Dora Elizabeth Drake (born March 1993) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

community advocate and Democratic politician from

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

. She is a member of the

Wisconsin Senate The Wisconsin Senate is the upper house of the Wisconsin State Legislature. Together with the Wisconsin State Assembly they constitute the legislative branch of the state of Wisconsin. The powers of the Wisconsin Senate are modeled after those ...

, representing

Wisconsin's 4th Senate district The 4th Senate district of Wisconsin is one of 33 districts in the Wisconsin Senate. Located in southeast Wisconsin, the district is entirely contained within northern Milwaukee County. It comprises part of the north side of the city of Milwau ...

since

2025 So far, the year has seen the continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudanese civil war, and the Gaza war. Internal crises in Bangladesh post-resignation v ...

. She previously served two terms in the

Wisconsin State Assembly The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The Assembly is controlled by the Republican ...

(2021–2025).

Early life and education

Dora Drake was born and raised in the Graceland neighborhood of

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

. She attended Eastbrook Academy in neighboring

Glendale, Wisconsin Glendale is a city in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 13,357 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. A suburb north of Milwaukee, it is part of the Milwaukee metropolitan area. History The Glendale area has ...

, where she graduated in 2011. She was accepted into

Marquette University Marquette University () is a Private university, private Jesuit research university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. It was established as Marquette College on August 28, 1881, by John Henni, the first Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Ar ...

's Educational Opportunities Program and graduated with her

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

in Social Welfare and Justice in 2015. Shortly after graduating, she was employed by JusticePoint, a

nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

promoting reforms to the criminal justice system and supporting people through their interactions with the justice system.

Political career

Through her involvement in her community, she became involved in local politics and was employed as

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for the 2019

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campaign of Shyla Deacon. Deacon ultimately fell 27 votes short of her opponent in the spring election. Following the campaign, Drake was employed at the Center for Self Sufficiency, which assists formerly incarcerated people with family support and

reentry Atmospheric entry (sometimes listed as Vimpact or Ventry) is the movement of an object from outer space into and through the gases of an atmosphere of a planet, dwarf planet, or natural satellite. Atmospheric entry may be ''uncontrolled entr ...

services. But a year after the end of the Deacon campaign, Drake announced her own candidacy for

in the 11th district with the support of Emerge Wisconsin, an organization which recruits, trains, and supports Democratic women running for office in Wisconsin. The 11th district had been represented by Democrat Jason Fields, who had run for Milwaukee city comptroller in the spring election. He announced after losing that election that he would not run for re-election in the Assembly. Three other candidates ultimately also ran in the Democratic

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for this seat, with Drake prevailing with 47% of the vote. Drake prevailed by a wide margin in the

general election A general election is an electoral process to choose most or all members of a governing body at the same time. They are distinct from By-election, by-elections, which fill individual seats that have become vacant between general elections. Gener ...

over Republican candidate Orlando Owens. She was one of 16 new assemblymembers elected in the 2020 election. In February 2024, Drake announced she would run for

in the 4th Senate district, following the resignation of five-term incumbent

Lena Taylor Lena C. Taylor (born July 25, 1966) is an American lawyer, judge, and former politician serving as a Wisconsin circuit courts, Wisconsin circuit court judge in Milwaukee County, since January 2024. She previously served 19 years as a Democratic Pa ...

. A special election was not called until May, scheduled for July. Drake faced only one opponent for the Senate seat, fellow Democratic state representative LaKeshia Myers. Drake prevailed in the special primary, held July 2, 2024, and was unopposed in the July 30 special election. Drake subsequently won the August 13 Democratic primary for a new four-year term that began in January 2025. Although entitled to begin her term as senator any time after winning the July 2024 special election, Drake delayed taking office until December 19, 2024, so that she would not have to resign her seat in the Assembly. The tactical timing of Drake's Assembly departure allowed Democrats to prevent Republicans from achieving a brief veto-proof super-majority in the Legislature.

Personal life and family

Dora Drake is the eldest of eight children. She is a worship singer at Milwaukee's New Horizons Integrated Ministries.

Early life and education

Political career

Personal life and family

Electoral history

Wisconsin Assembly (2020, 2022)

Wisconsin Senate (2024)

References

External links