Wisconsin Democratic leader who revitalized state party in swing state is leaving

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Wisconsin Democratic leader who revitalized the party in the presidential swing state announced Thursday he will be leaving his position in June after a six-year run that included a string of victories and “agonizingly close” losses.

The move by Wisconsin Democratic Party Chairman Ben Wikler comes just a week after the Democratic-backed candidate for state Supreme Court defeated a candidate backed by President Donald Trump and Elon Musk in a hotly contested election. It also comes just two months after Wikler lost to Ken Martin in a bid to lead the Democratic National Committee.

Wikler has served as state party chair since 2019. Under his leadership, Democratic Gov. Tony Evers won reelection in 2022; Democratic-backed candidates for Wisconsin Supreme Court won in 2023 and last week, taking control of the court away from conservatives for the first time in 15 years and securing it until at least 2028; and he delivered the state to former President Joe Biden in 2020 and cut into Republican majorities in the Legislature.