Wikler could be 'goldilocks candidate' for DNC chair
The state party chair is in the mix for a key national role with the Democratic Party as it charts course in the Trump 2.0 era. But will he make a run for it?
The Recombobulation Area is a thirteen-time Milwaukee Press Club award-winning weekly opinion column and online publication founded by longtime Milwaukee journalist Dan Shafer. The Recombobulation Area is now part of Civic Media.
As Democrats pick up the pieces from their loss to Donald Trump, one of the first major decisions the party will be making is to select the chair of the Democratic National Committee. The race for that role might just have a Wisconsin connection.
Ben Wikler, chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, has now been mentioned several times as a potential candidate to be the Chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC). A source close to Wikler confirmed reports that he is “seriously considering” running for chair. Wikler has not yet made a final decision about whether or not he is going to run, the source adds, but that decision could be coming in the next 2-3 weeks.
According to multiple sources in Democratic circles, many in Wisconsin have great respect for what Wikler has done as state party chair, and think he could both rebuild the national party and be a key voice to push back on the politics and policies of Donald Trump. The general consensus in these circles seems to be that Democrats would miss him in Wisconsin, but that he might be the right choice for this role at this moment, at the beginning of a second Trump term. Some consider him to be the “most effective state party chair in the country.”
One Democratic source said Wikler would be a “goldilocks candidate for the position.” They described him as someone liked by both centrists and progressives, able to connect with big-dollar donors and build a grassroots fundraising network, work with key outside groups, help build state parties around the country and “build power across the whole progressive and liberal political ecosystem.” Could that make him just right for the moment?
“There’s a very small list of people who fit the qualifications (for the role),” this source said, “And Ben (Wikler) is at the top of it.”
A Republican strategist tells The Recombobulation Area, “Ben Wikler should be considered a serious contender for DNC Chairman. No state chairman has done more than Wikler to build the local Democratic Party operation,” adding that “Republicans were highly successful when they elected former state chairman Reince Priebus and more recently (former North Carolina Republican Party Chair) Michael Whatley to head the RNC.”
Democratic strategist Sachin Chheda says Wikler “could be a national hero” in this role.
“He’s been brilliant at the job of state chair, and has the right blend of experience between his time in Washington, D.C., where he built a national network, and his time on the ground in Wisconsin,” added Chheda.
Along with what Wikler has done in Wisconsin, Chheda pointed to Wikler’s work prior to the role as a Senior Advisor at MoveOn, where he led efforts to push back on the Republican attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act.
Congressman Mark Pocan has also backed a potential Wikler bid for DNC chair in several posts on social media, and in an interview on WISN’s UPFRONT.
“(DNC politics) is a bit of an insider’s game, but people have enormous respect for what he has accomplished,” said Pocan to The Recombobulation Area. “He’s an organizer, fundraiser and communicator. That’s a trifecta.”
Along with Pocan, his former Progressive Caucus co-chair, Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, floated Wikler’s name to Politico. Jon Favreau, host of Pod Save America and a former speechwriter for President Barack Obama, called Wikler and his team “national treasures” who “we should all learn from” going forward. An article from Elaine Godfrey in The Atlantic asked, “Is Ben Wikler the Most Important Democrat in America?”, noting he has “brought his party back from virtual irrelevance in Wisconsin” and highlighting his skills and creativity as a fundraiser and connections with Democratic voters.
While Wikler weighs his decision, there are several other candidates already running for the job.
Martin O’Malley, the former governor of Maryland, is running. Ken Martin, the chair of Minnesota’s Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, announced he’s running earlier this week.
Others reportedly considering a run include Michigan State Sen. Mallory McMorrow, political strategist Chuck Rocha, who worked for Sen. Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign and Sen.-elect Ruben Gallego’s campaign, former New York congressman Max Rose, and Rahm Emanuel, the former Chicago mayor and current ambassador to Japan.
Wikler has a resume of success in Wisconsin. His time as chair began in July of 2019, and Democrats and Democratic-backed candidates have won the majority of statewide races in that time, including Joe Biden’s victory in the state in 2020, re-election for Gov. Tony Evers in 2022 (which coincided with a win for Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul), and wins in the Wisconsin Supreme Court for Jill Karofsky in 2020 and for Janet Protasiewicz in 2023, which flipped the balance of power on the court to a liberal majority for the first time in 15 years. Democrats also, of course, lost to Donald Trump in 2024, and Ron Johnson won re-election over Mandela Barnes in 2022. Wikler’s leadership has also helped give the state Democrats a huge fundraising advantage over their Republican counterparts.
This year, despite Trump’s victory in the state, Wisconsin was the closest of the seven swing states, and the state shifted toward Republicans less than all but a few other states. Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin was also re-elected in a close race, and down-ballot, there were key victories in the legislature under new maps, particularly in the State Senate.
Baldwin spoke positively about Wikler as potential DNC chair, according to the Journal Sentinel. Baldwin met with Wikler this week, a source confirms.
In Wisconsin, Wikler’s term as state party chair is up in June. It’s unclear if he would run for another term if he did not run for DNC chair. Between now and then, there is also a tremendously important race for Wisconsin Supreme Court that will determine whether the court will continue to have a 4-3 liberal majority, or if it would flip back to right-wing control. A source tells us Wikler wants to be in Wisconsin for that election.
Many have suggested that Wikler is interested in running for statewide office in Wisconsin some day. So, another key domino in this discussion for the future of Democratic politics in Wisconsin is what Gov. Tony Evers might do at the end of his term. Will he run for a third term in 2026? Opinions seem mixed, but Evers’ approval and favorability ratings are as high as any Wisconsin politician right now, and the political environment might be more favorable to Democrats in a midterm election to counter Trump. Evers will turn 75 in November of 2026.
If Evers chose not to run for a third term, that could open the door for Wikler, but there are also many others who would be interested in the job, too. Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley told The Recombobulation Area a year ago that he’d be interested in a run, Attorney General Josh Kaul has discussed this possibility, and so has Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson. Other potential candidates could include Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez, Secretary of State Sarah Godlewski, and State Sen. Kelda Roys, just to name a few. In a big field, who knows if Wikler would be ahead of the pack?
A major consideration for Wikler and the DNC chair role, sources say, is his family. He is in his early 40s and has three children. A job outside of Madison could have certain challenges. This will factor heavily into his decision, multiple sources say.
But that decision will need to be made soon, because with other candidates announcing their bids, this will indeed be a race and candidates will need to campaign. The vote on this is scheduled to take place on Feb. 13, per sources.
Dan Shafer is a journalist from Milwaukee who writes and publishes The Recombobulation Area. In 2024, he became the Political Editor of Civic Media. He’s also written for The New York Times, The Daily Beast, Heartland Signal, Belt Magazine, WisPolitics, and Milwaukee Record. He previously worked at Seattle Magazine, Seattle Business Magazine, the Milwaukee Business Journal, Milwaukee Magazine, and BizTimes Milwaukee. He’s won 18 Milwaukee Press Club Excellence in Journalism Awards. He’s on Twitter at @DanRShafer.
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The problem with Ben becoming the DNC chair is we need him in Wisconsin, at least through the upcoming Supreme Court race, WI needs him.