Wisconsin Democratic Party Leader In Running For National Party Chairmanship
Ben Wikler has chaired the Democratic Party of Wisconsin since 2019.
Democratic Party of Wisconsin chairman Ben Wikler speaks ahead of a visit from President Joe Biden on Friday, July 5, 2024, at Sherman Middle School in Madison, Wis. Angela Major/WPR
The chair of Wisconsin Democrats is reportedly being considered for a national leadership position with the Democratic National Committee as the party recovers from a bruising election cycle and eyes a potential redirection, according to Politico.
Ben Wikler has chaired the Wisconsin Democratic Party since 2019, and is a widely respected figure in battleground politics. He is credited with massively expanding the party’s fundraising capabilities, drawing in tens of millions of dollars to fuel state races, and keeping Wisconsin competitive in a year where Democrats saw massive losses across the board, including in the race for the White House and control of Congress.
Wikler did not respond to WPR’s request for comment.
He’s made his name in national circles by helping to transform the Wisconsin Democratic party into a campaign powerhouse, helping to solidify President Joe Biden’s win in 2020 and Gov. Tony Evers’ 2022 reelection, and to flip the state Supreme Court in 2023 to a liberal majority with the election of Judge Janet Protasiewicz. Her win was supported, in part, by a $10 million from the state Democratic Party.
Those big dollars were raised by leveraging a GOP-authored campaign finance law that Democrats once decried — before using it to their advantage. The rules now allow for unlimited donations to filter through a state party. Under Wikler’s leadership, Wisconsin Democrats have used that policy to routinely outspend Republicans in state elections.
Ben Wikler, chairman of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, hugs Sen. Tammy Baldwin after she defeated Republican Eric Hovde in a race for US Senate on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024, at Steamfitters Local 601 in Madison, Wis. Angela Major/WPR
Democrats also propped up a long-term push to redraw state legislative maps in a way that cut into GOP majorities in Madison. Those new maps led to one area of good news for Democrats in an otherwise dismal election last week as they picked up four seats in the state Senate, ending a Republican supermajority there, and 10 seats in the state Assembly.
And throughout this election cycle, he received acclaim from national Democratic leaders. At the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in August, a series of guests at Wisconsin’s delegation breakfasts heaped praise on Wikler.
“You know that ‘Big Ben’ is recognized nationally as a preeminent state party chair,” said former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California. “His reputation is a great one.”
“This guy is one of the best chairs of a state party — not just today, but ever,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York.
Democrats face a reckoning after a difficult election for the party. Nationally, a Republican wave saw the reelection of former President Donald Trump, who won the popular vote for the first time in addition to the electoral college. Republicans also claimed the U.S. Senate and may also clinch the House of Representatives.
But that wave was less pronounced in Wisconsin. Trump’s winning margin of 0.9 percent was in line with Wisconsin’s historically close presidential elections, but was his smallest margin in the nation. And while the country shifted its support rightward by about 6 percent, the Republican shift in Wisconsin was just about 1.5 percent.
Democrats will select their new leader in early 2025.
Politico: Wisconsin’s Wikler among Democrats rumored for DNC chair was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.
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“He is credited with massively expanding the party’s fundraising capabilities, drawing in tens of millions of dollars to fuel state races, and keeping Wisconsin competitive in a year where Democrats saw massive losses across the board, including in the race for the White House and control of Congress”.
So fundraising is really what it is about, no need to talk about policy. It’s all very, very exciting! (For anyone interested read “The Democratic Consultants Getting Rich off the Harris Campaign” by Donald Shaw. Then commence drinking of dirty bath water).
Will he listen to Bernie Sanders or to Billionaires?
Make no mistake, losing Ben Wikler to the DNC would be a huge blow for Wisconsin. Ben has been incredibly effective as a fundraiser and an organizer, and to paint him as somehow beholden to billionaires shows a complete lack of knowledge about how the DPW works. We would not have won the back to back Governor’s races and the streak of Supreme Court races without his efforts while he was chair of the DPW. The money goes to hiring really good organizing teams and renting office space where we need to get out the vote. In the recent election, I worked out of the Lisbon office and canvassed mostly in 53206 and 53208. We were talking with people for whom the economic realities were just not being addressed, while the Harris campaign was talking about middle-class needs. These are people who voted for Trump knowing he was a racist because they deal with racists all the time. If you want to blame the national campaign for their lack of on the ground knowledge and bad messaging around the $6k child credit that would have been transformative for many of these people, I would wholeheartedly agree with you, but Ben is not to blame for that. Ben is simply a tremendously effective leader and we should acknowledge that it will be hard to find someone to replace him as the DPW chair. :/ BTW, Duane and steenwyr, did you get out and do any canvassing this year? Put your feet where your mouths are…