ICYMI: Democratic Leaders Discuss Record Candidate Filings for State Legislative Races
MADISON, Wis. — Today, Senate Democratic Leader Dianne Hesselbein, Assembly Democratic Leader Greta Neubauer, and Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Ben Wikler held a virtual press call to discuss the record number of filings by Democratic candidates for Wisconsin Legislature.
Democratic candidates this week filed to run in all 16 state Senate districts on the ballot this November, as well as in 97 of 99 State Assembly districts. In the Assembly, Democrats have the largest field of candidates filed to run since 2011. On the GOP side, Republican candidates have filed in just 11 of 16 state Senate races and only 84 State Assembly districts.
Watch the event here and see what speakers had to say, in part, below:
Sen. Diane Hesselbein: “For the first time in over 20 years, we have a Senate Democrat running in every single race in the state of Wisconsin. Let me say that again: a candidate running every race challenging every single Republican candidate. We are here ready to hold our Republican counterparts accountable for their continued ignorance of the real problems facing real Wisconsinites and their terrible policy preferences that serve special interests rather than ordinary people. We have great candidates in every corner of the state. Our candidates reflect their districts and [the] lived experiences of the constituencies that they hope to represent. And we are on the ground running professional and aggressive campaigns against Republicans. ”
Rep. Greta Neubauer: “For the first time in over a decade, Wisconsin has fair legislative maps, and the Wisconsin Assembly Democrats are competing for a Democratic majority in these new districts across the state. Communities like Sheboygan, Wausau, and the Chippewa Valley that have been silenced through gerrymandering for over a decade will finally have their voices heard in truly competitive races. In 2022, Assembly Democrats held off a GOP supermajority and Governor Evers was reelected which paved the way for fair legislative maps. Assembly Democrats upheld the governor’s veto all session long and stopped bad policy from moving our state backwards. And now we are going on offense with strong locally rooted candidates across the state. And we are providing the support that they need to run winning campaigns. With over 120 candidates running in 97 districts, we are fighting for a majority in the Assembly. Our candidates reflect the values of their communities and are running to go to the capitol and implement real meaningful policy change that will improve the lives of Wisconsinites.”
Chair Ben Wikler: “Democratic candidates have an unprecedented level of strength, of message discipline, and unity and of support from an organized caucus and party operation working together as never before. This is a sea-change moment in our state […] The Republican Party has a toxic candidate at the top of the ticket. They have an extreme MAGA agenda that appeals only to the most radical fringe, and they have a record of obstruction and dysfunction in Madison that shows up in the polls, and that shows up on the doors. Wisconsinites are fed up and furious with the things that the Republicans in control of our State Legislature have done, and with the way they refuse to do things that most Wisconsinites want.”
