Ben Wikler wants to “take a breath.”
Since taking over as chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin in 2019, Wikler made a name for himself as a winner in a purple state. This February, he turned that record into a bid to lead the Democratic National Committee but came up short of Minnesota’s Ken Martin and returned to the Dairy State.
Two months later, Wikler announced that he would step down from the state party chair after his term ends in June. “There’s a blue wave surging through Wisconsin and the whole country, and Democrats are poised to win a trifecta in 2028, which has always been my goal as chair,” he says. “I feel deeply confident that work will continue in the hands of the next chair.”
Wikler says one catalyst for his departure was Susan Crawford’s state Supreme Court victory in April, which secured a liberal majority. “Susan Crawford’s victory ensures that … our state can’t be re-gerrymandered,” he says.
Looking back, he’s proud of Gov. Tony Evers’ re-election in 2022, helping to stop the attempted impeachment of Justice Janet Protasiewicz, and seeing the drawing of new legislative maps.
Wikler, who hasn’t ruled out a run for office himself, says he’s now considering writing a book, while also planning to “spend some real time” with his wife, kids and dog. “I feel like we’re in a moment of simultaneously national crisis and enormous opportunity in Wisconsin,” he says.
