Wikler on ‘UpFront’ says Dem coalition poised to grow as he prepares to step down as state party chair

Ben Wikler says “Democratic leadership is urgently important” as he prepares to step down as state party chair in June.

“There’s so much to do to expand the ways that Democrats communicate and organize and push the envelope to break through the noise,” Wikler said on WISN 12’s “UpFront,” which is produced in partnership with WisPolitics. “I think the state party is going to do enormous, terrific work in the years to come, and I want to help out in whatever way I can, and I want some time to think about what that should look like.”

Wikler, who has served as state party chairman since 2019, announced Thursday he would not seek another two years in the position when his term ends in June.

“I hope Gov. Evers does run for reelection,” Wikler said when asked if he would consider a bid if Evers didn’t. “He’s a phenomenally successful governor. He’s the most popular politician in the state if you look at the Marquette University Law School poll, and he has a chance to win both chambers of the Legislature and pass the great ideas that have been in his budgets, that are in his budget right now into law. So that is plan one.”

Wikler said he does not plan to endorse when delegates vote to elect the new party chair during Democrats’ state convention in June. He added the national party has “enormous promise” with Ken Martin at the helm. Martin beat Wikler to be the next Democratic National Committee chair.

“I do think there’s a lot of voters who now, at this moment, are open to a Democratic argument, to an argument by someone who believes in democracy and freedom, even if they voted Republican before,” Wikler said. “And there are people who didn’t vote, who didn’t really think that these ideals would be fought for by Democrats in office who are open to being persuaded to come off the couch and into the ballot box. So I think there’s a chance to build a much bigger coalition in 2026, in the spring, in the fall and going forward. But to do that, you have to reach those voters, which means you have to go where they are to communicate. You need to show through your actions that you’re fighting for something bigger than a political victory.”

Dale Kooyenga, president of the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce, says Wisconsin business owners want to see President Donald Trump negotiate trade deals immediately as widespread uncertainty is still a critical concern.

“The businesses want to see D.C. negotiate and deal with this but with a businessman’s scalpel, not a populist sledgehammer,” Kooyenga told “UpFront.” “So the hope is that in these 90 days, they really negotiate getting better deals. The hope is that Donald Trump doesn’t believe that tariffs are actually a national strategy to prosperity. Business leaders I spoke to don’t agree with that. Mainstream economists don’t agree with this, but if this is a negotiation tactic to get net free trade, that’s good.”

The current 145% tariffs on China, Kooyenga said, could eventually benefit some Wisconsin manufacturers, but likely not immediately.

“Not in the short-term, but long-term, yes,” Kooyenga said. “There’s no doubt about it: China’s stolen intellectual property that’s manipulated their currency. It’s a mixed bag. A lot of Wisconsin businesses actually have plants in China, do business in China. Longer term, it may be good for Wisconsin manufacturers. In the short term, there’s no way around that it’s going to create more uncertainty and more cost.”

State Sen. Patrick Testin, vice chair of the Joint Finance Committee, says Republicans on the budget panel will operate “as status quo” while acknowledging a Wisconsin Supreme Court decision on the governor’s veto power may upend that.

“It certainly has a potential huge impact,” the Stevens Point Republican told “UpFront.” “The number one thing that we spend in our state budget is in K-12 education, and the fact that the governor was able to use a line-item veto to increase property taxes for the next four centuries, something that I don’t even think King George could have dreamed of back in the 1700s, but here we are. Our hope is that the court rules with us and sides with us, that the governor doesn’t have the ability to increase an appropriation for the next four centuries. But we’ll see.

“The most important thing that we do every two years in the Legislature is create and pass a state budget,” Testin added. “My goal and hope is working with my colleagues both on and off the committee that we’ll have a budget, hopefully by June 30th. But if there’s changes on how the court operates on some of these cases, how they rule, that has budget implications on how we operate, that’s certainly going to be a factor.”

Testin added his focus now remains on the state budget, while acknowledging questions about whether he may consider a bid for governor in 2026.

“Right now, my primary focus is getting through the state budget process and working with my colleagues,” he said. “You know we might have a tough year of midterms, so right now it’s all budget. There’s a lot of speculation, a lot of names being thrown around, and so keeping options open, but right now the focus is the budget.”

U.S. Rep. Suzan DelBene, chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, says Dems nationally will pour major resources into Wisconsin in an effort to flip the seats held by GOP Congressmen Bryan Steil and Derrick Van Orden.

“The two seats we’re talking about in Wisconsin, Bryan Steil won by about 10 points there and Van Orden by less than 3 points last cycle,” the Washington state Dem told “UpFront.” “People are outraged, and I think you’re already seeing a huge change in the public perception of what’s happening. That’s going to impact voters as we head into the midterms.”

Republicans have called Democrats’ target list, which includes 35 districts across the country, a “political fantasy.”

“I think that’s interesting because Republicans are running scared,” DelBene said.

Democrats have indicated a potential challenge to Wisconsin’s congressional maps with liberals maintaining control of the Wisconsin Supreme Court with Susan Crawford’s victory.

“I think the people of Wisconsin stood up and rejected Elon Musk’s attempt to buy an election in Wisconsin,” DelBene said. “I think electing someone who’s going to stand up for them, and wasn’t in the pocket of Elon Musk, the Supreme Court will see cases and stand up for the people of Wisconsin and where the DCCC will continue across the country to make sure that they’re fair maps and that people’s voices will be heard.”

See more from the show.