Ben Wikler to leave Wisconsin Democratic Party in June
Ben Wikler, who transformed the Wisconsin Democratic Party into a fundraising juggernaut, is leaving his position in June.
The Wisconsin state party chair announced his decision to not run for reelection in a letter on Thursday, calling it 'the right time for me to take a breath' and 'find new ways to advance the fight for a country that works for working people.'
In a brief interview with POLITICO, Wikler said he's now considering writing a book. He also didn't close the door on running for political office himself — 'maybe at some point,' he said, adding that 'we have amazing Democrats in office right now.'
'Wisconsin has a pro-democracy Supreme Court through 2028, which means Wisconsin won't be re-gerrymandered, and we have a serious shot at a trifecta in 2026,' Wikler said. 'Our state party is in great shape. The best time to pass the torch is when an organization is on an upswing.'
Wikler's announcement comes about a week after he helped engineer Democrats' first major electoral victory in the second Donald Trump administration, when the liberal state Supreme Court candidate Susan Crawford won her seat by a 10 percentage point victory. It's also two months after Wikler lost his own bid for Democratic National Committee chair.
Wikler, who was first elected in 2019, turned a traditionally low-profile gig into an influential, nationally-recognized perch. He turned a weak state party into a well-funded machine, winning 12 out of the last 15 statewide elections. Even so, Trump won the state in 2024.
The Democratic Party of Wisconsin will hold chair elections to replace Wikler in mid June.
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