(AP) WEST PALM BEACH, FLFollowing an election that swept Republicans and Donald Trump to power in Washington, Wisconsin Democratic Party chair Ben Wikler said on Sunday that he had entered the race to lead the national party.
In his announcement of candidacy, Wikler stated, “We have established a permanent campaign in Wisconsin.” In every part of the state—rural, suburban, urban, red, blue, and purple—we plan and communicate throughout the year.
After losing control of the House, Senate, and White House, Democrats are searching for new leaders to address the country’s issues while also preparing for four more years of Trump’s presidency.
As of right now, Martin O. Malley, a former governor of Maryland and current Social Security administrator, and Ken Martin, chair of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party and vice chair of the national party, have been named as the two candidates to head the Democratic National Committee. In February, the DNC will select its replacement, a vote that will reveal a lot about the party’s intentions for the remaining four years of Trump’s presidency.
Having led the party’s operations in a state that leaned less toward Trump than other battlegrounds in 2024 and where Democrats won important downballot seats, Wikler, who was elected state chair in 2019, draws on this experience.
He said that during his time in office, Democrats reelected Tony Evers as governor and overturned the Wisconsin Supreme Court’s majority. He claims that the state’s retake of 14 state legislature seats and the return of Senator Tammy Baldwin for a third term this year put Democrats on track to win majorities in both chambers in 2026.
According to Wikler, everything that has changed Wisconsin may change the world.
The 43-year-old Wikler has worked as a campaign director for Avaaz, an organization that inspires people to take on issues including poverty, climate change, and human rights, and as a Washington director for the progressive advocacy group MoveOn.org.
Martin O. Malley, a former governor of Maryland and the current Social Security administrator, and Ken Martin, the chair of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party and the national party’s vice chair, were the two declared contenders in the DNC campaign. In February, the DNC will select its successor.
Democrats must demonstrate to Americans that we support them and what Republicans stand for, Wikler stated on Sunday on CNN’s Inside Politics. We will lose if we don’t take that action.
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This article was written by Scott Bauer of the Associated Press in Madison, Wisconsin.
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