Wisconsin Democrats to pick new chair

Yahoo

18 hours ago

William Garcia, Joe Zepecki and Devin Remicker are the candidates for Democratic Party of Wisconsin chair. (Photos courtesy of candidates)
The Democratic Party of Wisconsin will meet over the weekend with the task of choosing a new party chair who will lead the party into 2026 when crucial elections are at stake.
Those elections include a nominally nonpartisan state Supreme Court race that could nonetheless lock in a liberal majority past 2028, campaigns for competitive congressional seats, the governor's race and state legislative races that will determine the balance of power in the state Legislature, where Democrats have a chance to flip both the Senate and Assembly for the first time in over a decade.
The state party has been led by Ben Wikler since 2019. He's credited with helping transform the party through fundraising and with being instrumental in many wins including electing Gov. Tony Evers to a second term, gaining back ground in the state Legislature and flipping the ideological balance of the state Supreme Court, though the party has also had some close losses under him with President Donald Trump winning the state last November and U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson winning a third term in office. The state party had started considering who could fill the position earlier in the year when Wikler campaigned for Democratic National Committee chair in February, though some thought he'd remain after he lost.
Wikler announced in April that he wouldn't be running for another term as chair, saying it was time to 'pass the torch.'
Three candidates with slightly varied visions are running for the position: Devin Remiker, a party insider from Reedsburg who has worked in leadership roles in the party since 2018; Joe Zepecki, a Milwaukee-based Democratic communications professional, and William Garcia, the 3rd Congressional District chair and co-chair of the La Crosse County Democratic Party.
Remiker said he initially wasn't sure he would have the energy to be chair but that Susan Crawford's victory in her state Supreme Court race changed that.
'It was just a really good reminder of why we do this and why it's important, so I sort of switched gears pretty quickly,' Remiker said, adding that some people were encouraging him to run.
Remiker, a 32-year-old New Rivers native, most recently served as a senior advisor for the state party. He is currently on a leave of absence during his campaign. He first joined the Democratic Party of Wisconsin as a staffer in 2018 and has worked up from there. He served as a senior advisor to the Biden-Harris and then Harris-Walz presidential campaigns in 2024 and was executive director of the party for a few years starting in 2021.
Remiker is responsible for some of the communications campaigns that the party launched during competitive elections, including the 'People v. Musk' campaign, which highlighted Elon Musk's involvement in trying to win the state Supreme Court seat for Schimel and his work to slash funds and staffing of federal agencies.
Remiker said he thinks the state party and candidates are in a 'fantastic' spot, but that 'there's always room to improve' and 'to figure out how we take things to the next level' and that's what he'd work on as chair.
Despite committing to remaining neutral in a state party chair race during his DNC chair campaign, Wikler reversed course and endorsed Remiker in a column in late May. He said at a WisPolitics event that he changed his mind because he wanted people to know about the work that Remiker's done for the party and is making calls on his behalf. Wikler said that he thinks there will be a 'burgeoning blue wave' in 2026.
'My decision to endorse was I knew that I thought he'd do a phenomenal job and I also knew that I thought he'd been working behind the scenes and people would not know what a role he played in so many of our fights unless I said something,' Wikler said.
Remiker is also endorsed by U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore, State Assembly Minority Leader Greta Neubauer (D-Racine), State Senate Minority Leader Dianne Hesselbein (D-Middleton) and former state party chairs.
Remiker said that other than his father being in a union, he didn't grow up in a very political family, but he caught the politics bug 'pretty quickly' in college at UW-La Crosse and during an internship with the special election campaign for now-state Rep. Steve Doyle (D-Onalaska).
'I collected nomination signatures. I knocked on doors, and I just love talking with people,' Remiker said. The loss of his dad's job when a nuclear facility in Kewaunee was decommissioned also pushed him towards politics.
'It was a knife in the heart [to] this sort of rural county and area,' Remiker said. 'This facility provided a lot of good paying benefits, providing union jobs, and then, to add insult to injury, I find out afterwards that they essentially are offering people their jobs back… as independent contractors with no benefits, a fraction of the pay that they were receiving before… I was mad as heck.'
Remiker said it was at that point that he decided to see where a career in politics would lead and it has shaped his mission for the party: ensuring it fights for working people.
'Our biggest failure from 2024 is that people lost faith in us as the party that fights for the working class, and I really want to center that in my work,' Remiker said.
Remiker noted there is 'tremendous' opportunity for Democrats with fair state legislative maps and backlash against the Trump administration that is motivating people to become involved with the party, but the challenge will be keeping people engaged through 2026. He said there is more the party can do to ensure its engaging authentically across the state in all communities and to help Democrats in rural communities feel like they don't have to hide.
'We just have to make sure that when there is energy, we are running towards it and bringing it with us, so that we can point it like a laser at the fights that we need to win next year,' Remiker said. 'We have a lot of fights on our hands.'
