinct (Report). Office of the Clerk of Dane County, Wisconsin. April 4, 2023. Retrieved April 21, 2026.
  21. ↑ 2025 Spring Election - Madison Alderperson District 15 - Votes by Precinct (Report). Office of the Clerk of Dane County, Wisconsin. April 1, 2025. Retrieved April 21, 2026.