Democrats will take control of the Wisconsin Legislature when the new session begins, after winning an 18-15 majority in the Senate and a 53-46 majority in the Assembly in the Nov. 3 elections. It is the party's first time holding both chambers in 16 years, and Democrats will also hold the governor's office, with David Crowley defeating Tom Tiffany by about eight points.
Assembly leader Greta Neubauer, a Racine Democrat expected to become speaker, said her party intends to be ambitious and move quickly, with lowering costs for working families as the stated focus. Senate leader Dianne Hesselbein of Middleton, expected to become majority leader, echoed that the party plans to act fast in its first 100 days.
The first bill the new majority takes up is expected to center on cost of living, including free school meals, a cap on prescription drug costs and an expanded homestead tax credit for renters and low-income homeowners, according to the two leaders.
Other priorities the leaders named include restoring labor protections by undoing Act 10 and the state's right-to-work law, repealing the 1849 abortion ban that the state Supreme Court has rendered unenforceable, passing gun measures such as a red-flag law and universal background checks, legalizing marijuana, increasing K-12 school funding, reinstating the Knowles-Nelson conservation program and expanding child care access. A mid-decade redrawing of the state's congressional maps was described as still on the table, without a commitment. The state is projected to end the current budget cycle with a surplus of about $3 billion, and both leaders said they will work with Crowley on the budget he introduces early next year.
Republican leaders reacted skeptically. Outgoing Assembly Speaker Robin Vos of Rochester said the results reflected a national backlash rather than a state mandate and warned that a hard turn in the majority could cost Democrats in two years. Sen. Patrick Testin of Stevens Point said Senate Republicans will keep fighting for Wisconsin families and called cost of living the cycle's largest issue.
