Election in Rearview Mirror; Focus Shifts to 2025-26 Legislative Session

Once the polls closed on election night, and the dust settled, it became clear relatively quickly that the political chessboard in Wisconsin would not be radically different. Of course, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D) won reelection, and the Wisconsin U.S. House of Representatives delegation partisan split remain at a 6-2 split in favor of Republicans. In the state Legislature, the GOP maintained majorities in both the Assembly and Senate, but there were some notable shifts in the overall partisan make-up at the State Capitol.

The State Assembly entered the night with a 64-35 Republican majority, with most pundits expecting the GOP to lose several seats due to redistricting, and once all the votes were counted, Assembly Republicans earned a 54-45 seat majority heading into the next legislative session. In the State Senate, Republicans lost four highly-contested races and will enter the new session with a 18-15 majority – down from their current 22-11 seat majority.

After each election cycle, state lawmakers meet in partisan caucus – Assembly GOP Caucus, Assembly DEM Caucus; Senate GOP Caucus; and Senate DEM Caucus – to choose their respective leadership teams for the new legislative session. This election cycle was no exception of course, and all four partisan caucuses recently elected their leaders for the 2025-26 session.

There were no huge surprises, as most of the leadership team members from each caucus from the 2023-24 session retained their positions. However, there were some developments of note. Most prominently, Sen. Chris Kapenga (R-Pewaukee) decided not seek reelection for Senate President, and Sen. Mary Felzkowski (R-Tomahawk) was elected to replace him in the post. In addition, Rep. Scott Krug (R-Nekoosa) was selected as Assembly Assistant Majority Leader to replace a retiring colleague; Sen. Mark Spreitzer (D-Beloit) was chosen as Senate Minority Caucus Chair after serving in a lower leadership position last session; and Rep. Clinton Anderson (D-Beloit) was elected Minority Caucus Vice-Chair, as the previous lawmaker who held the post decided not to seek the position for the upcoming session. Please find the full legislative leadership results below:

Assembly Republicans

  • Speaker – Rep. Robin Vos (R-Rochester)
  • Majority Leader – Rep. Tyler August (R-Walworth)
  • Assistant Majority Leader – Rep. Scott Krug (R-Nekoosa)
  • Speaker Pro Tempore – Rep. Kevin Peterson (R-Waupaca)
  • Majority Caucus Chair – Rep. Rob Summerfield (R-Bloomer)
  • Majority Caucus Vice Chair – Rep. Cindi Duchow (R-Delafield)
  • Majority Caucus Secretary – Rep. Nancy VanderMeer (R-Tomah)
  • Majority Caucus Sergeant at Arms – Rep. Treig Pronschinske (R-Mondovi)

Assembly Democrats

  • Minority Leader – Rep. Greta Neubauer (D-Racine)
  • Assistant Minority Leader – Rep. Kaylan Haywood (D-Milwaukee)
  • Minority Caucus Chair – Lisa Subek (D-Madison)
  • Minority Caucus Vice-Chair – Rep. Clinton Anderson (D-Beloit)
  • Minority Caucus Secretary – Rep. Mike Bare (D-Verona)
  • Minority Caucus Sergeant at Arms – Rep. Jodi Emerson (D-Eau Claire)

Senate Republicans

  • Senate Majority Leader – Sen. Devin LeMahieu (R-Oostburg)
  • Senate President – Sen. Mary Felzkowski (R-Tomahawk)
  • Senate Assistance Majority Leader – Sen. Dan Feyen (R-Fond du Lac)
  • Senate President Pro Tempore – Sen. Patrick Testin (R-Stevens Point)
  • Senate Majority Caucus Char – Sen. Van Wanggaard (R-Racine)
  • Senate Majority Caucus Vice-Chair – Sen. Rachel Cabral-Guevara (R-Appleton)

Senate Democrats

  • Senate Minority Leader – Sen. Dianne Hesselbein (D-Middleton)
  • Senate Assistant Minority Leader – Sen. Jeff Smith (D-Eau Claire)
  • Senate Minority Caucus Chair – Sen. Mark Spreitzer (D-Beloit)
  • Senate Minority Vice Caucus Chair – Sen. Dora Drake (D-Milwaukee)