Listed here are the candidates vying to be the following chief of the Democratic Social gathering of Wisconsin

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Republican President Donald Trump could have gained Wisconsin in November, however Badger State Democrats see a pathway to profitable a “trifecta” in state authorities in 2026.

How they get there can be on the coronary heart of the celebration’s state conference this upcoming weekend within the Wisconsin Dells.

Successful a trifecta means holding onto the governor’s seat, whether or not or not Gov. Tony Evers seeks a 3rd time period — and profitable majorities within the state Meeting and Senate, each of which Republicans have managed since 2011. Democrats flipped 14 seats in November after the Supreme Court docket tossed out Republican-tilted legislative maps, and 2026 is shaping as much as be an much more favorable 12 months for the celebration out of energy in Washington.

A key step can be selecting a successor to Ben Wikler, who’s stepping down after six years because the state celebration chair. Underneath Wikler, the celebration raised $63 million in 2024 — greater than any state celebration, Democratic or Republican, within the nation. In April, it helped Dane County Decide Susan Crawford cement a liberal majority on the state Supreme Court docket race till not less than 2028. 

The three candidates vying for the two-year time period as chair are Devin Remiker, Joe Zepecki and William Garcia.

Remiker served because the celebration’s government director underneath Wikler and has his endorsement. Zepecki is a communications veteran with in depth election marketing campaign expertise and big-name endorsements of his personal. Garcia is a dark-horse candidate — however with the celebration utilizing ranked-choice voting for the primary time to decide on a chair, there’s a brand new election dynamic. In ranked-choice voting, the votes for the final place candidate are distributed to these voters’ second selection till a candidate will get a majority of the overall vote.

Reaching out to Democrats across the state, not simply in inhabitants facilities, and shoring up the celebration’s repute are frequent priorities of the candidates.

“I believe fundraising is a very essential process,” state Sen. Kelda Roys, D-Madison, stated concerning the subsequent chair. “However we’re a grassroots celebration and the fact is, cash doesn’t imply a lot should you’re not on the bottom in each group.”

The insider

Remiker, 32, now a senior adviser to the state celebration, lives within the Reedsburg space, about an hour northwest of Madison. He stated the state celebration wants extra give attention to rural areas and voters of shade, partially to restore its picture.

“I believe that we now have fallen brief, and never simply the state celebration, but in addition the nationwide Democratic Social gathering and the way individuals understand us,” Remiker stated. “I believe we now have numerous belief constructing to do, and that’s going to be a serious focus of mine, is displaying up, to not ask individuals to vote for us, however simply to ask them to maintain an open thoughts and rebuild these relationships of belief which have been broken.”

At a WisPolitics occasion final week, Wikler stated he’s been making telephone calls on behalf of Remiker and described him because the architect of Crawford’s profitable Supreme Court docket technique of turning the race right into a referendum on billionaire and Trump effectivity czar Elon Musk, who closely backed her conservative opponent. 

Remiker described extra engagement at occasions equivalent to festivals and farmers markets, even away from election marketing campaign season, as the best way to keep up the momentum from the Supreme Court docket election.

“Folks take without any consideration that if we simply present up and begin speaking about points, points that the overwhelming majority of voters agree with us on,” that Democratic candidates will win votes, Remiker stated. “But when they don’t belief the messenger, in the event that they suppose that they will’t belief the Democratic Social gathering to truly ship or really give attention to these points, we’re not really in a position to break by way of.”

Remiker additionally has endorsements from former state Democratic Social gathering chairs Martha Laning, Martha Love and Jeff Neubauer; U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore of Milwaukee; state Senate Minority Chief Dianne Hesselbein and state Meeting Minority Chief Greta Neubauer.

The communicator

Zepecki, 43, lives within the Milwaukee suburb of Shorewood and runs his personal communications agency. His election marketing campaign expertise contains serving as communications director for Mary Burke’s 2014 gubernatorial marketing campaign and Barack Obama’s 2012 Wisconsin presidential marketing campaign.

Zepecki stated he desires to “fine-tune” celebration mobilization and get-out-the-vote efforts.

“I believe during the last six years, the strategy has develop into a little bit too top-down, a little bit too  one-size-fits-all,” he stated. “We have to have a system that’s versatile sufficient for native leaders to have a voice within the technique as a result of they’re those doing the work on the native stage.”

Zepecki additionally stated the celebration wants to enhance communication to extend belief.

“This isn’t distinctive to Wisconsin. The Democratic Social gathering nationally has a model drawback. Our communications and messaging should not touchdown,” Zepecki stated.

“Now we have to strive stuff, we now have to innovate,” he added. “It may not all work, however disgrace on us if we don’t attempt to we don’t take heed to the voters who’re telling us they don’t consider us and so they’re not listening to sufficient from us. That’s on us, not on the voters.”

Zepecki’s endorsements embrace former state celebration chair Linda Honold; the celebration chairs in Milwaukee, Racine, Waukesha, Marathon and Rock counties; and Tina Pohlman, who’s co-chair together with Garcia in La Crosse County.

The darkish horse

Garcia, 52, of La Crosse is a Western Technical School teacher. He’s celebration chair for the third Congressional District in western Wisconsin.

Garcia stated he’s working as a result of the county events have been “left behind,” missing sufficient sources from the state celebration on issues equivalent to celebration members, voters and communications.

“As a result of on the finish of the day, commercials are actually essential, social media is admittedly essential, however it’s actually the one-on-one in-person contacts that emanate from the county events that persuade and flip voters,” he stated.

Garcia, who lacks big-name endorsements, stated his place as a county celebration chief positions him nicely within the election.

The state celebration “does a lot very well, that is the blind spot proper now, and that’s why I believe I’m your best option to repair it, as a result of I’m the one which’s type of lived in that blind spot for years,” he stated.

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