Assembly Minority Leader Greta Neubauer joins DLCC's board as Dems looks to win majorities in 2026

Yahoo

12-05-2025

Assembly Minority Leader Greta Neubauer is joining the DLCC board. Neubauer takes questions from reporters alongside Senate Minority Leader Dianne Hesselbein in Jan. 2025. (Photo by Baylor Spears/Wisconsin Examiner)
Wisconsin Assembly Minority Leader Greta Neubauer is joining the Board of Directors for the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC) — the national organization dedicated to electing Democrats to state legislatures.
The Racine Democrat, who has been in the Legislature since 2018 and has led Assembly Democrats since 2021, joins the board as Wisconsin Democrats seek majorities in both chambers for the first time in many years in 2026.
Neubauer said DLCC President Heather Williams asked her to join the board and it's a sign of the organization's 'deep commitment' to Wisconsin and understanding that a trifecta could be possible in 2026.
'They want to be a part of helping us flip this state blue,' Neubauer said. 'DLCC of course is focused on the national strategy of supporting democratic legislatures to win majorities in legislative chambers. They have had great success in the last few years… so I'm excited to be part of that national strategy work.'
Williams said in a statement that 'all eyes should be on the states in 2025' and Neubauer is a leader to watch.
'As state Democrats continue to overperform in special elections and counter the chaos in Washington, we are laying the foundation for Democratic success up and down the ticket,' Williams said. 'Our board members represent some of the sharpest minds in politics, and I'm excited to partner with them to build our plan for victory for cycles to come.'
In the past, the DLCC has invested in helping Wisconsin Democrats win and outlined strategies for winning targeted seats.
Neubauer said it has been helpful getting to know leaders in other states where Democrats have successfully flipped control of their legislative chambers including Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania. She said she has learned a lot from those leaders and is trying to bring those lessons back to Democrats in Wisconsin, especially when it comes to preparing to be in the majority.
'When we do win, we want to take advantage of the opportunity and pass policy that is going to materially improve people's lives very quickly, so that's been really helpful to me to speak with them about how they prepared to govern, how they worked with their caucuses,' Neubauer said, adding that Democrats have 10 new Assembly members this year and hope to grow that number now that the Legislature has passed new maps that no longer overwhelmingly favor Republicans. 'The level of program that we run during the campaign cycle, the amount of money we need to raise and candidates we're supporting has grown significantly since we got the fair maps. I'm getting all sorts of advice from those leaders both about governing and about effectively campaigning, winning majorities.'
When it comes to its targets for 2025-26, Wisconsin is one of five of the DLCC's 'battleground' states where legislative majorities are determined by the slimmest of margins.
New legislative maps were put in place last year by the state Legislature and Gov. Tony Evers after the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled the old maps were an unconstitutional gerrymander. Democrats in Wisconsin haven't held a legislative majority in the Senate or Assembly since 2010, and under the old maps, Senate Republicans were able to win two-thirds of the seats, while Republicans held a 64-35 majority.
Under the new maps, Democrats in 2024 were able to pick up 10 Assembly seats and now hold 45 of 99 seats. They also added four Senate seats and now hold 15 seats out of 33 in that chamber.
Wisconsin's 2026 elections will be the first time that control of the Senate will be in play as only half of the body was up in the last election and Assembly Democrats will again be working to try to win a majority.
'It is absolutely doable, but it is going to take quite a bit of work,' Neubauer said.
Democratic lawmakers, she said, are taking a few approaches to getting things done for voters ahead of the next elections. This includes working across the aisle in the budget process to get investment into programs that Wisconsinites rely on, including child care and public schools and ensuring 'Republican attacks on our rights and freedoms are not successful' by upholding the governor's veto.
Neubauer said her party is also 'focused on that long-term vision and communicating what we will do when we have a Democratic trifecta — how we will change the state, how we will make Wisconsin a place where everyone has the ability to thrive, wants to live, raise a family, retire.' She noted that Democrats introduced a package of bills in January to address prescription drug access, ensure students have access to food in school and help improve housing, but Republicans haven't shown interest in them.
'We have a big and deep policy agenda that we've been working on for over a decade that we are ready to implement, and so we just have to get out and communicate about it,' Neubauer said. 'And that of course looks like fanning out across the state, both in districts we represent and other communities, and talking about the work that we need to get done.'
Neubauer said they are going to continue to work to lower costs, especially as 'Trump engages in reckless, irresponsible trade wars and weakens the economy for no good reason.' She said state legislatures are essential in pushing back on his agenda.
The first part of Trump's term in office could have an effect on Wisconsin Democrats' chances as well, Neubauer said.
'We have a number of Republican legislators who have really tried to position themselves as being moderate. They go home to their districts and they emphasize the bipartisan proposals that they've signed on to or tried to get passed, but what they don't talk about is their voting record being in line with Republican leadership almost 100% of the time,' Neubauer said.
Neubauer said that Wisconsin Republicans haven't distanced themselves from Trump's agenda.
'The first several months of the legislative session here in Wisconsin, we saw Republicans focused on culture wars rather than lowering costs for working families, making their lives easier, investing in our schools — the things that we all hear about when we run into our constituents at the grocery store,' Neubauer said. 'Republicans are going to have to answer for Donald Trump and his attacks on Wisconsin families next year, and that is going to be difficult for them to do in extremely purple districts.'
Wisconsin's gubernatorial election is also coming up in November 2026. Evers hasn't said whether he'll run for a third term, saying he'll likely decide after the next budget is done. Republican Josh Schoemann, who serves as the county executive of Washington, is the first candidate to announce his campaign.
'We're all eagerly awaiting that decision,' Neubauer said of Evers' choice whether to make a re-election bid. '[I] always look forward to working with the governor.'
Neubauer is one of seven legislative leaders joining the DLCC board alongside California Speaker of the Assembly Robert Rivas, Colorado Senate President James Coleman, Illinois Speaker Pro Tempore Kam Buckner, Michigan Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks, Oregon Speaker of the House Julie Fahey and Virginia Speaker of the House Don Scott.
New York Senate President Pro Tempore and Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, who also serves as the DLCC chair, said in a statement that she is thrilled Neubauer is joining.
'There has never been a more important time to ensure we have battle-tested, experienced leaders at the helm of Democratic strategy in the states as Donald Trump upends Washington and our economy,' Stewart-Cousins said, adding that Neubauer 'embodies the diverse expertise needed to drive and elevate our strategy to build durable state power through the end of the decade.'
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