Remiker said he wants 72 county strategies that are unique to each county party. He said he'd work towards that by building on the neighborhood teams that exist by creating regional teams, which would be tasked with going county by county to better understand the needs of county parties, college Democrats, community groups and others.
'There's no one size fits all solution to how we sort of support each county, but we really have to get into the weeds…,' Remiker said. 'This county they need some help building their membership base, because they might be struggling to have enough folks to sustain their level of work. This county might need some additional help opening a year round permanent office in their county. This county might need funding to get a trailer that they can build a parade float on. I think there's more room to provide resources. I just think that we need to make sure that we are listening, engaging and have a more consistent feedback loop with our leadership on the ground.'
Fundraising, he said, would also play a critical role for making that work. With his previous work for the party, Remiker noted that he has already helped do that work and would continue it as chair.
'Wisconsin's unique success [in fundraising] comes down to relationships of trust built with donors large and small over time, and that requires being honest about losses and proud of your victories,' Remiker said. 'I've been lucky enough having worked with Ben so closely to have been part of sort of building that trust over time — helping to write the memos, do the calls. I've raised millions of dollars for the party myself.'
Zepecki, a 43-year-old from Milwaukee, is pitching himself as having the fresh perspective the party needs to win more elections, saying he'll work to revamp the organization's communications.
'Two things can be true at the same time… Ben and his team have done a remarkable job. We are the envy of 49 other state parties. At the same time, it is true that Democrats have a lot of work to do,' Zepecki said in an interview. 'Our brand is busted. Our messaging isn't landing. We have work to do, and you shouldn't need more evidence of that than the occupant of the White House, than the fact that Ron Johnson is still representing Wisconsin in the U.S. Senate.'
As he decided to run, Zepecki said he took the time to consult a broad swath of people and entered with supporters who he said 'speak to the broad coalition that is our party — rural, urban, suburban, north, south, east, west, gay, straight, progressive [and] moderate.' He said it was clear there was an 'appetite' for some changes to the party.
Zepecki is endorsed by several state lawmakers, including Reps. Francesca Hong (D-Madison), Clinton Anderson (D-Beloit), Darrin Madison (D-Milwaukee), Christine Sinicki (D-Milwaukee) and Sen. Jamie Wall (D-Green Bay). He also has support from former Wisconsin Democratic Party chair Linda Honold and several local party chairs including Kelly Gallaher of the Racine County party, Nancy Fisker of the Lafayette County party and Matthew Mareno of the Waukesha County party.
Some advocates have also given their support including Angela Lang, the executive director of Black Leaders Organizing Communities (BLOC), Shawn Phetteplace, an organizer and campaign strategist with small business advocacy organization Main Street Alliance and Kristin Lyerly, a Green Bay OB-GYN who advocates for reproductive rights and ran for Congress in 2024.
Zepecki appeared critical of Wikler for his endorsement of Remiker in a video posted to Facebook in May, saying the current chair had assured him he wouldn't make an endorsement and that he 'abandoned' that commitment. He declined to speak further on the issue in the Examiner interview.
'I thought that was vitally important because it is the members of our party — the folks who knock the doors and plant the signs and make the phone calls — who should decide this election and know that their voice is paramount in this process,' Zepecki said in the video.
'If you don't change the people who are at the top are, I don't believe we're going to see the changes and improvements we need to see,' Zepcki added. 'We need new leadership and a fresh perspective. That's what I'm offering.'
Since 2016, Zepecki has run a communications company and worked for organizations such as Protect Our Care Wisconsin. Prior to that, he also worked on federal and state campaigns including Democrat Mary Burke's 2014 run for governor, a U.S. Senate campaign in Nebraska and a presidential primary campaign in Nevada.
Zepecki said he wants to build better infrastructure for the party's communications and has been saying there are 'five Ms' that should guide the work: message, messenger, mood, medium and masses.
'Spoiler alert: there is no magic set of words in just the right order that unlocks your vote… You're better off having a young person communicate with a young person, better off having someone who's a union member communicate with a union member. We need more messengers…,' Zepecki said. 'We can't just assume that our elected officials are going to be the only ones communicating our values, and when those messengers are out there, I think they need to match the mood of the country… It is virtually impossible to get ahead, and people are pissed about that. When we do not match the mood of the electorate, people tune us out. There are more ways to reach people than ever before, and we need to be more intentional about using more of that.'
Zepecki said this approach will help the party, which he said has troubles communicating what it's for and against. When it comes to what Democrats are for, Zepecki said that communicating the party as one of 'economic opportunity and fairness' is essential.
'Whether they're building trades union members and apprentices, whether it's public sector workers, the Democratic Party is the party of working people. When we get back to communicating that every single day, I think people are going to respond favorably,' Zepecki said, adding that this 'doesn't mean that we don't stand up for our trans brothers and sisters. It does not mean that we do not protect civil rights.'
