When the Wisconsin State Legislature returns to Madison in January for the new session, both the Senate and Assembly will look quite a bit different. The November election was the first to use the new district maps signed into law earlier this year. In 2022, Senate Republicans secured 22 of 33 seats, providing them a supermajority with the power to overturn vetoes from Governor Tony Evers. In the State Assembly, Republicans missed their supermajority by just two seats, picking 64 of 99 districts. While political spectators knew Republicans were poised to lose seats and Democrats gain this year, nobody could quite predict what the margins would look like.
This year, 16 of the 33 Senate seats were up for election. In analyzing the election histories of the new districts, Democrats were in position to pick up four new seats, which included the open 30th seat in Green Bay, the open 18th seat hugging the western shore of Lake Winnebago between Oshkosh and Appleton, the Republican-controlled 14th seat in south central Wisconsin, and the Republican-held 8th seat in the northern Milwaukee suburbs. Conventional wisdom said that if Democrats could win all four seats, then they only need to win two of three competitive seats in 2026 to gain control of the Senate. Despite positive Republican trends in nearly every county in the state, Senate Democrats managed to win all four seats and fully execute the first phase of their two-election strategy. The State Senate will now hold 18 Republican seats and 15 Democratic seats during the 2025-26 legislative session with Democrats certainly eager to gain two seats in 2026 and take the majority.
In the State Assembly, Democrats picked up ten seats, which puts the Assembly at 54 Republican seats to 45 Democratic seats heading into January. Assembly Republicans benefited from their party’s aforementioned positive trends throughout the state and won several seats some predicted Democrats to win. However, those seats remain competitive again in 2026, and both parties will no doubt fight tooth and nail for the majority.
There’s no question the Republican-controlled legislature and Democratic-controlled executive branch will often be at odds in the next session. However, with Clean Wisconsin’s pragmatic approach to policy advocacy, there are continued bipartisan opportunities for new policy and bolstered funding for water quality initiatives and natural climate solutions. We look forward to working with long-time partners in both parties and getting to know new freshman legislators in the coming months. The next legislative session is sure to be interesting as both parties position themselves for success in 2026.
The upshot:
- Champions for Clean Wisconsin-led, bipartisan grazing bill kept their seats and will lead again on the bill in the 2025-26 legislative session.
- Republican and Democratic clean water advocates won reelection and will continue collaborating with Clean Wisconsin.
- Slimmer Republican majorities could offer more opportunity for bipartisan action on environmental health.
