“Now is the right time for me to take a breath, and to find new ways to advance the fight for a country that works for working people, and one that honors every person’s fundamental freedom and dignity,” Wikler said in a letter. “When my third term as chair ends this June, I will be passing the torch.”
Wikler’s announcement comes about a week after Wisconsin Democrats celebrated a major victory in the election of liberal judge Susan Crawford to the state’s Supreme Court.
“Our state party is now in extraordinarily strong shape, we have secured a pro-democracy Supreme Court majority for at least the next two years, and Democrats are poised to win a trifecta in [the 2026 midterm elections],” Wikler wrote in his Thursday letter.
Elected in 2019, Wikler oversaw major victories for the Democratic Party in Wisconsin, including former President Joe Biden winning the state in 2020, Gov. Tony Evers’s reelection in 2022, Sen. Tammy Baldwin’s reelection bid in 2024, and three Supreme Court races in 2020, 2023, and 2025.
Wikler lost his bid to lead the Democratic National Committee in February to Ken Martin.
MINNESOTA’S KEN MARTIN ELECTED DNC CHAIR: ‘THIS IS A NEW DEMOCRACY’
In an interview with WISN12 News, Wikler didn’t rule out running for state office.
Wisconsin’s election for its next DNC chairperson will be held in June.