Zepecki said with the 'big, pivotal year' of 2026 upcoming, he would want to use the latter half of the year to build up the party's power and infrastructure to be prepared to win. He said the approach would vary region to region but it comes down to communicating that people are welcome in the party and it will work for them.
'It is required that we ask for and earn the support of people who have voted Republican in the past, and we do so without making them swear out a blood oath to be Democrats for the rest of their life. That is the way you win elections in a 50-50 state like Wisconsin,' Zepecki said. 'We share many of the frustrations that people who vote for Donald Trump and Republicans have when it comes to how our economy is working. We do a better job communicating that we welcome folks into our party, don't like the chaos, division and the overreach of what the Trump administration is doing, and we're going to be just fine next year.'
Zepecki said his time serving as a political appointee in the federal Small Business Administration (SBA) in the Obama administration is the role that has prepared him the most for serving as chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin. He said he was tasked with leading a team of civil servants across 68 districts, and he compared it to Wisconsin's 72 counties.
'There are different realities and challenges and context depending on where you are…You have to earn trust. You have to win trust, and you have to lead and communicate internally as well as you communicate externally,' Zepecki said. 'When you do that, I think you can improve organizations. We certainly did that at SBA — incredibly, incredibly proud of the two and a half years I spent there — and that's the type of approach that I would bring to this.'
The basis of Garcia's campaign is strengthening the state's county parties. He told the Examiner that he has seen first-hand the 'dangerous disconnect between the state party and county parties' that exists.
Garcia, who is originally from San Antonio, Texas, said he grew up 'very, very political,' having helped Democrats since he was a teenager. He and his wife moved to La Crosse about seven years ago after she secured a job at the UW branch campus and when they arrived he said he almost immediately looked to get involved at the local level. He is also an educator currently working as an instructor at Western Technical College and having worked in K-12 education for 17 years prior.
''Hey, I live here now. How can I help?'' Garcia said, he asked when he walked in the La Crosse County party office. 'I started working from there.' Over the last several years, Garcia said the party has grown strong and robust.
'We get a lot of work done,' Garcia said, noting that La Crosse recently elected its most progressive mayor and city council ever, and just overturned the 96th state Assembly seat, which had been represented by Republicans for about 70 years.
'We were able to flip that through hard work,' Garcia said, adding that new fairer maps helped also. 'That was because of the strong infrastructure that we built at the county,' Garcia said. 'What I want to do is replicate that all across the state.'
Garcia has support from Democrats in his local area, including Rep. Tara Johnson (D-Town of Shelby) of the 96th district, Rep. Jill Billings (D-La Crosse), La Crosse Mayor Shaundel Washington-Spivey, as well as the chair of the Jackson and Richland County parties and John Stanley, who serves as the progressive caucus chair.
Garcia said some of the changes the party needs to make may appear small but are important for helping the party reach as many people as possible.
'Logistical things like packets with turf maps that make sense…,' Garcia said. 'If you actually live in the area, you know, there are problems with how it's put together, and it slows down our door knockers. Things like we're not doing enough talking to our rural voters, and we're not doing enough to talk to our farmers.'
As chair, Garcia said he would want to ensure that county parties have the resources, tools, training and infrastructure so that they can spend all their time reaching out to voters. He said that he also wants to ensure that county parties have a bigger seat at the table when it comes to organizing and messaging decision making.
'County parties are the experts in what is happening in their own communities, and we need to be listening to them in ways that we're not right now about the best way to really reach out and talk to voters in those areas,' Garcia said. 'The organizing strategy that works in Madison is not the organizing strategy that works best in Pierce County, and the messaging that works wonderfully in Milwaukee is not necessarily the strategy that's going to work best in Menominee.'
Garcia added that this would apply to other local organizing organizations, including the state party caucuses such as the Latino, Black and rural caucuses.
Garcia said strengthening the county parties is essential towards winning the trifecta in 2026.
'It's the county parties that are really the hub of activity for electing our Assembly candidates and our state Senate candidates. It is the county parties where we find our door knocking volunteers. It's the county party where we find the infrastructure the candidates need to tap into in order to mount an effective campaign, and so the stronger we can make these county parties, the more likely we are to flip those Assembly and Senate seats that we need to flip.'
Garcia said it is also important to get to the areas where it's difficult to win as well.
'Even if an Assembly seat goes 65% for Republicans and is a very difficult win for a Democrat, we still desperately need those votes for our statewide office holders.'
Garcia said that people don't get elected by being against something so Democrats needs to be proactive, illustrating what they are doing for people, their vision for government and, specifically, honing in on a message of 'protecting Wisconsin families.'
'That's what Democrats are trying to do from child care, where we're trying to make it actually affordable to pay for child care, trying to expand Medicaid so that pregnant women have the care that they need to take care of their babies, all the way up to protecting Medicare and Social Security,' Garcia said. 'It is Democrats that are consistently passing laws — or preventing Republicans from passing laws — to help our people.'
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