Wisconsin Democrats flipped both chambers of the state Legislature in Tuesday’s election. The win gives the party a governing trifecta alongside governor-elect David Crowley for the first time in 16 years. The party took the Senate 18-15 and won an Assembly majority, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.
Wisconsin Democrats will hold the governor’s office and both legislative chambers at the same time. A bill backed by the governor will no longer face a Republican majority in either house. That change gives the party control of lawmaking in Madison for the first time since 2010, the Journal Sentinel reported.
In the Senate, Wisconsin Democrats flipped three seats to win an 18-15 majority, while holding every seat they already held. The Associated Press compiled the results, and Wisconsin Public Radio reported them. In the Assembly, they flipped eight seats to win a 53-46 majority, also holding every seat they already held.
For governor-elect David Crowley, the legislative wins mean he will work with a Democratic majority in both chambers. Sial News reported that David Crowley won the governor’s race.
Outgoing Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, who did not seek re-election, congratulated Democrats on the win, the Journal Sentinel reported. Vos is the longest-serving speaker in state history, the newspaper said.
Wisconsin Democrats prepare to lead
Senate Majority Leader Dianne Hesselbein and Assembly Speaker Greta Neubauer are expected to lead the new majorities, the Journal Sentinel reported. Hesselbein named affordability, education, abortion access, workers’ rights and clean water as priorities, while Neubauer named free school meals, lower prescription drug costs, and schools and property taxes.
This was the second election held under new legislative maps, after the Wisconsin Supreme Court struck down the old maps in December 2023 and Governor Tony Evers signed new maps in February 2024. In 2024, Democrats gained 10 Assembly seats and four Senate seats, but they fell short of a majority in either chamber.
Republicans had held control of the Legislature since 2011, the Journal Sentinel reported, and they held the same concentration of power for eight years, from 2011 to 2018. The Wisconsin result came in a midterm election in which Democrats also captured Congress.
Nationally, Democrats won a majority of governorships for the first time since 2010.
The seat counts were based on preliminary results compiled by The Associated Press. The new majorities will take control when the Legislature convenes in January.
