As the Democratic Party faces a crisis of identity, the newly elected chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin discussed his agenda for revitalizing a party that has bled voters in a number of its core constituencies.
Devin Remiker, the Chairman of the Wisconsin Democratic Party, said that he hopes to win back middle class voters in the midterms and beyond as much of the country, including Wisconsin moved to the right in the 2024 Presidential election.
“I think that we may not have made any sort of conscious decision or effort, but I think that over time we have lost trust with working-class voters,” Remiker said. “My goal as state party chair isn’t to win coin flips for the fate of democracy in a battleground state perpetually. I want to be a blue state, and to do that, we’re going to need to win some people back that we have lost.”
While Remiker has laid out a long term strategy to revitalize the party, he admitted some upcoming races, including the 2026 gubernatorial race, are out of his control. (RELATED: Locked In for 400 Years: How Evers’ Veto Will Hurt Wisconsin Homeowners)
Elaborating on his strategy to win the race, he said that he is ‘praying’ incumbent Democratic Tony Evers decides to seek a third term, highlighting his contributions to the party and willingness to campaign for state legislative candidates in swing seats.
“I’m on pins and needles,” Remiker added, saying he has no insight into Evers’ eventual decision. “Governor Evers has been a fantastic partner to the Democratic Party of Wisconsin.” (RELATED: Evers Raises Juneteenth Flag as Republicans Renew Push to Ban Identity-Based Flags)
This hope for Ever’s third run comes despite an overwhelming desire for a new candidate by democrat voters and low approval ratings, according to the latest Marquette polling data.
While Remiker indicated that he understood the party will need to moderate to win back working class voters, he did not eschew the more confrontational politics that the Democratic grassroots has embraced since the start of Trump’s second term.”I definitely think we need to be fighting back,” Remiker said. “Right now, I think a lot of people’s perception of the Democratic Party, even among our own members, is that we are not front and center in the fight right now.”
